The cost of living crisis has caused many of us to think twice about upgrading our phones, laptops and other devices, and focus instead on saving money to cover the soaring cost of household bills. But the old tech we no longer use, and currently have stashed away in cupboards and drawers, can earn us some extra cash to cover other expenses and put towards the price of new devices.
A study conducted by Vodafone last December (www.snipca.com/43144) found that Britain’s homes contain an average of £814 worth of unused technology – mainly smartphones, laptops and tablets. Few of us feel comfortable simply tossing old devices in the bin – whether for environmental reasons, privacy concerns or in case we ever need them again – so a massive amount of reusable and potentially profitable tech is going to waste.
Rather than lug a bag of old gadgets to your nearest CeX or other high-street trader, you can make more money by selling them online. In this feature, we explain how to get the best prices for your devices, even if they no longer work. We reveal the tech-recycling sites that pay the most cash for the widest range of phones and tablets, recommend where to sell your laptop and tell you how to trade in dusty old items for shiny new models. We made nearly £1,000 from ours.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
• Sell your phone, tablet or laptop to reliable resellers
• Compare quotes from multiple companies in one place
• Get paid within days for working and faulty devices
• Find out how much to sell your gadgets for on eBay
• Trade in old tech for Amazon gift cards and discounts
• Erase all your personal data before you sell a device
• Disconnect your Google, Apple or Microsoft account
SELLING TECH: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Why should I sell my old devices?
The obvious answer is to make some extra money, especially with inflation pushing up the cost of food, petrol and energy bills, among other expenses. Provided your old device is in reasonably good condition, you should be able to get a decent price for it and, though this won’t be anywhere near what you originally paid, you’ll have more cash in the bank than if you left the item languishing in a drawer.
Selling your old phone, tablet or laptop also helps you offset the cost of buying a
