Got a gadget gathering dust? Gazelle will resell or recycle

Gazelle on Monday relaunched its Web service that finds a home for unwanted electronic toys.

Originally called Second Rotation, the year-old site has been redesigned to make it quicker to sell electronics in more categories. It also adds a feature that lets people recycle goods that have no resell value.

So if you have an iPhone that you no longer want, you type in the product name and input information on its condition to find out what it's worth. Gazelle will send you a shipping slip and/or a box. Once received, Gazelle wipes the data clean and sells it online. You get paid by check or PayPal.

Gazelle's software generates a price by analyzing buying and selling prices from online sources like eBay and Amazon. The company says that many consumers prefer to sell through a specialized resell service like Gazelle rather than sell directly on eBay.

Gazelle, formerly called Second Rotation, gives people a price and shipping slip to sell electronics goods online.

The relaunched service adds an enhanced search engine and broader catalog that includes laptops, satellite radios, and portable hard drives in addition to cellular phones, digital cameras, and digital music players.

It's also added social networking features like a customer-referral program and the ability to get prices for items not already listed in its catalog.

"We're trying to make it as easy as Netflix," said President and Chief Operating Officer Israel Ganot.

The company raised $4.4 million in January and expects to raise another round of funding in the next 12 to 18 months, he said.

First step to recycling
Gazelle calls its service "reCommerce" rather than recycling since, for the most part, goods are being repurposed. But that still addresses the problem of electronic waste, argues Ganot. "The first step to recycling is putting a product back in the marketplace," he said.

A new feature of the redesigned site is the ability to have gadgets with no resale value be recycled.

Electronic waste recycling appears to be getting more attention with recycling start-ups getting funding. Another venture-backed company that appears to have a similar business model is TechForward, which launched two years ago.

Retailers, too, are launching programs to take back electronics.

But on the whole, consumer electronics recycling rates are low. People in the industry talk about the millions of tons of metals inside gadgets that sit in consumers' desk drawers. The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that U.S. households spend $1,400 a year on up to 24 items.

One reason that electronics recycling isn't more common is that it's difficult to make money doing it, according to people in the industry.

Gazelle operates its recycling program, through partners ReCellular for phones and TechTurn for laptops, at no profit.

Although the company is not profitable, its business model of reselling goods has a profit margin built into it, unlike recycling.

Garnot said that the company plans to extend its service to small and medium-size businesses that are looking to recycle or sell outdated computer gear and gadgets.

[Renegade Knight]

Just looked up a Thinkpad X40. These are about 500 on eBay. Zero value but they would like to recycle it for me. To be fair they had more variations of the X40 than IBM had model numbers and I could have picked a lower end one. The Archol 605 came in at 255. Probably not too shabby except there is no 606 to upgrade too yet...

[joshdeboer]

$130 for a brand new Wii ???????

[Malee_H]

What a rip off. My smartphone has everything it came with and is in great condition and they'll give me $28? No thanks, I'll sell it independently! It'll cost not much less than that to ship it!

[mainehamop]

The hardest part of the used electronics field is that there is little or no value to "used" electronics. As in the Wii mentioned, if it was still sealed in it's original packing and had never been opened, it would still be of significantly less value. Why would ANYONE by a unit already sold once when they could, and should, go to a store and buy new. Electronics that have been opened loose, on an average, 60% (or more) of their original value. By consumer protection laws, once an item is sold, it CAN NEVER be resold as new.

[plusbryan]

BEWARE OF GAZELLE!

I shipped them my camcorder, in mint condition, and after three weeks of processing, they claimed it "has a broken door hinge" and will recycle it for me. It was working perfectly when it left my door, and they broke it (either through shipping or handling). I'm glad I took pictures of the unit before to prove this.

So either they don't have their act together, or they're a tried and true scam.

[randnamez]

I've sent in a few of my electronics and things have always turned out fine. The people who complain generally don't realize that their item isn't really worth much after it being used for a couple years.

[madcustomer222]

This company is a rip off! After trying to get a payment after 3 months I finally gave up. They promised me over $200 then it went to $106 then to $53 then down to $4.20! They do not even have a phone number you can call them at. All you can do is chat to an operator online. Please be aware of this scam and fraudulent charges this company has made. I would not reccomend them to anyone.
Sincerely,
Mad Customer!