How to Use Decluttr to Cash in on Old Gadgets and More

Do you have a few old phones sitting in a drawer? Or maybe your DVD collection is gathering dust while you stream your favorite movies?

You could try selling your old electronics and retro-format media through an online marketplace, but you might not get what your items are worth.

Instead of waiting around for someone to message you about your old PS3, you could get a fast, easy sale with Decluttr.

What Is Decluttr?

Decluttr is a buyback service. It will provide a quote for your used electronics, DVDs and CDs. As long as there is a value for the items and some basic criteria are met, Decluttr will buy them from you in a simple process that saves you the hassle of taking photos, writing descriptions, and waiting for someone to bite.

Electronics you can sell via Decluttr include:

• Phones
• CDs
• DVDs/Blu-rays
• Video games and consoles
• Tablets/Kindles
• Speakers/headphones
• GoPro
• Smartwatches

Decluttr is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has a 4.3 rating on Trustpilot from over 25,000 reviews.

Why Choose Decluttr

When looking to clear some space in your closet, Decluttr has several advantages. Unlike Amazon, eBay or a social media marketplace, there’s no need to wait for someone to buy your gadgets. As long as the website accepts your item, you’re guaranteed a sale.

There’s also no need for separate transactions. Everything you want to sell can go in the same transaction — maybe even the same box.

There are similar tech buyback websites on the market, including Gazelle and ItsWorthMore. When you consider selling your old gadgets, it’s worth shopping around for the best price, but Decluttr averaged better prices and a wider range of accepted items.

When you consider selling your old gadgets, it’s worth shopping around for the best price. We went to all three services to compare price quotes for six different tech items in good condition. Decluttr was the only service of the three that accepted all six, and it offered the best price for two of them.

Selling Your Items

To sell your items on Decluttr, you’ll first enter your item’s information and condition on the website and they’ll give you a price. If you’re selling CDs, DVDs or games, download Decluttr’s free app and you can scan each barcode directly.

Got an old phone with a cracked screen or a tablet that won’t turn on that’s wasting space in your junk drawer? You can sell those too! The service accepts tech in three conditions: good, poor and faulty.

The price you receive for an item also depends on its current market value. Newer products will get a better price than older ones.

Looking to get rid of a lot of items? Decluttr accepts 1 to 500 items in a single order. Each transaction must have a minimum value of $5 and be a minimum of one tech item or 10 media items.

Selling Your Old-School Media

Your old tech gadgets aren’t the only thing taking up space in your house, so they’re not the only thing Decluttr accepts. You can also send them DVDs, Blu-Rays, CDs and video games.

Selling these items works the same way. Just scan or enter the barcode to see the offered price. The value of the items will vary depending on the title, release date and popularity.

To get a sense of what you can get from your old CDs and DVDs we scanned a small collection from two households. The results demonstrated that it’s a bit unpredictable, and you’ll probably get the most benefit if you have a lot to sell.

Of 20 DVDs, six were politely rejected. Values for the remaining eight ranged from 19 cents (“The Cowboys” starring John Wayne) to $3.78 (Richard Burton in a stage version of “Hamlet”) for a total of $9.24. Among those turned down at the time we scanned: “The Hobbit,” “Pitch Perfect 2” and two “Harry Potter” movies.

Of 15 CDs scanned, five were turned down and the remaining 10 were quoted at $9 total, ranging from 11 cents (Yo Lo Tengo, “and then nothing turned itself inside-out”) to $2.26 (multiple artists, “The Blues and the Abstract Truth”).

All media must be in good condition with no excessive damage.

Wondering About Other Items in Your Closet?

What about the other miscellaneous gizmos and gadgets you’re trying to clear out, like digital cameras and headphones?

If it’s got a barcode, try scanning it with the Decluttr app. Declutter also has a search tool that will help you check many kinds of items, but it can be a little hard to find. Go to the “Sell phones, tech and more” page, scroll down, and look for a hyperlink next to “Can’t find what you want to sell?”

A recent check of items Decluttr won’t accept listed the following media items: CD singles, EPs, VHS, vinyl, cassettes, pirate copies and promo items that came free with a magazine or newspaper.

Lego Bricks and Books, Too!

Are you tired of stepping on scattered Legos? Is it time to get rid of those old college textbooks? Avoid bruised toes and free up some closet space by selling them to Decluttr.

Lego bricks: Decluttr accepts Lego bricks by weight so the process is easy. Gather up your undamaged Legos in a plastic bag and seal it up. Weigh the bag, round to the nearest pound, select the weight on Decluttr and get a price. Then put the bag of Legos in a box and ship them just like any other transaction.

Books: Decluttr accepts both hardcover and paperback books, textbooks, children’s books, novels, nonfiction, graphic novels — you name it. Just scan a book’s barcode with the app to see if it’s currently being accepted. Then package it up and send it off.

Books must be in readable condition. This means no visible damage, missing pages or highlighting/notes. Hardcovers should include the dust jacket.

How to Get a Student Discount

To get the discount, a student just needs to sign up for a Student Beans account and verify their student status. If a school or institution isn’t in the Student Beans database, you can add it and Decluttr will verify the information within three days.

Decluttr gives students over 16 attending high school or college full time an extra 10% on their offered price by using the Student Beans discount and loyalty program. People in apprenticeships also qualify.

Once your account is set up, you can get an exclusive code to add to your Decluttr cart and you’ll receive extra cash on your CDs, DVDs/Blu-Rays, games and books. Mobile phones, tech and Lego products are excluded.

Shipping Your Items for Free

You can ship your items to Decluttr free of charge. Here’s how it works.

• Once the online transaction is complete, you will receive a label via email.
• Before you pack up your tech, make sure any personal information has been removed.
• Grab a box, pack your items and attach the label. Make sure you include all cables, chargers and any other required parts.
• Weigh your box. If it’s over the UPS weight limit of 20 pounds, that’s OK! You can divide your shipment into two boxes — just print out another label by signing into your account, selecting your order and clicking “print additional labels.”
• Drop your boxes off at the nearest UPS shipping location.

If life gets a bit busy and you can’t seem to find the time to head to UPS, don’t worry. There’s no time limit on shipping media items and prices on tech items are valid for 28 days.

Getting Paid From Decluttr

Once Decluttr receives your items, they will be processed and any remaining personal information will be removed using PhoneCheck, a data erasure service. The inspection usually takes one day. Once it’s complete, you’ll be paid via direct deposit or PayPal.

If your item is inspected and Decluttr’s quality assessment technicians find it to be in a different condition than you originally entered, you’ll get an email with the revised price and the reasoning behind it. You’ll have 14 days to accept or decline the new price. If you decline the new price, they’ll ship your tech back to you for free.

Get Money Back When You Shop at Decluttr

Decluttr doesn’t just buy items. It also sells pretty much the same kinds of items it buys.

So if you want to get rid of your old game console and upgrade to something newer, you can do both at Decluttr and you’ll get cash back.

Sell tech to Decluttr worth at least $150 total and buy from them within 14 days and you’ll receive $20. You can also buy something and then do your trade-in. The order of transactions doesn’t matter as long as they’re within the qualifying time frame.

The payment will take 45 days to hit your bank account after your second transaction and

The catch: Your trade-in must contain at least one mobile phone, tablet, game console, wearable device or MacBook.

Is Decluttr Worth It?

When looking at convenience, overall range of accepted items and the service’s offered prices, Decluttr is a great option for your next cleaning spree. The service does have a few downsides. The prices on media and books might not get you more than a quarter per item (sometimes less) and the acceptance rate on them can be unpredictable.

But if you were planning on donating your old items anyway, or if you don’t want the hassle of listing them individually on a different platform, it doesn’t hurt to scan those old DVDs into your order.

There’s an option to donate your proceeds to charity, too.

Contributor Jenna Limbach writes on financial literacy and lifestyle topics for The Penny Hoarder from her home base in Nevada.

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