Sell Mobile Phone - Selling Your Used Cell Phone in Europe
By Mark Knowles
Selling Mobile Phones
I thought I was on top of all the ways of surviving the recession that is all over and never really happened anyway, but I came across a phenomenon recently that made me realize I am getting old and out of touch – Mobile phone recycling.
There are now numerous websites offering to buy your old cell phone to recycle, and this is becoming a big industry. In the USA alone, 14 million cell phones were recycled in 2007 and the number is growing all the time. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, recycling one million mobile phones saves enough energy to provide power to more than 185 US household for a year.
- Sell Mobile Phone
Find who pays the most cash for recycling mobile phones. - Recycling Appeal: Recycle mobile phones
Recycling Appeal - eCycle Cell Phones US EPA
EPA encourages Americans to recycle their cell phones and accessories
In the UK, there are a number of companies that will pay what seems to be good money for your old phone, although the number of companies offering this service is some what large and the prices offered vary dramatically.
I also found an interesting comparison site which looks at all the prices offered by dozens of companies and allows you to compare them. And the price discrepancy is quite large. The mobile phone recycling appeal in the UK also supports a number of charities including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and is claiming to have recycled over 3 million phones and donated £5 million to their various charities.
Regardless – this is an interesting way of making a little money and many of the recycling companies will also buy accessories and chargers. I get very upset every time I have to throw a charger away because it will not fit anything else I own, so another piece of good news.
It appears that almost any working mobile phone is fair game, and some of them seem to be worth quite a lot of money. Samsung, Nokia and Sony Ericsson feature highly on the lists of acceptable phones, although I did not see the iPhone anywhere on the lists.
I do think this is a great idea and every time a piece of electronics gets reused or recycled instead of thrown on the scrapheap we are polluting our planet a little less. I don't think this is going to change what we do to our environment completely, but every little bit helps. So the next time you need a little cash or are thinking of buying a new mobile phone, give some thought to the idea of selling mobile phones instead of throwing them away.
Comments
You never know - they may be worth something.
I read an article recently about this cell phone recycling business and thought this is only the beginning.
Why? Because I also read that HP will soon be introducing their new computing "pad" to compete with the I-pad and proclaim it to be superior and less expensive.
So if we wait a short time we can get a recycled I-pad for less, no?
This is the first time I've heard of companies actually buying old phones. I know a few years ago people were encouraged to give their old phones to places like shelters for battered women etc. Our local carrier has recently started a recycling effort with cellphones which I guess is a sign of how many people are using them here now. Some enterprising person may well soon start making a business out of it.
Thank you for the info on the chargers. I'm like you. I hate having to throw them away. It is such a waste.
There seems to be a lot of companies actually paying for the phones now.
Absolutely, if there is something that you have payed money for worth a price.
I keep all my old cell phones, or just give it away to my friends. I have never tried selling them, but now I think I'll have to try.
Thanks Mark
Hi Mark
As one of your links points out you can also recycle your old mobile phones for charity. This allows you to be green and help others at the same time.
Amber
This habit is in existence in India all along. Not only cell phones, any good re-usable for that matter in India is salable. Indian culture has always been discouraging "use and throw" habit, but due to western influence of consumerism, use and throw habit is gradually rearing head in India, unfortunately.
Well C.V - I don't think you can blame anyone but yourselves. After WW2 - the very idea of "disposable" was anathema in the US and UK - but the entire world is slowly adopting it.
And let's face it - many Indian jobs are becoming reliant on "disposability," and most electronic makers have adjusted their business model to the point where they will fail if they do not sell you a new whatever every 2 years.
Great, PLUS Radio Shack will take your old phones, best return with the chargers and books, and pay you for them. They also take laptops and other electronic items. They just recently started airing commercials about this practice. I think it will become more common place. Peace :)
Good. I hope they start doing it for all these things.
Funny, I actually PAID someone to get rid of my cell phone contracts so I didn't have to pay the cancellation fee.
Great little hub!
About 3 years ago Pat's Wonderful Husband found a UK charity that recycles phones as a fund raising programme. We all put out a message at work and collected maybe 100 phones between us. Now there are quite a few UK charities that do this.
However, most of the 'old' mobiles in Pat's family get passed on to other family members who have had phones stolen. Stealing phones appears to be a growth industry. (sigh).
Thanks for another interesting Hub, Mark.
Thanks guys - yes - the non-recession is probably responsible for that. We have a MILLION unemployed young people in the UK right now.
I have 3 or 4 old phones in my 'junk' drawer. I would be glad to give them away.
yes this artical says it all cash for recycling mobile phones at this present time, there are more and more recyclers emerging. there is now 40+ and more to come and it is not hard if your are looking to sell used mobile phones, the process is easy.
www.sellmymobileguru.co.uk
I wish we have this kind of service in our area as well. I have a couple of old phones which I could sell.
i think very soon every country in Europe will start to recycle mobile phones for cash! in UK alone there are over 27 recycling companies for cash and over 26 recycling companies to trade in for chatrity
hhtp://www.sellusedmobilephones.
Never thought about donating old mobile phones to charities and orgs, what a nice idea, thanks!
You shouldn't be disposing mobile phones anyway if you're not using it. If you're not going to use it or it is old technology, simply sell it or give it away is really the best option. Why throw it away if it works perfectly fine?
Lily Rose 2 years ago
I have so many old cell phones in a bin in my closet - I'm going to look into this! Thanks, Mark!