I often have clients that have updated their computer equipment (mouse, keyboard, cpu, monitor, etc.) with the latest and greatest and held onto the old one ‘just in case’. Which is reasonable to do for a set amount of time (i.e. 3 months is being quite conservative), in case there is a problem, etc. However, after 3 months I would recommend finding a friend or relative who could use the equipment that you no longer have a use for. Otherwise, you may find yourself in the same situation as many of my clients who have cpu’s, keyboards, peripherals, etc. that were outdated the minute they were purchased, nevermind 4 years later after you have sucked the useful life out of them but they still ‘work’.
Let me share with you a harsh reality, your old equipment is not worth the time you will spend trying to get good money for it. Believe me, I have learned through my own experience and that of my clients, that the highest expectation you should have for your used computer equipment is to donate it to a friend, family member, post it on a free site like craigslist OR drop it off at a recycling center. If you are looking for someplace to recycle a cpu or hard drive, even that is an risky situation unless you know how to wipe your data clean. If you have a clean drive or other equipment, there are a handful of donation sites you can bring your equipment to. They will charge you $10-20 per piece of large equipment to cover handling, recycling, etc. No charge for smaller computer peripherals like keyboards, mice, and speakers.
Trust me…No, you are not going to sell it on ebay (you won’t get much more than what you will need to shell out for postage so it’s not worth your time). If you don’t believe me, feel free to invest your already-scarce time researching what comparable products have sold for (and then taking pics, gathering specification information, researching postage, posting it, packing it and bringing it to your local shipping store). And No, you are not likely to sell it at a garage sale either.
Please let us know of any resources you know for recycling used computer equipment by posting a comment.
[...] admin wrote an interesting post today on Recycling Computer Equipment & ElectronicsHere’s a quick excerptI often have clients that have updated their computer equipment (mouse, keyboard, cpu, monitor, etc.) with the latest and greatest and held onto the old one ‘just in case’. Which is reasonable to do for a set amount of time (ie 3 months … [...]
I agree that trying to sell your old computer is often not worth the time and effort.
Some recycling places will erase and destroy your hard drive for you, usually for a fee. In the San Francisco Bay Area, Green Citizen is one such place. ()
And some groups do try to get some extra life out of those old computers. Again, in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can donate your old computer to the Computer Recycling Center. ()