What will you do with your old iPhone or Fitbit if you get a brand-new one for the holidays? Many people, understandably, use apps and the internet to sell used or unwanted technology as reported by USA Today.
Sell your tech
After all, not only will you help declutter your home by getting rid of gadgets you don’t have any use for, but chances are you’re able to use that extra cash to pay down the big credit card bills you may be facing later in January.
You’ve got a few ways to unload your stuff: online classifieds sites (like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace), peer-to-peer marketplaces (like eBay) and an increasingly popular option is selling to a platform that gives you cash to take tech off your hands and they may resell it to someone looking for a deal.
Examples include Decluttr and Gazelle for mobile phones and MacBooks and MPB for camera gear.
“There’s often an ‘Antiques Roadshow’ kind of reaction, where people get their quote back and they’re like ‘Oh wow, I had no idea it would be worth this much,” adds Oler.
“You’re also helping to put this in the hands of someone who could appreciate spending less on your used gear, which we first inspect and guarantee.”
The following is a closer look at each of the three main ways to sell your tech online, with tips to maximize your experience on each one:
Online classifieds
Not new, but many turn to online classifieds sites and apps to find a buyer for their unwanted tech.
With platforms like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji (popular in Canada), you can post your listing for free and hope to find a buyer in your area.
The buyer will understandably want to inspect what you’re selling, so ensure it’s all powered up and include as much of the original packaging, documentation and accessories (like charging cables).
For your post, try to make it stand out from the rest.
One is to post many listings for the same product but in a different category.
For example, a Bluetooth speaker can be listed in Audio, Electronics, Smartphone Accessories and Home.
Online marketplaces
Compared to online classified sites, the benefit to a huge marketplace, like eBay, is you’re catering to potential buyers across the entire country – or even internationally – opposed to only locally.
Reviews and star ratings are incredibly important on marketplaces.
As for how much to sell your item, make sure your item is competitively priced as shoppers are comparing your item to others.
When buyers show interest in your product but haven’t yet completed the transaction, eBay suggests leveraging its Offer to Buyers tool, which allows you to initiate the negotiation process with potential buyers.
Sell your camping gear in the summer and not in the dead of winter.
Christmas items will do better in early December than in March.
Sell your tech to a platform
Opposed to a “peer-to-peer” approach, where you need to find a buyer and transact with them, a crop of sites offer to buy your used tech directly, which might be more ideal for those who don’t have a lot of time on their hands to sell it directly to someone else (and with classifieds, meet them in person for the transaction).
These same platforms sell used tech to those who might otherwise not be able to afford a brand-new device at retail.
Like Decluttr does for smartphones, MacBooks and game consoles, MPB asks sellers to fill out an online form to get an instant quote on photography and videography gear, before packaging it up and sending it to its Brooklyn, New York, facility (via secured Fedex, paid for by MPB).
You’ll need to specify the make, model and condition of what you’re looking to sell – camera bodies, lenses, filters and accessories – which will then be inspected and verified by a team of camera experts.
“While it’s more of an emotional thing, it’s important to us that sellers know the gear you may have used and loved and perhaps have done some fantastic work with, is getting into the hands of somebody else who, in turn, is going to do something really interesting with it,” adds Oler.
MPB says any used items purchased by others, including trade-ins, are covered by a six-month limited warranty.
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Source: USA Today
