Don’t throw out that old iPhone! Here’s where you can exchange used tech for dollars

It’s been a few years since my last big gadget purge and – wow – have the devices piled up. That happens when you review tech for a living, but it’s still totally out of control.

It’s not just me, either. A survey by camera gear trade-in site MPB shows Americans have about $650 billion worth of unused devices, including old TVs, smartphones, cameras, gaming devices, and laptops.

At a time when the cost of groceries, housing, utilities, and just about everything else seems to be skyrocketing, now is a perfect time to see if we can get some cold, hard cash for our old gadgets.

I have three sitting on a shelf in my office, making me feel bad about wasting money every time I glance up and see them just sitting there collecting dust. They are:

◾ Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Bundle ($365): I purchased it last winter to use for a TV segment about holiday gadget gifting. I displayed it out of the box once, but other than that, I’ve never used it.

◾ iPad Mini, 6th generation (still the newest one on the market). I bought it to use on video sets to run my own teleprompter (an app paired with another larger iPad affixed below the camera lens). With a protective cover and AppleCare, it cost a whopping $710. But I still use my iPhone all the time instead.

◾ Canon XC 15 4K Camcorder ($986). This was purchased by my professional photographer husband to shoot my product review videos. Again, it’s too bad for both of us that I mainly shoot segments on – you guessed it – my same old iPhone.

That makes for a total of $2,061 worth of gadgets that I don’t use and don’t need. There are a dozen websites that promise fast cash for your gadgets. I tried most of them.

What do I need to know before I sell my old gadgets?

Before we get into the results, though, there are some important tips and tricks to help you get the most money for your old gadgets. First, know what you’re selling and a general price range, starting with what you paid for the device.

Some gadgets fall in value faster than others. For example, Android phones are typically worth less after a year or two than the equivalent iPhone. Camera lenses hold their value incredibly well, but camera body prices fall when new models get released.

For your best chance at scoring top-dollar for your device, keep these tips in mind, too:

Find the original box. This is particularly important when selling somewhere like eBay or Facebook Marketplace. When buyers choose between two used devices, the one with the box almost always sells first.

Prep the device. For phones, laptops, and tablets, be sure to back up all of your personal information, including photos, videos, music, movies, and games, and then return the device to factory settings. Reset gaming gear, cameras, and other gadgets that you set up with an email or password, too. Don’t forget to remove SD cards on those latter devices as well.

Track down all the extra parts. Selling a camera? Grab all the lenses, lens caps, and branded neck straps. Ditching a phone or tablet? Include everything that usually comes with the device, like the charging cable and wall adapter, if you still have them. These tiny additions are a big deal to buyers and even trade-in websites. If you’re missing anything like a lens cap or the correct outlet plug, note that and include it in the description. I even put a sticky note on the box if something’s missing, and I always photograph everything before I send it off, too. It’s a bit of overkill, but I’ve had scammers pretend to receive an empty box before, so this adds some protection.

Please clean it up! No, seriously, you wouldn’t believe how often people take the time to snap high-resolution photos of filthy devices, expecting buyers to look past the thumb smudges and cat hair stuck in the nooks and crannies. Don’t be like them. Grab a microfiber cloth and give everything a quick wipe-down. You’ll be glad you did when your listing sells faster than the rest.

Should I sell to a “quick-sale” or trade-in site? 

OK – now your old gadget is ready to go to a “quick sale” or “trade-in site.” Some of the companies offering cash for gadgets include ItsWorthMore, Back Market, and Decluttr.

These are excellent choices for streamlining the whole process. You answer a few simple prompts about your device's make, model, and condition, get an instant estimate of what the company will pay you for it, and mail it in. They inspect the gadget when they get it, and if it’s in the shape you described, you get paid within a few days.

It’s quick, easy, and hassle-free, but the payouts aren’t quite as big as the sites that help you sell directly to another person – like Facebook Marketplace, Swappa, or eBay.

Another drawback to a streamlined process is that it removes a lot of the nuance. Yes, I took the Nintendo Switch out once to get it on camera, but then I stuck it right back in the box and never touched it again. It’s not technically “new,” but it’s also not really “used,” either. Unfortunately, those are my only two options, so “used” it is.

There’s also no place to explain that it’s part of a bundle that adds more value, including a full game download and a three-month online membership. For those details to matter, you’re better off going with a peer-to-peer sales site.

Can I make more selling to another person?

Peer-to-peer selling at Facebook Marketplace and eBay is easier than ever now, too. There are others, such as Nextdoor, Swappa, and even good old Craigslist, but I didn’t use the last three for this review.

Why? Swappa requires you to link to your PayPal account, and after about 30 minutes of troubleshooting why it wasn’t working for me to connect the two, I gave up and moved on. Time is money, too, you know.

As for Craigslist, the last time I used it, I had to deal with so many scammers that I’ve never had the nerve to wade back in again. I also skipped over Nextdoor because I live in a small community and often peruse what’s for sale around me. It’s never gadgets, and my neighbors tend to want free or nearly-free goods. I just don’t see a market for my devices here. Doing your homework and knowing your audience helps a lot, too.

You’ll have to do more up-front work with any of these peer-to-peer sites. You need to take high-quality photos of what you’re selling, type up a detailed description, and answer questions if they come up. The good news is that there’s often a more significant profit.

I hadn’t used eBay in a while, and they now have a new AI feature that writes up your description for you. That came in super handy.

How to sell online without getting scammed

You also have to be wary of scammers on sites like these. Anyone who wants to pay you more than you’re asking or “pay you extra to add on a gift card” is a huge red flag.

Also, someone trying to lure you away from eBay or Marketplace and wants your personal information, such as a telephone number or email – or a buyer asking if you’ll accept CashApp – are more deal breakers. Never chase a buyer to a different payment platform or offer to ship somewhere out of the ordinary. You can also read through several Reddit threads to stay updated on the latest scams.

If you’re cool with meeting someone in person, Facebook Marketplace is the place to find a buyer fast, though they’ll probably haggle you down a bit. The app warns you to meet in a public place, like outside a police station.

EBay is still king for online sales, but get your cardboard boxes and packaging tape ready because you’ll be doing some shipping. Also, prepare for eBay’s cut to be much higher than you expect.

With these essential tips and warnings in mind, I found a great buyer for my Nintendo Switch on eBay in less than 48 hours. I ended up selling it for $240 before I had a single inquiry on Facebook Marketplace. After packaging, shipping, and eBay’s cut, $174 landed in my bank account. That’s quite a bit less than the $365 I paid for the bundle, but a whole lot more than the $0 I had when it was just sitting on my shelf.

Where can I sell my iPad for the most money?

Now, for the iPad Mini. I paid $710 for it with a protective case and Apple Care. The highest estimate the trade-in and quick-sale sites came back with is $352. The lowest was Declutter at just under $230. I also tried Apple’s Trade-In, thinking that might be a better price than the others, but at $260, it was the second lowest.

I looked into what others are going for on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. The most I could recoup is about $475 via eBay. Even if it were to sell for that, eBay’s cut is pretty big, so I decided to hang on to my device. At the very worst, I’ll gift it to someone else in my family. That’s always a valid option, too.

For camera gear, there’s one place all the pros go

Regarding camera gear, there’s only one site I use, and that’s MPB. I chose this one again because my husband’s a professional photographer, so he does this for a living, and this is his consistent go-to. It also happens to be the largest global platform to buy, sell, and trade used photo and video gear – everything from cameras and lenses to accessories. We’re loyal here because they tend to pay more, and they have this excellent “dynamic pricing engine,” which is a fancy name for well-curated and documented accuracy when it comes to hitting that sweet spot on the right price based on make, model, and condition.

Many of these other sites don’t offer options for camera gear, especially high-end 4K camcorders like the one I have to sell.

I could gamble with eBay or FB Marketplace, but I sold the Canon Camcorder to MPB for $560. Bird in hand and all…

Here’s how much I made selling my gadget trio online: 

OK, now it’s time to look at what I made for the effort. As I mentioned above, the Nintendo Switch bundle sold on eBay for $240; minus their fees, I netted $174. Of the other sites, ItsWorthMore had the highest price, and GadgetGone had the lowest. They vary enough to try several. At least that part’s free.

I didn’t sell the iPad Mini; I sold the Camcorder for $560.

Ultimately, I recouped more than $734 and spent less than two hours getting it all done. This is a great reminder: Don’t expect to get what you paid for your gadgets. They’re a lot like cars. Drive them off the lot, or in this case, take them out of the box, and they often lose about 50% of their value.

Still, cash in hand is better than gadgets collecting dust or, even worse, ending up in a landfill.

Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech columnist and on-air correspondent. The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. Contact her at JJ@Techish.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Turn on old iPhone, other devices for cash on these sites