Getting a new gadget is always fun but if it’s replacing an old gadget you might have questions about what to do with the old device. You might be thinking “Can I sell this old one for some cash?” or “Now, how exactly do I recycle this?”. The answer to both of those questions can be found with Gazelle.
Gazelle.com acts as a broker for your old devices, including: cell phones, laptops, MP3 Players, digital cameras, laptops, PDAs, game consoles, GPS devices, camcorders, desktops, LCD monitors, calculators, and more. Gazelle will quote you a price for the item and send you a postage-paid box to ship the device to them. After they get the chance to inspect the device they’ll pay you the quoted amount by check or PayPal or donate the money to a charity or other cause of your choice. Gazelle can also work as a fundraising tool for your school or organization.
Gazelle is able to get a second life out of about 80% of devices they receive. If a device doesn’t have any life (market value) left in it, Gazelle ensures the device is properly recycled. Even if your device doesn’t net you any money, you can still recycle it for free through Gazelle.
To take it for a spin, I scoped out how much I’d get paid for recycling my Palm Pre since I’m looking at replacing it with the Samsung Epic 4G in 8 days. By simply typing ‘Palm Pre’ into the search, I was able to select the Sprint version of the Palm Pre (not the Palm Pre Plus) and find exactly my device. After answering a few questions about the shape the Pre is in, I received an offer from Gazelle to buy my Palm Pre for $63. That price is dropping monthly though, so I should take advantage of it soon.
To compare, I searched on Craigslist and found people asking for $100-$150 for a used Sprint Palm Pre. I don’t know if they’re receiving that amount for it but it gives me a ball park of local “value” for the device. Comparatively, Sprint has their own similar program with SprintBuyback.com so I ran the Pre through that system and found that they only offered up to $37. I could get almost double that offer from Gazelle.com.
Gazelle definitely seems worth trying out and I’ll be taking it up on its offer next week after I have my Epic 4G in hand.
