MILLIONS of UK homes are full of unwanted tech that could be turned into much-needed cash for Christmas.
If you hoard gadgets, now’s the time to sell off those old mobiles and laptops.
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There are on average 20 unused devices in every home, according to the Recycle Your Electricals Campaign. Together they’re worth £5.6billion, which means every household could make around £200 by clearing out and cashing in.
Laura Shannon explains how to get the best price for your gadgets . . .
COMPARE PRICES
THIS is important when trading in tech. Mobile phone sellers who settle for the first price they’re offered are likely to lose out by on average £87.
That’s according to Compare and Recycle, which allows you to see what different companies will pay for your tech.
Another site you can check is CompareMyMobile.com.
Obviously, the newer a gadget and the better its condition, the more you are likely to get.
An old iPhone can lose more than a fifth of its value in the three months after a new model’s release, according to musicMagpie.co.uk.
The site’s Jon Miller says: “The longer you leave a device unused, the more it depreciates. Trade it in as soon as you’re ready to upgrade.”
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Antonia Hristov, marketing manager at Compare and Recycle, adds: “Too often, value drops due to poor battery health, pixel discolouration on the screen, or excess wear and tear.”
Also, be honest about the state of an item. Companies check it when they receive it, before they sell it on. If you lie, you’re likely to get a lower sum than you were expecting.
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TRY GADGET WEBSITES
LOTS of sites pay good money for old tech and make the process simple. These include musicMagpie, Envirofone, WeBuyAnyPhone, Money4MyTech and Phones2Pounds.
They clear your old devices of data, refurbish them and sell them on. Many also accept broken or faulty items, though the price is much lower. Some offer free postage or collection.
You can get an online quote for the make, model and condition of your phone. Once the firm receives and tests it, your quote is confirmed. If you agree to it, you’re often paid the same day or within 24 hours. If tests suggest the mobile’s condition is worse than you said, the quote might be lowered. If you don’t accept, your device is returned to you.
Ensure anything you send is packaged correctly, take photos of the item before posting, and perhaps use tracked delivery.
SELL DIRECT
YOU can also try selling directly to customers through eBay and Facebook Marketplace. A quick sale is never guaranteed. There is also effort answering questions from buyers. But you could get a higher price.
Package items well and send with proof of posting. It’s also worth taking photos of devices before parting with them.
USE A HOLE IN THE WALL
SELLING your old gadgets could be almost as simple as using a cash machine.
You could take your phone to ecoATM kiosks — dotted around 53 UK cities, in supermarkets and shopping centres.
When you drop your mobile off at the kiosk, the computer tests it on the spot and you get an instant valuation.
If you’re happy with the quote, payment is made into your bank account, usually the same day. If you’re not happy, you get the phone back.
The machines accept any kind of mobile, in any condition and data is wiped before the device is sold on.
It’s convenient but compare prices first so you don’t lose out. Find your nearest ecoATM by visiting locations.uk.ecoatm.com.
MusicMagpie also has dozens of SMARTDrop kiosks around the country, mostly in big cities.
TRADE IT IN FOR CREDIT
SOME high-street shops and mobile networks let you trade in your old handset.
Currys and Carphone Ware-house give a choice between payment or store credit. Argos and GiffGaff pay via bank transfer. Apple gives you credit, while EE offers either cash, credit or a discount on your bill.
Bank transfers normally take between a few days and a week.
Payouts are often lower compared to specialist sites. Sometimes you get more if you upgrade to a promoted product.
Carphone Warehouse is offering £250 if you trade in any Android phone — working or not — and buy a new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 or Fold4.
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EARN A CASHBACK BONUS
GET extra from a cashback website when you sell or trade in your phone.
Sites like TopCashback and Quidco pay bonuses when you shop with well-known brands via their websites first.
Current deals with TopCashback include £5.25 for selling your old phone to Envirofone, and 5.25 per cent cashback with WeBuyAnyPhone.
Quidco also has offers for sellers using musicMagpie and Console Trade In, for example.
‘TWO LAPTOPS MADE £200’
SELF-EMPLOYED Billy Gough sold two Lenovo laptops last year and earned £200.
They still worked but had been well used and were around four years old.
The dad-of-three, who works in IT sales and logistics, says the computers were just “cluttering up the place”, sat in a drawer doing nothing.
He sold them to specialist firm Money 4 My Tech, which recycles or refurbishes gadgets. Payment can be made on the same day the company receives the item – via cheque, bank transfer or PayPal.
Billy, 51, right, of Baldock, Herts, says: “The process was very easy.
“If you have old phones or laptops, you can make some cash selling them on.”
‘HELPED FUND NEW PHONE’
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EVENTS manager Viv Williamson used a gadget kiosk to sell on her iPhone 11 for £310.
Viv, 38, who lives in Sale, Greater Manchester with her eight-year-old son Charlie, sold her phone to musicMagpie using one of its SMARTDrop points in her local Asda.
Before heading to the supermarket she entered the make and model into the website and was given an instant quote.
After dropping it off, she got the money via PayPal the same day, then used it to buy a refurbished Google Pixel phone – also via musicMagpie.
Viv, right, says: “It’s surprising how much you can get from your old tech.”
