Cash In Old Gadgets To Buy New Gadgets

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost upon us. Just look at all the new smartphones and other electronic gadgets that are going on sale, if they aren’t already. Exciting, isn’t it? Yet we know that times are uncertain and that we should really think about how we are going to pay for those shiny new things. Here’s an idea: Get your old stuff to pay for your new stuff!

Sounds a bit fanciful, but it can work. How? It’s because we all collect... make that hoard... electronics and photography gear of all types. Never mind that we aren’t using this gear anymore. We just have it around. It’s too good to throw away and too much hassle to sell, so there it sits. What we don’t consider is that there is a veritable savings account worth of value in all that unused equipment. There’s your cash source to buy the new, new gadgets this holiday season. Now, if there was only a way to tap it.

You’re in luck! There is a fast and easy way to convert your unwanted gadgets to cash. It’s an online service provided by Gazelle, a leader in recycling high technology gear. What they do is make you an offer based on the current market value of your items. If you elect to sell, you get a free postage paid mailer that you pack up and drop off at the shipper. At the other end, Gazelle will evaluate each item for operation and condition. Once checked out, they send you a check. Now when you get that bill for the new flat screen HDTV or video game, you’ve got the funds to cover it. It’s recycling at its best.

This process actually works all year long, but it’s particularly valuable right now. That’s because we tend to buy big time for ourselves and others through December 24, with the heartburn of credit card bills coming due in January or February. There’s no time to waste.

Start scouring the house and even those desk drawers at work. Look in the bottom drawers, especially. That’s where unused gadgets go to hibernate indefinitely. Get a big bag or box and start filling it with cell phones, video games, laptop computers, movies, MP3 players, digital cameras, PDAs, gaming consoles, GPS devices, camcorders, desktop computers, LCD monitors, calculators, camera lenses, satellite radios, external drives, streaming media, home audio equipment, projectors and Blu-Ray players. I’ll bet you’ve got anywhere between a modest box to half-a-room full.

The next step is to get price offers for each item. Consider it a game that pays. Perhaps you can engage family members or co-workers to help evaluate a massive tech collection, especially if they think they might benefit from the proceeds. Find your item through a search on the Gazelle site. Find the exact model you have and then check the radio buttons for functionality, condition and available accessories. Click the “Calculate” button and you’ll see how much they’ll pay you. I just tried a Nikon camera lens and saw I could sell it for $90. If you think that price is fair and want to cash-in, click the orange “Add to Box” button to lock in the offer. Then move on to the next item.

Procrastination is not to your advantage. Technology, like milk and most everything else, loses value over time. Chances are that you’ll get a better offer today than you will in a week or a month from now as your unused gear just gets more and more obsolete. Word to the wise!

Once you have evaluated your collection and see the now substantial total offer, all you need is that pre-paid shipping box. You get that by clicking on the “Checkout” button. When your container arrives, pack each item carefully using recycled newspaper or other soft packing material and sent it in. Congratulations, the hard work is done! Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the moola.

Can it get any easier? Not unless someone came over, ransacked your place while you watched TV, and peeled off a roll of bills on their way out. This is the next best thing. It takes minimal effort compared to running ads, dealing with people at the door or dragging everything through the auction process. When you’re done, you have cash in hand, the satisfaction of recycling things you don’t need anymore, plus all that extra shelf and drawer space you’ll need for your new acquisitions.

Are you motivated to start the process? Gather your gear and get recycling offers for your gadgets now. Those big sales are about to start!

Wrapsol is Like a Force Field Around Your Gadgets

Oh, the beauty of a brand new piece of electronic equipment. So, sleek, so perfect. But anywhere from a few minutes to a few days later, it’s spoiled. There’s a nasty scratch right on the face of your beautiful gadget. No way will you ever not be able to notice it. Call it “paradise spoiled.” Shame there isn’t a way to keep your new gear looking new indefinitely. Oh, wait, there is!

The solution is something called Wrapsol. It’s an optically clear screen film that coats your device like a second skin. Scratches can’t get anywhere near that precious mirror-like finish you paid so much for. Think of it as a force field that envelopes and protects. Someday technology may actually make such a force field practical. Today, the solution is Wrapsol body film.

So, how is this different from buying some of that peel-and-stick laminating film at the office supply store and slathering it all over your cell phone or laptop computer?

Oh, please. Do you want trashy or do you want classy? Wrapsol is made of a 14-mil optically clear screen film and a proprietary matte finish body film that shuns smudges and fingerprints, while still giving you a solid grip on your device. It goes on nice and smooth, not with that “orange peel” texture you might get if you used just any old film.

What sort of devices need Wrapsol? Pretty much anything electronic, portable and shiny that costs more than a few dollars. This is a high-tech system, custom sized for popular devices and not trivially inexpensive. You’ll spend a few bucks, but how much is it worth to keep that brand new look? How much did you spend on that iPhone anyway? Are you just going to shove it in your pocket and live with all the scratches that you’ll get... this afternoon?

Wrapsol has custom die-cut systems available for that Apple iPhone 3G and 3G S. There are also products for various BlackBerry models, other cell phones, Apple iPods and Microsoft Zune music players, popular notebook and netbook computers, game consoles, digital readers, including the Amazon Kindle, even cameras and GPS units. Each is specially cut and ready for application so you’ll get an exact fit.

No, you don’t just take a scissors to a big piece of plastic film. In fact, put that scissors away before you hurt yourself. You won’t need it. You’ll get a complete kit that includes the custom cut film, a soft reusable lint-free microfiber towelette, a mister with the application solution and a non-marking flexible squeegee. Plus instructions, of course.

Are you ready for a scratch protection system that’s as upscale as your brand new expensive electronic device? Then have a look at Wrapsol before you even take your new purchase out of the box.