The primary gift-giving holidays are now firmly behind us and those of you who received new electronics and technology over the holidays may be wondering what to do with older makes and models. Whether the items you have still work just fine or could use a little bit of TLC, there are many ways to recycle old products and, in many instances, earn a few dollars in return.
If you have old electronics that you have recently upgraded for something newer, here are a few ideas for places that will be happy to pay you to take the old items off your hands.
Gazelle
Gazelle is a website that will let you trade in old electronics, such as cell phones, tablets, computers and more, in exchange for a check, payment via Paypal or an Amazon gift card. Gazelle’s system is very easy to use in that you input the items you would like to trade-in, and then they let you know how much they are willing to give you in exchange for the items you have.
One thing I have learned from using Gazelle in the past is that you can secure a higher trade-in value by sending in your item immediately after the next version has been released. For instance, Gazelle was offering one of the highest trade-in values that I saw for the iPhone 5 in the week immediately following the release of the iPhone 6. If you are someone who loves to upgrade to the latest products as soon as they are released, this can be a great way to earn back quite a bit of your money!
NextWorth
NextWorth is fairly similar to Gazelle in that they accept pretty much the same products for trade-in, however one item I noticed that NextWorth accepts that Gazelle does not is certain versions of the Amazon Kindle. Once NextWorth quotes you a trade-in price for your items, quotes are valid for 30 days so you will have a bit of time shop around and ensure that you are receiving the best price possible. NextWorth offers payment via Discover prepaid card, Paypal, Target gift card or check.
One way that NextWorth sets itself apart from Gazelle is that they have partnered with a few retail partners (with over 2,200 storefronts in the United States), which is convenient for those that would prefer to conduct their trade at an actual location and get paid immediately instead of shipping it in to the company. One of NextWorth’s partners is Target.
Target Electronics Trade-In Program
Speaking of Target, the Target Electronics Trade-In Program is run by NextWorth but the reason it is getting its own mention here is because if you go directly to Target to trade-in your old gadgets then the only available method of payment will be via Target gift card. The Target Electronics Trade-In Program is available at 1,400 Target stores nationwide and also online. Target will buy back your old cell phones, tablets, computers and video games.
Amazon Trade-In Program
Those who do much of their shopping through Amazon may be interested in checking out the Amazon Trade-In Program. Through the trade-in program, shoppers can return everything from CDs and DVDs to video games, electronics, and books, and receive Amazon gift cards in exchange for the products. Amazon will immediately tell you how much they are willing to give you in exchange for the items you would like to trade in to them, and then your account will be credited once they receive the items.
Best Buy Trade-In
Those who frequently shop at Best Buy for the newest gadgets may want to try to trade in their old gadgets via the Best Buy Trade-In program. Best Buy accepts old phones, tablets, MP3 players, video game devices and used video games in exchange for Best Buy gift cards. One item that Best Buy accepts for trade-in that none of the other companies on this list currently do is select working Fitbit activity trackers. Best Buy currently offers a minimum of a $10 gift card for Fitbit devices, as well as a coupon for $20 that can be applied toward the purchase of another Fitbit.
Whichever company you choose, it is worth checking the trade-in value of your used electronics before they get too far outdated. You never know, you might be sitting on a mini goldmine!
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How to Make Money Off of Old Electronics originally appeared on usnews.com
