Here is a list of current trade-in programs:
(via
laptopmag.com)
Amazon
www.amazon.com/trade-in
One of the latest to enter the tech trade-in fray, online retailer Amazon recently expanded its trade-in service to include gadgets such as tablets, phones, MP3 players, and cameras. Users looking to get rid of old gear will receive reimbursement in the form of store credit deposited directly into their Amazon accounts. The site sends you a box and a label to cover the cost of shipping.
BuyBackWorld
www.buybackworld.com
BuyBackWorld covers the basics, letting you sell old gadgets or donate them for recycling if they’re not worth anything. When you visit the site you’re greeted by a video avatar, which offers the basic directions. This site looks the least professional in terms of the design, but it also offers a referral program where you can make $10 for every $100 worth of electronics that one of your friends sells.
BuyMyTronics
www.buymytronics.com
This site will accept cell phones, smartphones, digital cameras, MP3 players, eReaders, game consoles, GPS devices, and all Apple products. BuyMyTronics promises to wipe all personal data before the devices are recycled. The service covers the cost of shipping and then pays you via check or PayPal. BuyMyTronics also offers a unique fundraising option; the site will send you a giant box that you could place, say, in the middle of an office space. People can then deposit their old gadgets in the donation box. When you’re done, you mail it in using the pre-paid shipping labels. You can then have the funds sent directly to your charity of choice, along with a 5-percent bump, courtesy of BuyMyTronics.
Gazelle
www.gazelle.com
Thanks to an aggressive advertising campaign and excellent service, Gazelle is the most prominent company in this space; it handles the trade-in program for Walmart, where you can get store credit for your old gadgets. In addition to buying your gadgets (everything from laptops and eReaders to Blu-ray players and video games) for cash, Gazelle allows you to send them in for recycling. However, the service won’t pay for shipping if your device is worth less than $1.
The site also has a charitable side. You can organize a gadget drive, where a group donates its old gadgets to Gazelle, with the proceeds from the sales going to a charity of your choosing. And if you’re in Boston, you can drop off the gadget directly at the Gazelle office.
NextWorth
www.nextworth.com
Helpfully, NextWorth offers in-store drop-off. You can take your used cell phones, cameras, game consoles, DVDs, and other gear into one of 850 more than Target stores nationwide, and exchange them on the spot for either a gift card or store credit. If you’re in range of a Target, it’s hard to beat that level of convenience.
YouRenew
www.yourenew.com
YouRenew offers the basics in the cash-for-gadgets space, and its claim to fame is that it’s the “easiest, fastest, and greenest way to turn your old electronic devices into cash.” If your gadget isn’t worth anything, or if you don’t want any money, you can simply turn it in and recycle it. For every device YouRenew takes in, the company lets you choose between a donation to Carbonfund.org (one metric ton of carbon offset per 20 recycled devices) or Americanforests.org (one planted tree for every four YouRenew customers who choose this option). YouRenew also offsets all its carbon emissions through CO2stats.com.
Did You Know?:
Some of the recycled gadgets get refurbished and donated to schools, armed forces, or 3rd world countries. Additional info on recycling your no longer needed gadgets:
Recycling Old Gadgets