Sell your old electronics
Story By: Bea Karnes
Source: NBC
Published Wed Apr 23, 2008, 09:16 AM MDT
Updated Wed Apr 23, 2008, 09:16 AM MDT
Ever wonder what to do with that busted iPod or broken cell phone? It used to be there was only one destination: the trash.
More recently, some environmentally conscious recyclers charge a few dollars to dispose of old electronics in a responsible way, and now an online company based in Denver offers another solution.
Brett Mosley buys the throw-aways, used or broken items that might otherwise sit in someone's drawer or end up in the trash. He repairs and re-sells what he can, and scraps the rest for parts.
It started about a year ago with his own iPod. "I had a $300 iPod, I broke it. I wasn't really excited about throwing it away so I figured out you can fix them and a light bulb went off," he explained.
It was the beginning of what would become BuyMyTronics.com. In the last year the company expanded from iPods to cell phones and video game consoles.
The seller will fill out an online form then ship their electronic device to this office, then usually within 48 hours they'll get their money.
Dr. Arlyn Labair is one of his customers who wanted to get rid of her iPod. "I hate to waste things so I couldn't have thrown it away but I'd rather see it recycled," Dr. Labair said. She sent her iPod to BuyMyTronics, knowing it'll be re-used, and at the same time made $25.
Michael Armour got rid of a couple of cell phones through BuyMyTronics and made a few dollars in the process. In the past he would have paid someone to safely recycle them. "I can get rid of equipment without worrying about it going into a landfill. He sends you a shipping label via e-mail, you put everything in a box and ship it to him," Armour said.
Mosley says there's a huge market for fixing old gear.
