Get Paid To Recycle Old Gadgets & Electronics!


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I remember there was a time when the most technical thing we had in our house was a black and white TV with a hanger for an antenna. Then we upgraded to a color TV which was really nice but it still sucked because as a child I had to serve as the remote control for parents. How times have changed!

Nowadays technology is like breathing we all pretty much have to do it. You can't escape it whether you like it or not. Sometimes it makes life easier and other times it's just painful like being a newbie using the automated grocery line checkout. But for the most part I think it's improved life. I guess I'm partial since I'm what you would call a techie, geek, etc. I've always loved technology and embraced it. You name one of the hottest gadgets and I have it. (This is courtesy of my work at home career as an affiliate.)

But as much as I love technology, I hate the fact that everything becomes obsolete so quickly. I literally have boxes full of old gadgets that I stopped using within a few months because something hotter and better came out. My wife always complains how gadgets are my vice and just wasteful. I'll be the first to admit that it is. However most of my family and friends do benefit from it because I tend to give away old laptops, cell phones, Ipods, etc. I bet you'd love to be my friend. lol

How To Make Money Recycling Gadgets & Electronics

But today that may all stop. I recently discovered a site called Gazelle.com that pays you for old gadgets and electronics you may have lying around your house. In this day and age, everyone has old electronics and gadgets stored away in some closet. And we all know going green has become more catigous than a nasty STD. (Sorry for the analogy, but it's true.) But do you really think everyone really cares about our environment? I hate to sound like a cynic but "Yeah Right!" The real reason you see a big focus on going green is there is money to be made. But most of the time it was only being made by big companies.

However now the little guys like you and I can profit from this and feel better about doing our part for our planet. Chances are you probably have old computers, laptops, cellphones, TVs, Ipods, mp3 players, etc that are collecting dust when they could be collecting dollars! Or better still, think about all that crap that your kids have in their rooms that they aren't using any more like old video games, Playstation, xBox, PSP, Nintendo, etc, etc. I know you've complained to them about how lucky they are to have these toys and that in your day we weren't anywhere near as fortunate. Save your breath! Instead of lecturing them, why not collect their old gadgets and make yourself a small fortune? Or invest that money in savings account for the ingrates? lol Whatever you do, the point is that there is easy money to be made here with recycling gadgets.

Is this a scam?

Aren't we always the skeptic? And you should be. But It's definitely real. I actually learned about the story on Cnet.com which is a well known and trusted resource for everything electronic and gadget. They are the authority on Gadgets and wouldn't risk their reputation recommending scams. So no it's not a scam. And if that's not enough, The Wallstreet Journal, The Today Show and CNN Money have also covered this website. So rest assured it's safe.

Make Even More Money By …

Here are some other ways you can maximize on this Gazelle Work At Home opportunity.

1. Visit your relatives and ask them if they would like to get rid of their old electronics, then go to Gazelle.com and make yourself a profit or share it with your relatives.

2. Place a free ad in craigslist offering free removal or recycling of old gadgets and electronic. No one likes having all that old crap cluttering their home. Like I said earlier, with folks being more conscious about the environment they would probably prefer giving it to you rather then throwing it out in the trash.

3. Visit Garage sales and buy working electronics dirt cheap and re-sell them for a profit on Gazelle.com

That's just a few ways, but the possibilities are endless. And by the way, they have an affiliate/referral program where you can just make money referring people to the site. (Purely optional!) Now isn't that something? Yet another company with an affiliate program. That pesky work at home career as an affiliate continues to rear its profitable head. Hmmmmm?

In any event, when I read up on this opportunity, I figured I would share it with you since it was another legitimate way to make money at home now rather than hoping for to do so. So even if your anti-technology and you are the type to use smoke signals instead of a cell phone, or an 8 track instead of a CD, you can still make money by using the 3 techniques I mentioned above.

Either way, this a great opportunity to make some decent money. So if my other recommendations haven't really been your style, this is another option for you. And like so many of the work at home opportunities I recommend, it doesn't involve waiting to hear from an employer, searching job boards hoping to get hired. Getting started is like any great work at home affiliate program. It's as simple as signing up and getting to work.

So what do you have to lose? Well I'm off to hunt down my old ipods, computers and laptops. My Baby girl Brianna needs a new pair of shoes and visiting Gazelle.com may give it to her. By the way if you have any questions about this opportunity, the best thing to do is go and visit by Gazelle.com click on the How it works tab or help link at the top of the page. Good luck to you either way. Let me know what you guys think about this one by leaving a comment below!

26 thoughts on “Get Paid To Recycle Old Gadgets & Electronics!”

  1. dose all this old stuff have to be working ? and is there is a site where you could recycle old electronics working or not and still get paid for it ? Like when you take your cans and bottles in.

    Reply

  3. Hello~   Gazelle looks interesting,  and I might give it a try.   Do you know if they still have an affiliate program?   I couldn’t find any information  about that on their site.   Thanks!  

    Reply

  4. Hi Eddy ,

    I just read about you and your site , Please help me and i must say that this website saved me from doing stuffing envelopes from home . I was very close . I have been in scams alot and have been disappointed . Eddy i am actually for something part time to work from home thats easy don’t have to own business as i have to pay
    Is there something that you can suggest me to work from home and get paid , even if its to fill out form or simple data entry . I will really apppreciate that

    Sue

    Reply

  5. Hi Eddy,

    I just read this this. It was awesome. It take a walk outside the box as a way to earn some money, every little bit makes a more comeplete whole.
    There are always yard sales, ebay, doing salvage and selling parts, just to name a couple of ways that can be tried to make some money off of old electronics.
    The number of things that a person could decide to do with all that stuff that looks like junk is only limited by what a person can think of trying, or dare I say, use to make something new with?
    Just take a tour of the home and garden isle of the internet to see what I’m talking about, or look up recycled art, or recycled clothes or recycled jewelry. Take a look at upcycling. What they are doing you can do on a very small scale and spread the word that your doing it and build a local economy that supports you and the community.
    That’s because if they see one person doing it and it looks cool, they want it too.

    Here’s one example of my own recycling from stuff that there is no real place around here to sell it to as salvage.
    My latest creation using recycled parts is a wash board. It’s made from two computer keyboards that no longer work.
    I took both of them apart and salvaged everything, those key boards are pretty cool inside. I then took one of the top boards and put the keys back on and took one of the bottom case parts and put the two of them together with lashing. I used some clothes line I had. The finished wash board looks really unique but it works amazingly. I needed one because I have no washer or dryer and its either do clothes at the laundry mat or in the tub.
    It’s light weight and very open so there is no chance of standing water or soap collecting.
    Since I saved everything from the two key boards I asked someone who works on computers about the boards, if the lines were broken on the board how could they be reused. He told me that the connections can be by passed with wire and a bit of sodering.
    So all those boards with all thoes capacitors and leds and other stuff can still be used. I found out that some boards are dedicated to certian things while others are not. Which means that with a little reading and some creative brainstorming it would be possible to create an awesome frankensitne computer with your choice of features.

    To this end there are several DYI sites as well as lots and lots and lots of videos on you tube that will show a person how to make all kinds of stuff.
    You might say that the stuff that you can’t sell as salvage is a huge resource for creating cool stuff. Like everything else it does take a bit of work, but it doesn’t really feel like work, it’s fun.

    Reply

  7. I wonder if Americans can send their gadgets to recycling schemes abroad to make some money… In the UK loads of companies buy back phones and iPods. I used a company called Mobile Phone Xchange and got enough money to pay for that week’s groceries complete with a few luxury items! Might be worth investigating for a new article Eddy 🙂

    Reply

    • Hey AbFab,

      Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m sure some of our UK visitors will appreciate this lead. I don’t know if Americans can send electronics directly to the companies outside the U.S. Seems to me the companies I listed in the article above act as a middleman probably do this and pay us a portion of what they make. They’re probably able to ship in bulk and get a significant discount whereas an American might have to absorb a higher cost because they aren’t shipping in bulk. I really don’t know. But we do have a few companies right here at home that folks can make money with. So either way, folks have some options and can make money like you did. Thanks for sharing.

  8. Gazelle.com is a rip off site. They don’t recycle, they take people’s electronics, pay them half of what they are worth, and then they sell them for a profit on ebay. Do a Google search and read all the horror stories about people who send them products because Gazelle days they will pay them so much money, only to have Gazelle get the product and suddenly find things wrong with them that weren’t there before. These guys are scam artists.

    Reply

    • Bruce,

      Thanks for sharing your opinion. But it would be nice if you could back up some of these claims with facts. I’ve sent a few items to Gazelle and never had a problem. The fact of the matter is you’re told what your product may be worth before you send them in. If you think the price is too low then it’s just a matter of not selling it to them. Go to craigslist or ebay and sell them there. At the end of the day everyone has a choice.

      I don’t know any company that is without complaints. There are always going to be a few horror stories for any company. I personally have my own for Jetblue but it doesn’t make Jetblue a scam. It just means they’ve dropped the ball a few times. But for the most part they don’t. So everyone should be very mindful of this before jumping to the conclusions that a company is a scam because they have a few complaints. A long standing pattern of complaints is a different matter. I think if they did have a long standing history of scamming people, they wouldn’t get so much good publicity by sites like the Wall Street Journal, The New Times, Today show, etc. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121856900180434119.html http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/used-tech-dealers-do-booming-business-in-iphone-3gs/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26035435#26035435

      Now with that said, I don’t doubt there are some complaints and that Gazelle may have dropped the ball for some people. But I don’t think they’re in the business or practice of ripping people off. But that’s just my opinion based on my personal experience and what I’ve read from other credible news agencies. Either way, I appreciate that you shared your opinion.

  9. Just a side note, there are a number of municipalities that have “green” electronics recycling programs that are environmentally groovy, and they have companies that strip all the valuable elements out of the non-working electronics (gold, titanium, etc.).

    Here in Burbank, CA, our city has a great recycling program for broken electronics. So, you can save the good ones, repair the things you can repair, and recycle that which you can’t (and along with the previous posters note about cell phone donations – she’s absolutely right! and there are many other programs for phones like it.)

    Reply

  11. Hi Shawna,

    Thanks for sharing! I’ve heard of this program and I think it’s a great cause. We’re all about good karma and trying to share positivity. So your post is very welcomed!

    Thanks again.

    Eddy

    Reply

  12. I would like to mention this while you are on the subject- Cell phones that are old and worthless can still be put to good use. People can donate old cell phones to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Old phones without service can still call 911. They give the phones to women in dangerous situations so they can always call for help. This program has literally saved lives! Here is the website for more information: http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone_129.html
    I realize this is not a money-maker but it is a good karma-maker. Put good out, good comes back!

    Reply

  13. Hi Raynale,

    Based on what I read on the FAQ page:
    http://www.gazelle.com/help#syi_1

    The only time someone has to pay for shipping is if they live OUTSIDE the U.S. That doesn’t make it a scam, that’s just their policy and they’re upfront about it.

    With that said this may not be an ideal opportunity for those that do live outside the U.S. You would have to weigh out the cost of shipping with how much money you’ll actually make. For instance if it only cost me $10 to ship something and they pay me $50. Then it’s a no brainer because I made $40 for spending $10.

    But that’s just a hypothetical situation. If the math doesn’t work in your favor, then you should definitely pass on the opportunity. However just because you don’t agree with their clearly stated policy doesn’t make this a scam. Too often that word is thrown around on the web frivolously.

    Eddy

    Reply

  14. I am so disappointed with this website. I attempted to send them an item for recycle and they informed me via a chat session that I would have to pay the postage. This is just another scam Eddy.

    Reply

  15. Thanks for the suggestions Eleanor! As always you’re a valued and welcomed old friend. =)

    In any event glad to hear you’re working on your sites and this opportunity can be exposed to your visitors.

    Thanks for the kind words as always.

    Eddy

    Reply

  16. I have seen recycle bins in Best Buy and I think Sprint has a recycling program to. But there is always ebay. I say ebay only because it will be time for me to buy my 10 year old a phone when she hits 6th grade in 2 years. I have seen alot of used phones sell there.

    As always Eddy, you share the best stuff with us. I am in the process of builing 2 blog sites and this will be a great addition to them…

    Reply

  17. Great question Tori!
    Anybody have any thoughts or solutions?

    I don’t claim to be a green expert so I’m in no position to answer. I’m just a dude that shares information about different ways to make money legitimately and how to avoid scams. So I’m all ears if anyone has an answer to Tori’s question.

    It would be nice if there were legitimate places where we could get rid of the electronics that we can’t sell back to Gazelle.

    But it would have to be legit. I recently saw some troubling reports about how some of these so called recycling companies are just paying small 3rd world countries to dump stuff that should be recycled into their public land or folk’s villages.

    It was very sad.

    Eddy

    Reply

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