Make money selling broken computer parts

First we’d like to say that we’re not trying to encourage you to sell your laptop right. In our opinion, you don’t need to sell your laptop and get a new one every time the newest model comes mojey. Actually the opposite; we want you to keep your laptop as long as it serves its purpose for you. If you use your laptop for work and need a newer, sflling, faster machine for more demanding software, we understand. Maybe your laptop is old and you really do need a new computer to upgrade? We understand makr. Our job is to offer the most convenient way to sell a laptop online. A good rule of thumb is if you don’t need it, don’t do it! If a TV commercial makes you think that it’s time to upgrade your computer, don’t listen to it! Your existing laptop may still be good enough for your social media needs, entertainment, shopping, studying or simply browsing the web.

Is My Computer Too Old or Damaged to Sell?

Recycling computers and parts is a great way to make money recycling stuff that would otherwise flood the landfills. Heck, in first world countries like the United States, most of us have more than one computer at a time. Most of us buy a new laptop or PC even tablets, gaming consoles, cell phones and other tech devices every few years to replace the older slower versions. Some people even believe that tech companies deliberately slow down the older versions of their devices in order to keep consumers spending money buying new versions. Apple even admitted they deliberately slow down older iPhones. The point is, most of us have an old computer or two laying around the house that we no longer use. According to the U. Environmental Protection Agency EPA , it is estimated that 50 million computers become obsolete every year. In fact, if you want to make money as a recycler, your local junkyard is the last places you would want to take your old devices to unless you want to pay for gas and not get anything in return. Your basement or attic would be the best place to start with if you are a tech nerd.

More Money Hacks

But not all of us have the time or money to have dozens of computers and parts laying around the house. In that case, your next best option for finding old and unused computers and parts is asking friends, neighbors and family members. The reality is that most people just toss their old computer or laptop in the trash. So they would actually be happy to have you pick them up for free.

Recover maximum value from your electronics

The thrill of unboxing it, charging it up and using it for the first time, and then figuring out how to use the device. Does it just sit in your drawer gathering dust? The thing is, often those old, unused and sometimes broken electronics are still worth some money to someone. This past week while continuing to unpack and declutter at our new house, I decided to sell a couple of old electronic devices that I had sitting around the house cluttering things up. A couple of them were still working but were unused. One of them, my old Nexus tablet, was working to a degree but had a cracked screen. I decided to see if I could get any money out of them. Some companies will have retail locations that you can go to and get your device fixed — have a screen replaced, get a new battery installed, etc. Other companies like Puls will come to you, and fix your device at your location. They can fix issues ranging from a faulty headphone plug, broken power button, to giving you a new bluetooth radio or screen. Something to consider.

How to Sell Used Components: Quick Tips

Our website and services are secure, protecting every bit of your personal information. Every sold laptop, tablet and smartphone are individually processed to permanently erase any customer data. We pay more for laptops and other electronics. Some other websites try to pay a little as possible to make their profit margin as large as possible, while our quotes are very fair and reflect the market value. We make customers for life. You can sell us your old laptop and use the money to buy a new one.

Should I Upgrade My Computer Before Selling It?

Apple Pros: A simple, smooth and convenient trade-in experience: Ship your device in for free or take it to your nearest Apple store. First and foremost, we give you cash for your old computer, meaning you can spend your money anywhere. Head over to Craigslist or Facebook and search for local computer clubs or user groups in your area. Check out our customer reviews to see what real people think about our process and our prices. For example, if you see GB of storage on your computer, just round up to GB. How can I offload these old parts—some of which are last gen, but others are really old I’m talking IDE hard drives and AGP graphics cards and make some cash in the process? Finally, there’s always the option of donating your old gear to a school, library, or charity. With sensitive information all over your device, skipping this step is not an option. Sounds perfect, right? If Windows has only been installed on your device once by the manufacturer before you bought it , the Windows installation date reflects the approximate age of your computer. Each alternative possesses distinct pros and cons, and the best option will ultimately reflect your individual preferences.

4 Best Trade-in Options for Computer Parts

IDE hard drives? Have a question or suggestion for Ask Lifehacker? Pages About Contact Contribute. You won’t make any money this way, but you will get a tax deduction for your donation, and depending on how much you have to get rid of, it’s easier and less hassle than trying to find somewhere to pay you a few bucks for your old IDE drives, SCSI adapters, or parallel port peripherals. Sounds perfect, right? Why do so many of us skip the chance to sell our old machines?

What’s Worth Selling?

Dear Lifehacker, I read your guide to what to do with my old computer partsbut I’m interested in your last suggestion: selling them and making some money! How can I offload these monej parts—some of which are last gen, but others are really old I’m talking IDE hard drives and AGP graphics cards and make some kake in the process?

Dear Cleaning Out the Closet, I feel your pain: I have a good pile of old computer equipment too, some of which is probably only valuable to people who really really want brojen at this point. IDE hard seoling Sure, I have. AGP graphics cards? Maybe one or two left lying around in case an old system fails.

The trouble here though is that because no one builds new systems with these parts anymore, your best efforts should be targeted towards finding the people who need them to repair the systems they use and may have to keep for some reason or just love old technology. Here are some ways to find the right markets for your old gear.

Depending on how recent your parts are, there may be folks willing to buy. But, instead of heading to Craigslist or eBay, the first place we’d check is a hardware-based forum with a dedicated selling section, like Hard ForumAnandTech’s classifiedsthe Overclock. You’ll want to be careful you don’t get screwed, since there isn’t a big organization behind brokenn sale, but a lot of people have had good luck selling, swapping, and buying parts on forums like.

Local user groups and computer clubs used to be the primary way for like-minded tweakers and system builders to gather, discuss, trade parts, and share knowledge. Many of those clubs are long gone, but some still exist online, and still retain their local roots.

Head over to Craigslist or Facebook and search bfoken local computer clubs or user groups in your area. Photo by Tobias Wolter. Ideally, once you find a user group of computer club, you may be able to offer up your old components directly to an audience that may be able to make use of them, who have old systems to repair or upgrade, or who may just want the components in their own parts collection.

Similarly, many computer clubs still have shows and sales where you can take out a table if you’re a member sometimes at a small fee and sell whatever you have available. Those shows have become much less popular in recent years, but if you have a lot of old computer parts you need to offload, it’s an option worth looking.

Another solid option is to find a computer recycler or component reprocessing company that’s willing to buy your old gear. How much you’ll actually get back varies depending on the type of electronics you’re trying to offload, but most of these recyclers and reprocessing companies are really interested in the valuable or rare-earth metals in your PC components.

For that reason, you should take care to make sure the company you choose is not only willing to give you a decent price for your gear, but promises slling do the recycling in-house and in an environmentally-friendly manner, without just contributing to the global e-waste problem or outsourcing to partts company that does.

Do your homework here: open the parta pages and look around, or hit Google for local companies near you—not just big websites that promise to pay you more and send you boxes to ship your gear in. Hackerspaces are another place where people often need or make use of old electronics. We’ve shown you how to find and get involved with nearby hackerspaces, but even if you’re not a member the space may be interested in your old electronics. In some cases, they’re betting that their members are less interested in the actual devices you may have and more in their components, but in other cases your old equipment may be useful and compatible with machinery, diagnostic equipment, or older gear that hackerspaces may have on-hand.

Photo by Mitch Altman. Many spaces have pats equipment for which there are no upgrades available, or machinery that requires old software—running on old hardware—in order to function, so older equipment is worth keeping. Sellingg up your local hackerspace and see if they’re willing to buy or even take donations, which we’ll get to later.

Schools, libraries, and local governments are all usually willing to accept donations, but not necessarily sales. You may have to jump through some legal or registration hoops in order to sell old equipment to a school or library, even if you have a garage full of stuff, so be ready for that if that’s the avenue you want to. Many schools, government offices, and other organizations have old equipment or are using old software they can’t afford to replace, but may be willing to shell out a few bucks for old PCs they can keep for parts to repair critical systems.

That said, this probably isn’t your best option. Like we mentioned, many schools and libraries have «approved vendor» lists that restrict where they can spend money, and if your old parts are that old, even schools and libraries won’t want them because they’re older than anything their students or patrons may benefit from using.

Donations are a better option here, because you’ll get a tidy tax deduction for the market value of the item you’re donating, which can add up to real money at tax time. They’re not the options that you probably wanted comphter hear from the get-go, but eBay and Craigslist both have the most eyeballs of any of these options, even if most of those eyes make money selling broken computer parts looking for your gear specifically.

Still, many people looking for old computer parts head to eBay first, so it’s a good bet to try and sell your item. Like we mentioned in our complete guide to selling your old crapan eye-catching photo, a well crafted listingand some savvy timing can net you big bucks.

If you have enough old components to build an actual PC, you can make much more money selling it as a completed system on Craigslist than you would parting it out on eBay. If you can, consider putting your old components together into a full computer and selling it that way. Not everyone wants or needs high end components for their family PC or even for gaming, and you can make a tidy sum on a pre-built system with older components if it’s ready to use.

Finally, there’s always the option of donating your old gear to a school, library, or charity. You won’t make any money this way, but you will get a tax deduction for your donation, and depending on how much you have to get rid of, computr easier and less hassle than trying to find somewhere to pay you a few bucks for your old IDE drives, SCSI adapters, or parallel port peripherals. We hope that’s given you a couple of options to look into, Cleaning Out the Closet!

With luck you’ll be able to score a few bucks for your old gear, and if not, you may be happier you took the donation option when it comes time to do your taxes. Write us back and let us know how it all turned out!

Have a question or suggestion for Ask Lifehacker? Title photo made using Filip Krstic Shutterstock. The A. Alan Henry. Filed to: Ask Lifehacker. Share This Story. Get our newsletter Subscribe.

Making $430 in a day — PC FLIPPING!

Nearly everyone in the modern world has access to computers and other electronic devices. You likely have to replace your home PC or laptop every couple of years or so. What do you do with your old PC when you replace it with a new one? Instead, consider one of the available options for recycling computers and other electronic items for cash. Instead of paying someone else to take your old computer or other electronic device, consider one of these ways to make money by recycling your old PC or other old computers you can get through other avenues such as the ones listed.

HARD DRIVE DESTRUCTION CALCULATOR

Tip: Want a quick and convenient way to sell your old electronics, check out Decluttr which is a reputable site with a 4. Many times, computers that no longer function are in need of a simple and inexpensive replacement part or a good cleaning. A few years ago, when our personal computer started to get really slow, we simply brought it to the junk yard and bought a new one. When our new one started to get really dragged down, however, we brought it to a computer repair shop. They spent a couple of hours cleaning it up and it ran good as new. The repair shop had a store full of other computers that people no longer wanted. They repaired or cleaned up those computers and had them for sale on their store shelves for a discounted price. If you know a bit about computers you can do the same thing. Find old computers or electronic devices. Clean them out, replace any non-working parts and resell them online through a site such as Craigslist, or another alternativeor advertise your available stock to family and friends. Refurbished PCs and laptops are good sellers as they sell for a fraction of what they did at retail. If you know how to repair and refurbish used computers this could be a great source of side hustle income for you. Building a new computer is easier than you think with a little research and can be a great way to make cash from discarded PCs or laptops. Many people look to save money on computers by building their own computers with a variety of different parts they can purchase.