Gazelle: A better way to recycle your electronics

After doing a round of holiday cleaning at our apartment, I discovered a treasure trove of gadgets which still worked, but no longer met my needs. Thankfully I also found Gazelle.com, a company that buys old electronics for resale or recycle.

I tested out Gazelle.com with three items I had on hand; an old camera without a power adapter, a Dell PDA with all original wires and manuals, and a digital video camera with power cord. For my collection of slightly used gadgets I am being paid $124, more than I could likely get on eBay due to the lack of accessories.

Selling your stuff to Gazelle is simple:

1. Look up your item on the Gazelle site.
2. Answer a few questions about the quality and accessories.
3. Click "calculate" and see what Gazelle will offer you.
4. Send your items back to Gazelle with free shipping label.
   
5. Get paid via check, Paypal or Amazon gift card.
   

Currently Gazelle buys goods from 11 categories including; video games and consoles, GPS units, phones, movies, digital cameras, laptops and more. If the item you want to sell isn't already in the catalog you can request a customized quote, which is calculated within 24 hours.Gazelle resells close to 80% of the items it buys to consumers, with another 10-20% being sold to wholesalers; the remaining electronics are recycled.

With renewed concerns over hazardous recycling practices in China, it seemed especially prudent to understand what happens to the remaining items that are recycled. Gazelle uses two companies, ReCellular and Tech Turn, both based in the U.S. with state of the art recycling centers to break down goods that can't be sold. On top of recycling electronics according to the high U.S. standards, Tech Turn also has a zero landfill policy.

While local thrift stores and sites like freecycle provide a means for giving your gadgets a second life, the fact that Gazelle handles items of all conditions makes it an option for anyone with spare electronics. Besides being environmentally friendly, I was able to cover quite a few Christmas presents from my lot.

You can check the value of your items without signing up, so go ahead and see how much you stand to make right now. The average customer gets $115 and helped keep 2.1 tons worth of items from becoming e-waste in the last quarter alone. See how much of a difference and how much money you can make today at Gazelle.com.