5 Easy Ways to Earn Money with Your Old Stuff

It’s the time of year to clean out the closets and make room for new stuff. I don’t know about you, but in our house we have enough stuff as it is. Which means we are always looking for ways to find new homes for our older stuff and make room for the new. In the process, there are a few different avenues that we have run across to trade out the old to get money for the new.

Amazon Trade-In Program

Amazon really is taking over the world! Not only can you purchase some great stuff at some of the best prices, but you can also trade-in your old stuff in return for a gift card. Yep, that’s right. They will let you ship them some of your items for free and issue you a gift card in return.

If you are thinking about trading in some of your older items, then this is definitely one to keep in mind. They are currently accepting items in the following categories:

• Books
• Cellphones
• Tablets or Laptops
• Video Games or Consoles

It’s a pretty sweet deal when you think about it. Especially, if some of your potential trade-in’s are ones that you previously purchased from Amazon. The reason is that when you log into your account, it automatically pulls up some of your past purchases and tells you what the trade-in value is. This makes trading in those items extremely easy and simple. But if you purchased your items elsewhere, they can still just as easily be traded in.

Gazelle Trade-In Program

Another trade-in program that can give you more buck for your stuff is Gazelle. They operate in a similar fashion to the Amazon Trade-in program. This is a program that is less heard of but can be just as profitable, if not more. They will send you a box to ship your stuff to them for free. The items they are looking for primarily are:

• iPhones
• iPads
• iPods
• Apple Computers
• Samsung Cell Phones
• Other Cell Phones (Blackberry, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia)
• Other Tablets (Amazon, Asus, Google, Microsoft, Samsung)
• Apple TV or Apple Display

While their field might not be as wide as the previously mentioned, they can offer more for your trade-in frequently. So if you happen to have some of these items laying around that you aren’t using anymore or are out of service, they are worth checking out. They do take non-working items in these categories as well. If you do have some qualifying items, then they will send you a package to ship the items to them in, for free, and then check your items as soon as they arrive. Once that process occurs, and everything is as you described, then they will either send you a check, an Amazon gift card or submit the funds through PayPal. Pretty cool, if you ask me!

Best Buy Trade-In Program

This program is yet another option for trading in electronics, which of course, seem to get the most cash for trade-in value. The trade-in program through Best Buy has more options for trade-in than Gazelle and Amazon both. The things they are willing to take are:

• Cell Phones
• Cameras and Camcorders
• Computers
• Gaming Hardware
• MP3 Players
• Tablets and E-Readers
• TV and Home Theater
• Video Games

That is a pretty wide range of electronics! However, this program is a bit more specific on the shipping end because you must package the item according to their guidelines, insure it and ship it through UPS specifically. They will give you a shipping label, but it can be a bit more work to make sure everything meets their standards. Once you do that though, and they accept your trade-in, you will receive a Best Buy gift card via email. This is a great deal if you are a regular Best Buy shopper or are getting ready to make a large purchase.

Target Trade-In Program

The trade-in program at Target.com is pretty much the same thing as the program at Best Buy. The exception with the Target Trade-in program though, is that you can choose a shipping carrier of your choice, as opposed to only shipping through UPS. There is nothing wrong with shipping through UPS, as I use them regularly, but sometimes I prefer to have a choice depending on the location of the nearest drop off center.

The products Target is willing to take are:

• Cell Phones
• Tablets
• Video Games
• Video Game Consoles
• Wearables
• Gift Cards

Now this last bullet point is an interesting twist on the other trade-in programs. They will let you bring in any gift card that has a balance on it and trade it for a Target gift card in the same amount. This is a pretty great idea! I know that I have received gift cards for places that I never shop for the holidays. If you find yourself in that boat, then certainly look into this gift card trade-in option.

Walmart Trade-In Program

Walmart is known for their rock bottom prices on virtually everything under the sun. Well now they have added in their own Walmart Trade-In program with a Walmart gift card payout to use on whatever you choose. The items they are willing to take for trade-in are:

• Cell Phones
• MP3 Players
• Tablets
• Video Games

Their trade-in categories aren’t as broad as many of the other programs are, but the trade-in value for these items isn’t bad. They do require that you use FedEx Ground Shipping, which is free, but similar to the Best Buy program in that you don’t have a shipper choice.

Overall, these are all pretty good program to put some cash in your pocket for holiday purchases. They all have their perks and it really just depends on where you shop most regularly and what your end goal is to decide which program is best for you.

Have you tried any of these Trade-In programs yet? If so, which one is your favorite and why?