This often leaves us with a closet full of old, unused electronic items. Instead of stashing them away or tossing them in the garbage can, you can exchange or sell your gadgets and earn money. Here are the various options you can use.
Auction or sell
If the gadget you want to sell has hardly been used and is in a good working condition, you can list it for sale or auction it on websites such as ebay.com, craiglist.com, etc. You will need to register yourself as a seller, provide a description of your gadget and upload a few of its high-resolution pictures. Put up more than one picture, preferably from different angles, to show that the product is in a good physical condition.
Also, state if there is any shipping cost involved. "The depreciation in case of electronic items is much faster than in other goods, which is why getting a good deal becomes difficult," says Abhishek Krishnan, who often auctions his second-hand gadgets.
"At times, auctioning via sites that are tech-oriented, such as erodov.com or techenclave.com, helps as people who visit these sites have a better idea of how much the product is worth," he adds. Before selling a gadget, research and find out the price that similar products, with the same duration of usage, have fetched. This will give you a good idea about the price you should ask for.
If auctioning the gadget seems like hard work, you can sell it directly to various websites. These either refurbish the product and sell it to wholesale dealers or sell specific parts. The rest of the broken or obsolete parts are sent to recycling plants.
All you need to do is provide details of the gadget as well as its physical and working condition. The site will then quote a price that it is willing to pay you. If you are satisfied with this offer, you will have to ship the item. As most of these websites, such as BuyMyTronics.com and Cellforcash.com, are based overseas, you will have to bear the shipping cost. In such a case, it often makes sense to sell only high-valued products.
If you are unable to find a listing for your gizmo, contact the customer service and check if they are willing to accept the item. "Our company has been receiving items such as iPods, cell phones and digital cameras from India," says Brett Mosley, CEO and founder of US-based BuyMyTronics.com.
If the website finds a drastic difference between the actual condition of the appliance and the one that was described by you, a revaluation is done and a new price is quoted. This will be intimated to you along with the reasons for doing so. You will again have the choice to accept or reject the offer.
Experts says that if you frequently upgrade your gadgets, you shouldn't keep them for long. The lesser the time for which you have used the product, the higher the resale price it will fetch. Also, keep the receipt and original software CDs carefully. If you plan to re-sell an item, avoid engraving on it as it brings down the resale value. Go green and recycle
Several companies, such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Nokia and Samsung, have beefed up their recycling initiatives. Some of these, such as Nokia, don't offer any monetary benefits, but will recycle your products for free if you submit these at a drop point. The addresses of recycling points can be accessed at websites of the companies or by calling up a customer care executive.
Other firms, such as Dell, have been offering coupons to both attract and educate customers about the benefits of recycling. Mahesh Bhalla, general manager, consumer and SMB, Dell India, says, "We have launched a discount coupon programme, wherein consumers can send their old computers to the company for free recycling and get a coupon worth Rs 1,000. They can use this while purchasing their next Dell computer."
The company has also launched a free laptop battery recycling programme. The consumers who return non-working lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries from their Dell laptop will get a discount of Rs 500 during the purchase of a replacement Li-ion Dell laptop battery. Currently available in Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai, this offer will soon be available in the rest of the country.
Exchange offers
Another option is to make use of the exchange offers that are introduced by various retail chains, especially during the sale season. KS Raman, director of Next Retail, says, "During an exchange offer, at least 20% of the consumers who purchase new goods avail of this facility." The discount you can get will depend on the valuation of the old appliance. These schemes are generally on products that are the fastest selling goods for the season, such as air conditioners and refrigerators during summer.
However, most retailers will quote a fixed upper price, no matter how low the usage of the appliance, or increase the price of the new product you want to buy So, check out various shops to find the lowest MRP and then bargain for the highest discount.
