Selling old electronics that are collecting dust in a forgotten drawer in your home is a great way to get some extra cash. You may simply want to clear out the clutter from your home or may need some money to be able to afford a swanky new gadget.
Whatever your reason may be, selling old electronics is a well-known idea to make some extra money. However, it wasn’t always as easy as it is today.
Earlier, sellers had only a couple of options like eBay and Craigslist where they could sell their used electronics. While users didn’t have to think hard about where to sell used electronics, using these platforms was a pain.
From creating complex listings that require heaps of information to haggling with potential customers, selling on eBay may have been considered easy a decade ago but now, there are several far more convenient options available.
Let us look at some of them in more detail:
1. Gizmogo
Gizmogo is an online service that offers cold hard cash in exchange for your old electronics. Their process is quite straightforward. All you have to do is log on to the Gizmogo website, answer a few questions that will help you describe the condition and other general information about your device. Once you are done, the website will offer a quote.
If you like the quote, you can proceed to receive the shipping label. At this stage, you will also be asked to select your preferred mode of payment (Paypal/bank transfer/cheque).
Next, simply pack your device, slap the shipping label on the box, and drop it off at the nearest UPS/USPS office. One your product is delivered, Gizmogo will conduct an assessment and if everything matches the description you gave earlier, you will receive your payment in the next 24 hours. If, however, the assessment reveals things you forgot to mention, the price will change and you will be notified. You will be given an option to accept the updated price or have your device delivered back to you.
The best part about Gizmogo is that the website bears all the costs of the shipping process. Moreover, the payment timeframe of Gizmogo is the shortest in the industry.
2. Amazon Trade-In
The Amazon trade in program is perfect for those that are looking to purchase new items from the platform.
Under the program, users can sell their old electronics to Amazon. Simply log on to the trade-in platform, search for the device you are trying to sell, choose the options that best describe the condition of your device and Amazon will present you with a quote.
If you accept the quote, the platform will provide you with a shipping label that you can use to ship your device to Amazon. If everything checks out, the quoted price will be deposited into your Amazon account in the form of a gift card.
There is another similar program launched by Best Buy.
While both these options are also incredibly convenient and trustworthy, Amazon and Best Buy have been known to offer contrastingly low prices as compared to other platforms where you can sell your electronics.
3. Apple Buyback
Most buyback programs have a bad rep. Particularly because of the less than impressive payouts given by them.
However, there is an exception for those who want to purchase Apple products like the iPhone or the Macbook.
If you fall in this category, you can consider giving your used electronics to Apple’s Buyback program. The program works almost exactly like the other buyback programs but if you have Apple products to exchange, you can expect to get a decent price for them.
If you want an even better price, try the next option on this list.
4. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is the social media giant’s version of a peer to peer marketplace. It is basically an extension of the platform, targeted at users that were selling and buying products in Facebook groups.
You can list your device(s) on the marketplace and wait for someone to make an offer. While you have to deal with potential buyers yourself, this gives you a better chance of making a few extra bucks. The payments can be processed through Facebook or any other payment method that the buyer and seller agree upon.
The downside of selling on the Facebook marketplace is that you are mostly dealing with strangers. While you can verify someone’s Facebook profile by visiting it and reviewing their activity, it is not a dependable form of verification.
Dealing with unverified sellers will dramatically increase your chances of running into an unpleasant experience. From cheque frauds to selling fake products, all sorts of scams take place on such platforms.
This is especially dangerous when you have to physically go and meet the seller to finalise the sale. The issue is, as a seller, you may have to comply with a buyer’s request to physically meet and complete the sale as that is the only foolproof way to correctly assess the condition of the device you are selling.
Sure, Facebook is actively taking steps to protect their users from scams and unpleasant experiences, knowing about these is also a user’s responsibility to ensure their own safety.
Another limitation of the Facebook Marketplace is that the service is currently only available in The US, The UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
If you are looking for alternatives of the Facebook Marketplace, you can look at platforms like Swappa. However, keep in mind that the rule of thumb to be careful while dealing with strangers on the web is applicable on Swappa as well.
Conclusion
These were our top picks of places where you can sell your used electronics. As you can see, all of these have some shortcomings and advantages. For obtaining better value of your electronics, you may have to take a little bit more risk. However, if you are being careful, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Have you used any of these services before? How was your experience? Share with us in the comment section below!
