What to do with old cell phones?

by Bob on April 5, 2009

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How about trading it in for an Amazon gift card?

As I was browsing on Amazon the other day, I notice that they work with a program called Flipswap which allows you to trade in your old cell phone or iPod for an Amazon gift card. So, I decided to check it out.

Here’s how it works…

Flipswap - trade in your old cell phone.png I went back to my closet and found one of our old cell phones and started entering in the information to see what they would give me for it. At first when I searched by Manufacturer I couldn’t find my phone, but when I typed the model number in the search field it came right up. Just like they say, it only takes a couple minutes to plug the information in about the phone. They ask…

About the cell phone’s condition
If it has original packaging
If it has a battery
If you have a charger
For the phone’s ESN#

I assume that each one of these questions affects the price they will pay for your old phone. After I plugged all the info in, I was actually surprised to see that they were going to give me $20.25 for my phone. It is in good condition, but it is probably 3 years old and was one of the cheaper phones when I purchased it. So, getting $20 for it is a win for me! I mean what else am I going to do with an old cell phone?

What to do with your old cell phone - how about Flipswap?.png

How about Recycling it?

As you probably know just throwing your old cell phones in the trash is a big no-no. According to studies, “Cell phones are potentially hazardous waste because they contain lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. If thrown in the trash and sent to incinerators or landfills, environmental contamination can occur from combustion and leaching into soil and groundwater.”

Which makes me wonder – if they are that bad for the environment, what kind of impact are they having on their users? But we will leave that discussion for another day.

Where to recycle old cell phones, pagers, iPods, PDA’s, etc

RecycleMyCellPhone.Org has a similar program to the Flipswap program mentioned above that allows you to mail your device to them for free.

What do you do with your old iPods and cell phones?

Article by Bob

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

Baker @ ManVsDebt April 5, 2009 at 11:53 am: Wow, this is a really great service that I wasn’t aware of. I’ve seen some “Cell phones for soldiers” type of dropboxes, where old phones are converted into calling cards for soldiers oversees, but didn’t know this was even another option.

Great post, thanks!
Nicki at Domestic Cents April 6, 2009 at 6:46 am: Thanks for the Amazon tip. I have a couple old cell phones hanging around. I’ve thought of recycling them, but had no idea I could “sell” them to Amazon!
Craig April 6, 2009 at 1:10 pm: A lot of times you can donate it or try to sell. The amazon thing is new to me, that’s a cool find. I have just kept old phones just in case I lose the new one and need one.
Travis @ CMM April 7, 2009 at 12:47 pm: Great find. I have 2 or 3 cell phones taking up room in my storage closet. I think I will be spending some time on Amazon tonight.
Matt April 10, 2009 at 9:51 am: You can also recycle them at any T-Mobile store as well, or print a pre-paid shipping label linked here: http://www.t-mobile.com/Company/Community.aspx?tp=Abt_Tab_HandsetRecycling

If they can sell your phone, the money goes to charity. If not, it’s broken down for proper recycling. But unfortunately, you don’t get $$$ like the Amazon.com way.
Anne Walk April 10, 2009 at 10:08 am: Good find! I didn’t know about this amazon program either but will be investigating and adding it to my tinymine article on recycling gadgets for cash. I’ll be sure to link to this great post!
SavingDiva April 10, 2009 at 10:08 am: I’ve heard of stuff like this, but my phones are usually the free ones from Sprint…so I can’t get anything for them by the time I’m done with them…several years later!
Gypsie April 26, 2009 at 9:39 am: As an active duty military member myself, I donate my old cell phone to Cellphones for Soldiers. It is a non-profit organization that recycles the cell phones for money and turns that money into calling cards for our men and women serving in the US Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Navy serving in an overseas location (mostly deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan). You can use a prepaid envolope provided by Cellphones for Soldiers or you can save them a little more by paying your own shipping.

http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/about.html
csg June 11, 2009 at 11:42 pm: Wow, that’s great info. Thanks!