3 Tips For Recycling Electronics by Selling Them Online

An absurd amount of electronics ends up in the garbage and landfills. An absurd amount also ends up in basements, attics, and closets, never to be seen again until it is fully obsolete, and which point it goes into the trash and perhaps into a landfill. A lot of these electronics have useful life left in them and can be recycled, either by giving them away perhaps via a freebie site like Freecycle.com or even sold online for a few bucks. Selling online is easy but can be intimidating at first, so here are 3 tips to help you get started with this method of recycling electronics (and other good too).

1) Do some research to set your price. What are similar items selling for on sites like eBay, Craigslist, and others? Remember that buyers are probably also doing research, and a quick sale (and hence recycle) may be what you want, in which case you set the price at the lower end of the range you’ve found online. It’s also possible that a sale at a great price for you may be what you want. I suggest you start with low price/quick sale at first to build your confidence.

2) Make sure you are dealing with an established and well respected site, for example eBay. eBay also has rating of buyers and sellers which can be very useful. As you gain experience, you may branch out, but many people stick with one buying and selling site. eBay is the big one today, and many people even earn their living on eBay!

3) Be aware that most Internet sales are based on trust. If you ship and don’t get paid, there is probably very little you can do. Conversely, if you just shipped something that would have landed in the trash or lived in your basement for a couple of decades, you are really only out the cost of shipping. Most people are honest, but certainly not everyone! As you probably won’t be dealing with high dollar items, the risk is fairly low, but getting ripped off is very annoying.

If you can’t sell your used electronics because no one seems to want them, be aware that some may be classified as hazardous waste. You can’t necessarily just toss them away. For example in my home town, computers and computers monitors require a $10 “recycle” fee at the local dump. You can also look for an electronics recycler via electronicsrecycling.org. Note that organizations like Goodwill usually refuse to take electronics.

You can sell some old and unused electronics online and make a few extra bucks. Worst case, recycle them and get them out of your house or apartment!

H Baldwin writes on many topics including green issues and safety. Visit Non Slip Stair Treads and Non Slip Tape for his latest articles, and be careful when carrying electronics and other items on potentially dangerous staircases.