Smart Solutions for Disposing Your Old Electronic Gadgets

Have you got a pile of e-junk in your house? Under the bed or hidden away in the basement? Fast changing and evolving technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand you have better, faster and sleeker products appearing at regular intervals. But on the other hand these developments render your functional and once 'latest' electronic goods obsolete in no time. As we try to acquire the best in the market, e-waste piles up in our homes. New technology does not come cheap. So instead of blasting a hole in your pocket with every new buy, why not think of ways to use your old gadgets to fund your new gadget obsession? You can choose to recycle, donate, sell, trade in or opt to get a quote for your laptop and get paid instantly online. Let's have a look at how each of these options work.

Recycle the Gadgets

You can choose to recycle almost all of your ancient and outdated e-waste. This is because the more outdated the technology, the more difficult it becomes to sell it. Your 55-inch rear projection TV would definitely not find any buyers, nor would the original bulky iPhone or Motorola Droid. There are definitely exceptions like the earlier versions of iPod or vintage classics like Techtronix oscilloscopes, which are more of collector's items. In the US, average life span of a TV is around two years and that of a computer is three years. Recycling a million laptops saves energy equivalent to what is used in 3,500 American homes in a year. But before choosing your recycler, ascertain that the recycling process is green and environment-friendly. Many electronic product parts can be refurbished and reused. EIA (Energy Information Administration) member companies are making efforts to use recycled materials, including glass, metals and plastics, in new generations of their products. Some examples of popular recycling programs are Apple recycling program, Best Buy, Staples and Goodwill. Nextworth has partnered with Target and you can get Target gift cards for your recycled items. Apple gives gift cards for its products in the recycling program, if they are in a good condition. Dell's Reconnect recycling program is also exemplary.

Donate to Those Less Fortunate than You

You can donate your old electronic gadgets to the needy or the underprivileged. But you need to first ensure that they are in a usable and a fairly good condition. A refurbished 3-year-old laptop can easily be used by a student for quite some time. A six-year-old laptop can be recycled for its parts. It's the developed and wealthy countries that spend the most on the latest gadgets. A majority of the world's population can never afford your neglected and outdated laptop. If you could make it available to a community school it may find itself useful all over again. There are several tech giants working hand-in-hand with charities. For example, Dell has partnered with Goodwill in helping refurbish old electronic goods which are then made available to local communities. There are several charities where you can donate your discarded electronic goods. By doing so you will be extending the life of the product, optimizing its benefits, and making it available to the less fortunate. You can easily find a charity supporting a cause close to your heart like combatting domestic abuse, supporting education or aiding affordable healthcare. An added benefit is the tax deductions you can avail on donating your electronic goods to schools and charities.

Sell for Quick Cash

If you cannot bear to part with your hard-earned gadgets for free, there are umpteen ways of selling them for quick and handy cash. You can choose a used electronics buy-back service for laptops. They give instant quotes for your products and you get free shipping as well. You usually get your payment in 24 hours, after it has been checked and verified. These sites are hassle-free, easy to use, and do not cost you anything. If you are interested in online selling, eBay and craigslist are good options. EBay is relatively expensive though and is not strictly recommended if your product is old or defective, because what you earn in return may not be sufficient to offset the cost of advertising. Where eBay scores is that it provides you with an enormous potential customer base worldwide; craigslist, on the other hand, is local-oriented. When advertising on these sites you need to be clear, concise and honest. Be upfront about the defects, damaged and missing parts of your gadgets. Adding a picture or two of your laptop or phone will get you more views. Also, be ready to haggle and drive a good bargain. In addition to these you can also choose to trade-in your laptop at either Amazon trade-in or Best Buy trade-in for a gift card or credit. The drawback here is that you will need to use the gift card or credit at the same place itself (Amazon/Best Buy) and cannot use it to shop around. If the trade-in values at the retailers appear paltry to you there are other options available as well. Nextworth accepts a long list of used electronic goods. You can ship the gadgets across on their dime or haul them to your nearby Target store to trade them in. The latter would be better for you if are in need of quick credit. If you choose to ship, it normally takes up to 10 days after your goods are received and inspected for the payment process to be initiated. EBay Instant Sale is another choice you have. Here, too, shipping is free and you can expect to get paid within five days of your electronic gadgets being received and inspected. Now that you have decided to get rid of all your accumulated old and unused e-goods, here's a quick reminder of what you should keep in mind before you unplug and pack away. Cancel all your services. If you are discarding your phone cancel your phone service or transfer it to the new device. If you're using cloud-based media or backup, cancel your subscriptions (if you won't use them) or de-authorize your old device and set up service on your new one. This should be kept in mind whether you are moving from XBox to Playstation or from Windows to Mac. Backup your data. Make sure you have a working copy of all your data before you erase your devices clean. Erase all your personal information and data. Simply erasing all the visible data may not be as secure as you think. For phones or tablets, a factory reset may do the trick. For your computer, reformatting your drive or re-installing the operating system may prove essential to securely remove your personal information from it.

Conclusion

You can use your old smartphone to entertain your daughter or use the computer as a backup in case of emergencies. But most likely they will get relegated to the back of the drawer or will be hauled away to the loft to join the huge e-pile you already have. Don't let that happen. Script a happy ending for your gadgets and earn a few dollars in the process, or recycle/donate them and do your bit for the environment and the society.