How to get the best trade-in deals for your tech
Offloading unwanted gadgets and gear? Here’s how to get the most cash back
Don’t let unused tech products sit around gathering dust on the off chance that you’ll “need them one day”. You may be sitting on a miniature gold mine of unwanted gadgets, and in this business, it rarely pays to wait around – digital cameras, laptops and smartphones don’t generally age like fine wines, after all.
It might be tempting to whack your old gear down on the nearest auction site and accept the first bid that comes your way. But there are a few steps you can take if you’re looking to maximise the return you get for your tech products, and we’re here to tell you what they are.
Keep the box
We get it: this one is obviously no help if you tossed the packaging into your recycling bin a decade ago. But going forward, we advise you to always keep hold of the box your tech product came in, alongside all manuals, cables and other accessories. Because if and when you ever come to sell it, having it in back that original packaging alongside will set it apart from unboxed gear.
Buying a boxed product is that bit more reassuring than buying something wrapped in an old supermarket carrier bag – and that means people will be happy to pay more for it. So, if you have sufficient space at home, keep the box. Even a slightly battered or torn box is better than no box at all.
Clean everything
Nobody’s keen on your cobweb-strewn, greasy-buttoned or dusty old piece of tech. Giving your item a thorough spring clean before putting it up for sale can work wonders for its appeal.
There are all sorts of specialist products available for cleaning gadgets but in our experience a microfibre cloth or two, a drop or two of mild washing-up liquid and a little warm water are great for well-used exterior surfaces, while a handheld vacuum, dust blower (or can of compressed air) can get rid of dust without damaging delicate parts.
And, in general, look after your products if you think you may ever want to sell them on. If something is free of scratches, dings and dents, it speaks to the fact that you’ve either used it very little or used it with care – and that’s going to make it so much more desirable to any potential buyer.
Time things carefully
Maximising your returns requires putting your item on sale at the right time. For starters, it’s wise to avoid selling during big price reduction events like Black Friday or the Christmas sales, when everyone is expecting a bargain; you’ll likely get more cash when the equivalent new products are selling at their full price.
Also, if you’re ditching an old model of something in preparation for trading up to the latest iteration – for instance selling a Fujifilm X100V in order to fund the purchase of a Fujifilm X100VI – you’ll make more money offloading it before the new version goes on sale. Once something is no longer the current model, its price generally plummets – and that means a similar price drop for your second-hand version.
Look out for trade-in deals
Sometimes a retailer will give you more money for your used tech than a private buyer. Keep your eyes open for trade-in deals, where you’ll receive money off a new product (or sometimes cashback) when you give up your old product in return.
The sums aren’t always huge here, but they often apply to working gadgets no matter their condition – so you may get a higher return this way rather than selling it by the usual means.
StuffTV
