Cash for…iPods?
“Cash for [insert item]” has become a huge trend on the heels of the successful Cash for Clunkers program. Following this popularity, CNN recently highlighted a company that accepts old electronics in exchange for a little financial aid.
Gazelle.com, which launched in 2006, pays cash for electronics, including, LCD TVs, iPods, video game consoles and cell phones.
Although e-waste accounts for only 1 to 4 percent of municipal waste, it may be responsible for as much as 70 percent of the heavy metals in landfills, including 40 percent of all lead. Photo: Flickr/Amin Tabrizi
Gazelle accepts about 30,000 functional and defunct electronics. Using secondary retailers such as eBay, the Web site will estimate your item’s worth. And no worries if your clunky television from 1989 doesn’t fetch any dough – Gazelle will recycle it for free.
Gazelle pays for shipping and will even send a box for most orders. And even though some items end up being recycled, that’s not the case for most. About 90 percent of the 75,000 items the company has received have been resold.
“We actually lose a nickel here and a dime there on recycling, but it helps us make morally conscious decisions and serve our customers,” spokeswoman Kristina Kennedy told CNN.
According to Kennedy, the company is growing by 100 percent each quarter, taking in more than 10,000 products in August alone.
Gazelle compares to their system of electronics takeback to the Cash for Clunkers program. Kennedy says the goal still remains the same: to close the loop and think about a product’s actual end of life.
