Turning old technology into cash

Help Me Hank consumer alert: selling old devices

DETROIT – During the back to school season, many of you might be updating and upgrading your electronic devices. So, what do you do with the old phones, tablets, and computers in your home? Remember, you can't just throw those items away. Some of them contain hazardous material.

First step, check with the website for the National Center for Electronics Recycling to see what's legal and what's not when getting rid of your devices. Even if you can ditch your devices, you might be losing money by throwing them away. You've probably heard you can trade them in or even sell them online.

Wipe clean before you trade or sell

Before you sell your devices, don't forget to take care of your personal security. “First thing you wanna do before you trade in any device is to make sure your information is wiped from the device completely,” advises Gregory Smith of the Best Buy Geek Squad in Southfield.

“You won't want your information to get into the hands of someone who's looking to do something malicious,” he warned.

Simply deleting files doesn't guarantee your information is gone. The only way to guarantee that on computers is to wipe the hard drive clean or have it physically destroyed by a professional company. For cell phones and tablets, always make sure your restore the device to factory settings and remove any SD cards.

You can get help from professionals, like the Best Buy Geek Squad, or you can even watch “Do It Yourself” videos on You Tube.

What’s it worth?

It's pretty easy to find out how much your old stuff could be worth. You can go to websites like gazelle.com or glyde.com. They will quote you prices based on the age and condition of your device.

Target and Amazon offer gift cards for trading in all kinds of things like tablets, phones, video games, and even cameras. Do some research online or call the store before heading over, so you know what to expect.

Finally, one of the simplest solutions is called ecoATM, where you can deposit old devices and get cash in return. Help Me Hank did a quick search using the TV station’s address and found several locations within 15 miles. 

To learn more, you can use these links:

http://www.electronicsrecycling.org/
https://www.gazelle.com/
https://glyde.com/
https://www.ecoatm.com/


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