Can you really turn old mobiles into cash?
Numerous companies have appeared in the last few months offering to turn old mobile phones into cash. Some even state that they’re worth up to £200 a piece. So, cash and green points to boot - is this too good to be true?
Recycle your phone
Every hour, 1,700 phones are discarded by people in Britain buying replacements or upgrading to new deals with their service provider. This amounts to some 15 million units, either languishing at home or in the office or ending up at a waste facility. However, rather than consigning your old phone to the bottom of a drawer, many companies are now offering to take them off your hands, and they’ll pay you for them. Some have even touted figures of up to £200 per phone. So is this a deal you should consider?
Good but not that good
For a start, forget about receiving £200. This simply isn’t going to happen. The only way to get that kind of money would be to buy the latest handset, e.g. a 3G Apple iPhone, then send it off unused. Considering the iPhone will set you back approximately £400, it makes this deal less than impressive. However, this doesn’t mean that you should completely rule out selling your old phones. Just be realistic about how much you can get.
Legal obligations
Many of the companies offering a recycling service are aimed at the private market. This means that they’re not set up to comply with waste regulations, namely the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2006 (WEEE), or other legislation which deals with the disposal/recycling of potentially hazardous products.
Tip 1. Any company that’s set up to take phones owned by a business should promote this on their website, promotional material etc.
Tip 2. You must keep records of who has collected and is dealing with the waste. The receipt/invoice/e-mail etc. generated by your transaction will suffice.
How much?
It depends on the phone and what the company is prepared to offer you. There are no standard prices. Also, the condition of the phone, whether you have its box, the instruction manual etc. can affect the value.
Note. As a general rule, most phones will not fetch more than £25. And a broken phone will be worth only 10-50% of the value of one in good working order.
Tip 1. Get a quote online. Many of the companies have prices for units available on their websites. This saves you sending a phone off thinking it’s worth about £30, only to be sent a cheque for £1! (see The next step).
Tip 2. If you have many phones, then contact the recycling company directly. Some are prepared to do deals if hundreds of the same phone are available.
Tip 3. Before sending a phone anywhere, you must ensure that it has been completely blanked. This usually involves removing the SIM card and restoring the phone to its original factory settings. If you’re not sure how to do this, contact your service provider, or refer to the instruction manual supplied with the phone.
For further information on companies that will buy old mobile phones, visit http://environment.indicator.co.uk (EN 04.01.05).
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