How To Make Money From Your Old Laptop

Years of collecting the latest gadgetry and gizmos means that many of us now have a cupboard somewhere in the house with a few old bits of technology. Often, the hoard includes laptops that we no longer use or need but haven’t quite got around to doing anything with.

So what can we do with these old bits of kit? Well how about getting them out, cleaning them up, checking that they still work and seeing if you could earn a little bit of extra cash from them? Here’s how you could make some money from your old laptop.

Where to sell your laptop

Your choices include the pawn shop, online auction sites or the online specialist sites. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages but I’d recommend steering clear of the pawn shop – you’ll be able to get better money from the other options. Selling via auction sites can be a great way to make some money but has the disadvantage of you being responsible for the sale, packaging and delivery.

Specialist online retailers

The easy alternative is to go online to one of the specialist sites who offer on the spot cash sums for your old laptops, phones, cds and dvds. There are a few guidelines to selling like this; the most important thing about using your laptop to make money online is that it needs to be in working order; however the great thing about these sites is that they will take laptops that aren’t in necessarily great condition. So if your screen is damaged or the casing is scratched and marked, you can often still sell it. You will get the opportunity to grade what kind of condition you think the laptop is in from “like new” to “poor”. Obviously what you are offered will reflect the condition that it is received so be honest about its state of repair. There is also the added bonus that some of these sites now offer the opportunity to actually donate whatever you make to one of a range of charities – a great way to support a cause close to your heart.

Deleting your data

One incredibly important point to remember is to ensure that all your personal data has been removed from the laptop prior to sending it off. This doesn’t mean purely deleting files from the recycle bin and drives. It’s best in these days of increased identity fraud to make sure the job is done properly so research online the best ways to remove that sensitive data.

Broken laptops

If after all this, you find that out that your laptop isn’t working then there are still options available to you but unfortunately not ones that will make you any money. There are still plenty of charitable organisations who will be more than pleased to take it off your hands. Some will even refurbish it to pass on to charities both in the UK and abroad. Many of these organisations will also handle the job of deleting your data and identity from the laptop as well giving you added piece of mind.