Here’s How to Sell Used Electronics and Actually Make Money

If you’re like most Americans, you may have unused electronics gathering dust in your house. According to Decluttr, the average household has $264 worth of unwanted technology in their homes.

I was one of these households. I had recently upgraded my work iPad, even though the one I had wasn’t that old. I knew it would still be worth good money so I decided to research how to sell used electronics and get the best price. What I discovered is that getting rid of stuff you don't want can be a great side hustle.

Here’s what I learned about selling unwanted electronic devices for extra money — and how you can get started doing it too.

What kinds of used electronics can I sell?

You can turn a lot of old stuff into extra cash, including:

• Cell phones
• Computers
• DVDs and Blu-rays
• Kindles and e-readers
• Laptops
• Tablets
• Video games
• Video game systems such as a Nintendo Switch and Xbox One
• Wearable technology such as an Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch Active

The price you’ll get for your gadgets depends on their age, brand, condition, and whether you include accessories like chargers. Apple products tend to have the best resale value. For example, right now if I sold an Apple iPhone 15 Pro 128GB in excellent condition, I could get $293.97 on Decluttr as long as it’s unlocked, but if I were to sell an Xbox Series X 1TB, I’d get only $163.

If you have a retro video gaming console from your childhood, such as a Nintendo N64, I suggest listing it on Mercari as these systems sell anywhere from $90 to $200.

Where can I sell used electronics?

If you have an old phone, laptop, or video game system you have many options to sell them. Most people immediately think of eBay, which can be good for older and hard-to-find systems, but there are other places to sell used electronics. I like using eBay for items that will do well in an auction, meaning bidders hike the price up because demand is high and supply is short. Otherwise, there are other options to consider.

I knew my iPad wouldn’t get me much on eBay, so I searched for other ways to sell used electronics.

Decluttr

DeCluttr buys laptops, smartphones, video games, textbooks, and even Legos. To see how much they’d give me for my iPad, I had to search through their list of iPad pros to find the right one. After clicking on all the features the iPad has, I was able to get an instant quote of $289.

DeCluttr provides a prepaid shipping label, which includes insurance, but you must use your own box and shipping materials to mail your item. Once Decluttr receives your items, the staff will review their condition. If it matches the description you provided, they issue your payment through direct deposit, paper check, or PayPal. If it doesn’t match the description, the team may issue you a modified quote. You have the option of accepting the new quote or rejecting it. If you reject it, DeCluttr will send it back to you free of charge.

Best Buy

With Best Buy, you can trade in your computers, cameras, and smartwatches and get a Best Buy gift card to use for future purchases or get a credit on another purchase. I liked this option because I could use the money toward my new iPad. But if you were hoping to put more money in your pocket, this can be a downside.

You can trade in your items online, and Best Buy will give you a free shipping label. Or you can trade in your devices in person at select store locations. If you go in person, you can get your gift card right away with an instant payout.

If you mail in your item and the Best Buy team gives it a lower value than you were initially quoted or rejects your item, you can accept a modified quote, opt to recycle the item, or request that it’s returned to you. If you decide to have it returned to you, you’re responsible for paying shipping costs.

I like the convenience of Best Buy’s program, but they only offered me $207.50 for my iPad, which was over $100 less than Decluttr offered.

Costco

Many people don’t know about Costco’s powerful trade-in program. I’m a big Costco fan and usually buy my Apple products from them, so it made sense to consider them in my search. They make the process simple to see how much I could get.

After clicking “Start Your Trade-In Now” it takes you to Phobia, a third-party that handles the trade-ins. Selecting my product was simple and it took a matter of seconds to enter the information about it. In under one minute I had my quote of $430, which was the highest one I’d received so far.

While I was ready to accept it, I realized that Costco didn’t have the new iPad I wanted so the Costco Shop Card wouldn’t have done me any good. I would rather have the cash in my pocket to buy the new iPad immediately so I declined the offer.

It’s important to note that with Costco, there is somewhat of a delay because after initiating the trade-in, they send you a box with a prepaid label to ship your electronics back. It can take 3 to 5 days to get the box, and then another 3 to 5 days to ship the item back. If you’re in a hurry, this may not be the best choice.

Amazon Trade-in

I wanted to mention Amazon Trade-In as they offer a great program too, but it didn’t work out for me because they weren’t accepting the iPad I was trading in at the time. I still went through the process to see what it was like in case I had an electronic to sell them in the future.

Before you enter the product you have to trade in, you must select an “offer” which is 20% off mostly Amazon products (Kindles and Echoes). Amazon pays you an Amazon gift card for the agreed price, plus you get a 20% discount for specific items, which in my case didn’t help since I was looking for another Apple product.

The rest of the process is the same. You enter details about your item and they give you an instant quote. However, they state right in the quote that if they determine the device is damaged, they’ll pay $100 as long as it powers on and $25 if it doesn’t power on. This was the case for a different model iPad, but the process is the same for all products.

They also ask at the end if you want to automatically accept the adjusted value, if that occurs, or if you prefer that Amazon ship it back to you for free.

Facebook Marketplace

I toyed with the idea of selling the iPad on Facebook Marketplace only because I would have more control over the process and the price. By selling electronics on the Facebook Marketplace, you can charge higher prices and get paid in cash or via Venmo or PayPal right away. When you need money fast, it can be an easy way to get the cash you need.

But then I thought of the downsides. I would be responsible for taking pictures, writing the description and fielding inquiries. I knew there would be inevitable negotiations, and then I would have to meet the buyer. This is a downside for a lot of people, especially if you’re concerned about personal safety, but the trade-off can be worth it for the extra money.

I decided to try listing my iPad Pro on Facebook for $500. Within 24 hours, I had a few people interested, but only one serious buyer. She offered me $450, which I accepted. We met at a local coffee shop, and she paid me in cash. It was a relatively painless experience, and I got more money than I would have gotten if I had sold the computer on a resale site.

How to sell used electronics for the best price

To get the best trade-in value or price for your used electronics, follow these tips:

1. Get multiple quotes

Before choosing a place to sell your item and sending it in, make sure you get quotes from several different companies. As I found out, pricing can vary widely based on the brand, age of your device, and demand. In my case, quotes ranged from $207.50 to $430 for my iPad Pro, so you can see why it makes sense to shop around. Otherwise, you could lose out on hundreds of dollars.

2. Compare platform fees and shipping costs

When selecting a company, consider its shipping costs and fees. Although DeCluttr and Best Buy offer free shipping and shipping insurance, not all used electronic buyers do. If you have to pay for shipping yourself, that can eat into your profits and negate the value of the sale.

3. Be honest

Whether you sell your electronics on Facebook Marketplace or one of the vendors accepting electronics, honesty is best. Private buyers may refuse to buy the item if it isn’t what you described and places like DeCluttr and Best Buy will either decline the item or reduce the offer.

4. Make sure you wipe the system clean

Whether you’re selling the item yourself or through a site like DeCluttr, make sure you wipe the system clean of all your personal information before you send it in. Check the manufacturer’s website for instructions and tutorials if you're not sure how to do that.

5. Be safe

If you decide to sell your devices in-person, take extra precautions to protect yourself. Meeting strangers in person is something to be cautious about when it comes to your finances and your personal safety.

Consider the following before meeting with a potential buyer:

• Meet in a public place. Instead of meeting at your home or the buyer’s home, ask to meet in a public location, such as a coffee shop. You can also meet at SafeTrade Stations, which are local police stations designated as safe sales locations.
• Bring a friend. If possible, ask a friend or relative to come with you. If that’s not an option, let someone know when and where you’ll be, and notify them when you’re back safely.
• Accept only cash or electronic deposits. Don’t accept checks or cashier’s checks, as they can be easily forged or invalid. Only accept cash or electronic payments via reliable methods like PayPal or Venmo.

Bottom line

There are many ways to trade in your old electronics for cash. I found it to be very easy to sell my iPad Pro for good money. Even though I used Facebook Marketplace, Costco was a close second in terms of price, which was great. It comes down to how quickly you need to sell the item, how much you want for it, and how you want to be reimbursed.

Who knows, if you get the hang of it and even start enjoying it, you might consider learning how to resell as a side hustle so you can keep the extra cash coming in.