August 22, 2019
4 MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN SELLING YOUR DEVICES
As a school or an organization, selling your devices can be one of the best ways to replenish your IT budget, but it comes with considerable risk. To avoid being trapped in a bad deal, we lay out the 4 mistakes to avoid when selling off your used technology (Chromebooks, MacBooks, iPads, Phones, & more).
1. Choosing the Highest Bidder
When you receive an estimated quote for your devices, consider how the partner may be inflating their offer. High offers are typically too good to be true and are rarely accurate. These kinds of buyers will likely break your heart and pay you much less than the estimated pay out. They do this to secure the deal, but they aren’t built for a long term partnership.
You can avoid this mistake one of two ways; 1) find a buyer that will give you a high estimate, a low estimate, and an average estimate. 2) take that high bid, and cut it in half. Your payout is always based on the grade, which is based on the devices’ condition. You can figure out what your final payout is by understanding their grading scale.
2. Overestimating the value of your old devices
It is common for new sellers to put high hopes on the value of their fleet of devices, but the reality is, when they have been in circulation for a few years they likely have some wear and tear, or even some major flaws. While these devices still have great value, they may not bring you the highest value.
Take a moment to survey the devices you plan to sell. What condition are they in? Each buyer will have their own set of device grading standards that they will use to value the devices on arrival. Before committing to a buyer, take a moment to look at their grading and try to get an idea of how your devices will match up.
3. Not unlocking your devices
This one is pretty simple. Locked devices often time have a fraction of the value as an unlocked device, and some companies will pay $0 for them. Spend the time to fully unlock your devices (this can be done remotely, too).
4. Waiting too long to sell
Almost every device has value, even the dusty pile of old Chromebooks you have on that shelf in the back of the storage room… but, did you know that most devices are at their max value when they are about 3-5 years old? This is typically the sweet spot for selling devices they provided the value that you originally paid for and still have a high market value.
Try to sell your devices when they are 3-5 years old at the maximum to get the best return and have more to buy newer technology.
Looking for a trusted buyer? Get a quote today!