Recycling your old computer and its parts can put some extra money in your pocket.If you’re like the many millions of computer users, at some point, your old PC breaks.
And if you’re like most, you probably buy a new one and dump the old one in the basement or attic never to be seen again.
That’s money down the drain!
Fortunately, there is a better way to deal with an old and unused computer and its parts…
Earn Free Cash
Try Swagbucks, the famous rewards program that pays you for watching videos, taking surveys, shopping and more.
recycle it for cash!Now, recycling one old computer may not put that much cash in your pocket. But recycling 10, 20, 30… a month, can!
Here is a quick guide on how you can make money recycling old computers.
Step 1: Collect old/unused computers
The first thing you need to do is source for old computers.According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is estimated that 50 million computers become obsolete every year.
That means there is no shortage of old and used computers for you to recycle.
The easiest way to find them is to ask friends and family to give their unused PCs to you instead of throwing them away.
You can also put an ad on Craigslist and offer to pick up broken computers for free.
Now that you have a source, it’s time to turn all those broken PCs into cash.
You have two options:
- Combining old parts to build new computers and selling ’em
- Separating the parts to sell individually or to recycle
– Build & sell new computers with old parts
Once you have a few computers to start with, you’re in business.Now, there are a few ways you can make money depending on your skills and how much you know about computers.
1. Combine parts to make “new” computers
If you want to make the most cash as a computer recycler, this is your best bet.If you know enough about computer and their parts, you can take the working parts from a few different computers, put ’em together and make a brand new functioning computer. Then all you have to do is sell it (family, friends, coworkers, Craigslist, etc)
Even if you don’t much about computers, a few hours of researching and reading online can help you with that.
Need Extra Cash for Free?
If you like getting paid for surveys, and are going to join only one
site, I would recommend you choose Ipsos-iSay. Ipsos is the most fun and
well-paying panel. Give it a try to see how you like it. It is free
anyway!
The computer I’m using to write this very post on is one that I built a few years back thanks to the Forum section of the famous Tom’s Hardware.I had no idea what the components of a computer were.
I was clueless!
But I had heard a lot of good things about building your own PC and how not only you could save money, but you could also build a much better and faster computer than the ones you can pick up at any electronic store like Best Buy.
It took me a few hours of reading, asking questions on forums like TomsHardware, and a trip down to our local MicroCenter, and within a few days I had my brand new computer built for just a few hundred dollars, but with the performance of a $2000 store-bought computer.
The point is, it’s not that hard to learn what goes into a PC so you can take working parts from various old computers and put ’em together to build a new functioning computer.
Once you build your computer, put an ad on Craigslist and sell it for a reasonable price.
You can also sell it to friends and family.
And if you like the process and end up making good money, maybe you can turn this into a regular money-making business.
2. Fix old PC’s
If you only have one computer, or don’t have all the parts to build a new PC, you can buy that part separately from the store.Then use it along with other old but working parts to fix the computer.
And to make sure you don’t overpay, you can use a pricing search engine like Pricewatch.com.
It helps you compere and find the best available deals.
– Recycle/sell parts individually
Another way to make money from old and unused computers is to take out the functioning hardware so you can sell ’em individually.Here, you also have two potions:
3. Sell hardware & other internal parts
A lot of people build their own computers these days, and as it is so often, there are always parts that hard to find.As you recycle and collect more computers, you’re going to have an increasing number of parts that you can’t match with other parts to build a new one.
Your best option would be to sell those parts to people who need them.
eBay is a great place for selling various computer parts, so is any computer building related forum like the one I mentioned above
4. Sell to scrap yards
As a last resort, you can always sell whatever is left to your local electronic scrapyard.You won’t get paid much, but it’s better than throwing them in the trash.
It’s basically cash for your trash!
The Bottom Line
Recycling in general is a win-win.Not only you help to keep the environment healthier and cleaner, you also get to keep your wallet healthier and greener.
Hopefully, this quick guide has helped you pick up a few ideas for collecting and recycling old computers for cash.
