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Buy-back services

Turn your old gadgets into spare cash with these ecofriendly buy-back services

By Louis Ramirez
Published: April 19, 2012

373.sh.ss.ds
Gazelle logo
Amazon.com logo
Best Buy logo
373.sh.ss.ds.BuyMyTronicsx476.jpg
  • Gazelle logo

    Gazelle
    How it works
    Gazelle, which mainly facilitates trade-ins for smartphones, laptops and tablets, has dedicated buy-back pages for most of today’s top gadgets. Upon answering a short questionnaire on your device’s condition, Gazelle makes you a cash offer and e-mails you a prepaid shipping label.
    Payment
    PayPal, check, Amazon gift card or charity donation
    Why we like it
    After accepting Gazelle’s buy-back quote, you have 30 days to send your gadget for the original amount quoted. If in those 30 days a new version of your gadget is announced—say for example, an iPhone 5—your device won’t depreciate in value because you’ve already locked in your buy-back rate.

    Photo: Courtesy of Gazelle373.sh.ss.ds.BuyBackGazelle.jpgGazelle logo152708061
  • Amazon.com logo

    Amazon Trade-In
    How it works
    Launched in 2009, Amazon’s Trade-In program initially accepted video games, books, textbooks and movies. The service has recently expanded to include CDs and more consumer electronics such as smartphones, iPads, iPods, Kindles, hard drives and notebooks. You find the product you wish to sell on Amazon’s Trade-In website. After adding it to your trade-in cart, you ship their gadgets in a prepaid box to Amazon.
    Payment
    Amazon gift card
    Why we like it
    Few sites will purchase used DVDs and video games, but here hardcore movie fans and gamers can sell off their old titles to make way for new ones.

    Photo: Courtesy of amazon.com373.sh.ss.ds.BuyBackAmazonx476.jpgAmazon.com logo152707962
  • Best Buy logo

    Best Buy Buy Back Program
    How it works
    Best Buy’s Buy Back Program lets you bring your Best Buy-purchased electronics to any location and exchange them for a store gift card. However, the service requires that you first purchase a “Buy Back” program membership from Best Buy. The program (good for two years) guarantees you’ll get at least 50 percent of your product’s full retail price if you sell it back within six months of purchase. The earlier you sell, the more money you’ll earn back. (At the two-year mark, you’ll only get up to 20 percent back.) Plans start at $8 for Blu-ray players and max out at $180 for HDTVs.
    Payment
    Best Buy gift card
    Why we like it
    Best Buy’s buy-back rate for mobile phones is based on the phone’s full retail price (i.e., before the carrier subsidy). So if you’re able to upgrade every year (and keep your phone in mint condition), you could potentially make more money from your sell than you spent on purchasing your phone.

    Photo: Courtesy of Best Buy373.sh.ss.ds.BuyBack.BestBuyx476.jpgBest Buy logo152707913
  • 373.sh.ss.ds.BuyMyTronicsx476.jpg

    BuyMyTronics
    How it works
    Like Gazelle, BuyMyTronics offers a straightforward approach to selling your devices. Simply search for the name of the product you wish to sell, describe its condition and BuyMyTronics will give you a buy-back quote along with a prepaid shipping label.
    Payment
    PayPal or check
    Why we like it
    While some buy-back sites seek to purchase only popular gadgets, BuyMyTronics is one of the few services that offers money for discontinued gadgets, such as Palm PDAs, previous-generation game consoles and standalone GPS units.

    373.sh.ss.ds.BuyMyTronicsx476.jpg373.sh.ss.ds.BuyMyTronicsx476.jpg152708014

Gazelle
How it works
Gazelle, which mainly facilitates trade-ins for smartphones, laptops and tablets, has dedicated buy-back pages for most of today’s top gadgets. Upon answering a short questionnaire on your device’s condition, Gazelle makes you a cash offer and e-mails you a prepaid shipping label.
Payment
PayPal, check, Amazon gift card or charity donation
Why we like it
After accepting Gazelle’s buy-back quote, you have 30 days to send your gadget for the original amount quoted. If in those 30 days a new version of your gadget is announced—say for example, an iPhone 5—your device won’t depreciate in value because you’ve already locked in your buy-back rate.

Photo: Courtesy of Gazelle


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