7 Web Sites That Will Buy Your A/V Gear & Gadgets

Gazelle.com is one of many web sites paying cash for old electronics.

Strapped for cash? Or looking to unload some old electronics to make room for the new gear? Here are seven web sites that will buy your stuff.

There are several legitimate reasons for selling your old stuff (and by stuff I’m talking about A/V gear, cell phones, iPods, laptops and movies).

• You need the cash
• Want to turn your old stuff into new stuff, i.e. upgrade
• Your wife is nagging you to clean out the basement and closets

Depending on what you have and when you need to sell it, there are several options.

If you have gear, such as receivers, TVs, projectors, etc., and are not in a rush, you should try the marketplaces on eBay, Audiogon, HIFi Classifieds, and AVS Forums. Just follow the advice in this guide and you might recoup some cash.

But if you don’t want the hassle of taking photos and negotiating with potential buyers, there are some web sites that will send you cash rather quickly. Just be prepared to see some low figures. But remember, this is stuff you no longer want and the alternative is dumping it in the trash. In an effort to measure the sites against one another, I checked pricing on two of my items, my 2-year-old Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop and Motorola Krazr cell phone.

Gazelle.com
Cell phones, PDAs, Satellite radios, LCD monitors, digital cameras, gaming consoles, external drives, MP3 players, GPS devices, video games, laptops, camcorders and Blu-ray movies can be sold on this site. You get an immediate price quote after answering a few questions. Payment is made via check or PayPal. If you are in a giving mood, you can donate the cash to a slew of charitable organizations. Offers free shipping within continental U.S. Gazelle offered me $226 for the Inspiron and $18 for the Krazr.

BuyMyTronics.com
Will buy iPods, iPhones, cell phones, PDAs, and gaming consoles. Web site says it will add laptops, digital cameras and GPS devices in near future. Provides immediate price quote after filling out brief questionnaire. Payment is made via check or PayPal. You also have the option to donate your proceeds. Shipping is free. Offered me $15.40 for the Krazr.

MyBoneYard.com
Sell your laptop, desktop, flat-panel monitor, cell phone and MP3 players. Price quote given immediately upon completing questionnaire. Payment is made with Visa gift card. Free shipping. Offered me $153 for the Dell Inspiron and $28 for the Krazr.

EZTradein.com
Will make offers on desktops (Apple and PC), laptops, camcorders, digital cameras, servers, multimedia projectors, receivers, cell phones, car audio, monitors, gaming consoles, PDAs, iPods, and GPS devices. Trade-in estimator gives immediate price quote. Get paid with a check, PayPal, or a Best Buy gift card. Offered me $179 for the Dell Inspiron and $29 for the Krazr.

Toshiba Trade-in
Accepts desktops (Apple and PC), laptops, camcorders, digital cameras, servers, multimedia projectors, receivers, cell phones, car audio, monitors, gaming consoles, PDAs, iPods, GPS devices and HD DVD players from most manufacturers (not only Toshiba). Free shipping, payment by check only. Part of the EZTradein.com family, although Toshiba offered me more cash for my laptop ($210) and $29 for the Krazr.

Radio Shack
Will make offers on your MP3 players, phones, cameras, camcorders, GPS, car audio, laptops, games and consoles, HDTVs, and monitors. Free shipping. A major drawback is payment which is with Radio Shack gift cards only. Offered $19.60 for the Krazr and was not accepting my Dell Inspiron at this time.

Sam’s Club
Accepts desktops, laptops, LCD monitors, MP3 players, digital cameras, camcorders, and gaming consoles. Only available to Sam’s Club members. Payment is via Sam’s Club gift cards only. Free shipping. Offered $180 for my Dell Inspiron.

Gazelle offered the most for my laptop ($226) and several sites were willing to shell out $29 for my phone. The prices offered are reflective of inventory. If you wait around, you might get lower offers for your stuff.

Other sites worth mentioning:
Digitaldogpound.com - games, DVD and Blu-ray movies
Nextworth.com - iPods
Best Buy Tradein - another extension of EZTradein.com, payment via store gift card

Did we leave out any other sites? Let us know in the comments below.