Jun 4, 2009 11:31 pm US/Eastern
Get Paid To Get Rid Of Your Old Electronics
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
With technology changing so rapidly, our electronics quickly become outdated.
Many consumers want the latest gadgets, but what happens to the old stuff? There is a way to get cash fast and help the environment at the same time.
That was news to people WBZ talked to who usually had other plans for unused electronics. "I throw them away," said one woman.
"My things just end up sitting on a shelf down in the cellar, " one man told WBZ.
"I really wanted a more reliable computer," Tufts University senior Andrew Sanders told us.
When it was time to upgrade his laptop, Sanders went on the Web looking for a way to sell his old one. He found a site called
Gazelle.com. "I got $125 which I thought was fair. It was old…the screen was a little scuffed."
Here's how Gazelle.com works.
Let's say you want to sell an electronic such as a Blackberry Curve. You go onto the Web site and search for that item. When you find it, you answer a few questions about the condition of the product and what accessories you have. Then the company gives you the price they are willing to pay. If you agree with the price, the company will send you the packaging to ship them the product free of charge.
Once it arrives at the company located in Boston, inspectors examine the product to see if it as you described it. If it is you can get paid either by a check, PayPal, or an Amazon gift card.
If it doesn't match your description: "What we will do is communicate back to the customer and offer a different price, both up or down, depending on the condition," says President and CEO of Gazelle, Israel Ganot.
The company will buy all sorts of electronics including cell phones, computers, mp3 players, digital and video cameras, GPS systems, calculators, video games and consoles and DVDs.
Gazelle sells your stuff to wholesalers, but what they can't sell, they recycle. "We don't make any money on that service and we don't care about that. We want to make sure consumers view our service as a way to become green," says Ganot.
Many people worry about privacy issues especially with computers. Gazelle says it wipes out all of the date on every device as soon as it arrives at the Boston office.
Gazelle also has a fundraising application on its Web site. You can set up a personalized "Gadget Drive." People can send in their old electronics and the cash then goes to your designated charity or non-profit.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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