But you can actually make money off those old tablets and phones, even those that are damaged. The screens may be cracked and the button might now work, but your gadgets could still be worth something.
Super Saver Paul Ivanovsky says almost any phone can get you cash or a store credit.
"There are all kinds of options right now," Ivanovsky said. "Stores live Verizon and AT&T, the places where you normally get these devices, they are now allowing you to trade these in on certain smart phones."
At Best Buy, you get a quote online and then bring it into the store for credit. At Target and Radio Shack their offers work the same way, but they also offer an option to print a label and send in the device. But for those places, you should keep one thing in mind.
"First it has to be in working order. You can't have any cracks in it," Ivanovsky said.
If your devices are damaged, some sites will still offer money for those. Gazelle will pay you cash for damaged iPhones, but they also buy other cell phones, tablets, Apple laptops, and desktop computers. They will provide a prepaid mailer and then you ship off the item.
"You get an estimate and I always recommend, there are a couple of other sites, Gazelle is one of the biggest ones and from what I have seen, they give the most cash back. If you do have any damages they will give you cash back, but they will factor in those repair costs, so you want to make sure you know what those are before you send it in," Ivanovsky said.
At Nextworth, you can sell your electronic for cash or a Target gift card. If you refer a friend, the company will sweeten their offer with an extra $10 for you. They also pay for shipping to make the process as easy as possible. When we conducted our own search, they offered the most for our trade in.
iCracked and Rapid Repair will fix your damaged device or buy it back from you and fix it themselves before they resell it. A representative from iCracked will come to you to fix or sell your phone, and the national company is available in the Houston area.
If you aren't looking to make any money, but would still like to get rid of your old devices, there are charities you can donate to. Cellphones For Soldiers will use your donation for an active member of the military or veteran. Hope Phones provides phones to those overseas who work to provide healthcare to those in need.
We offered to sell a black 16GB Apple iPhone 4S with Verizon service in good condition. Here is what each store offered us:
Gazelle -- $85
Nextworth -- $114
Best Buy -- $100
Radioshack -- $80
Target -- $107
Walmart -- $85
iCracked -- They come to you and provide the offer on the spot
Rapid Repair -- You must submit your information to receive a quote from the company
Find Patricia on Facebook at ABC13PatriciaLopez or on Twitter at @patricialopez13
