Tired of that old laptop? Trade it in!

Sometimes we wish computers were more like cars. Drive one around for a while, and then when it starts to show its age, trade it in for a newer model. Unfortunately, computers age worse than pretty much any other consumer product, losing value from the very second they roll off the assembly line.

That's why Alienware's AlienExchange Trade-in Program caught our eye. In fact, the company will do more than simply give you a few bucks for an old PC. Like a bizarre online pawn shop, they'll take old gaming consoles, MP3 players, and mobile phones, and give you credit toward an Alienware purchase.

It's all a bit gimmicky, to be honest. We popped open the AlienExchange Web site and went through an online tool that let us select products we wanted to trade in by category and model, then got an "instant quote." We were offered $178 for an Xbox 360 Premium system in excellent condition, and $100 for a 60GB iPod in good condition, but without the original box. That's pretty good, even considering a decent Alienware rig can run upwards of $5,000.

If you want to accept the quote, you print out a shipping label, mail your stuff in, and about a week later, you'll get an Alienware gift card (subject to the company's verification of the condition of whatever you sent in). If you've got an old Alienware computer, they'll automatically tack on an extra $200 to the trade-in value.

Alienware's press release pitches it like so: "Customers will enjoy further advantages with the AlienExchange Program that includes: gaining additional funds, getting rid of unwanted electronic devices and paving the way for more affordable Alienware purchases," said Carlos Puentes, vice president of operations of Alienware. "Anyone who participates in this invaluable new program can turn the items they no longer need into a more powerful new Alienware PC they have been dreaming about."

Of course, we haven't heard from anyone who's successfully used the system yet, and your mileage may vary, but it seems like a decent way to get a few bucks off of a new PC and keep old tech junk out of the local landfill.

[ntw1103]

What do you mean? "That's pretty good,"

"That's pretty good, even considering a decent Alienware rig can run upwards of $5,000."
that's not pretty good that is a rip off. List your stuff on ebay. even with a buy it now it will sell for more. you can always use the money you get from the sale towards that outrageously priced Alienware rig.

I checked on ebay for my laptop they are all sell $800-and up.
Alienware says that it is worth $123, with a carrying case, and an extra power supply.
yikes. I hope that people that read the post don't get the wrong idea about this trade in. it really isn't as great as the article makes it sound. it is a ripoff.

[jeremydude2005]

lower end electronics

ya it is definitely worth it to take the time to resell old computers elsewhere, however some of the lower end products they will pick up look like they would be worth the time and effort you would have to spend to sell them on your own. i put in some older specs on things like ipods, digital cameras, etc. and some considerably older models were coming in at $50 when reselling elsewhere could take weeks to find any interest and not get much (if any) more.

interesting idea though, i think if adopted by a company aimed at a more mainstream crowd also offering the 'trade in an old model of ours and get a bonus' this would be much more likely to see a lot of action.

[deecee]

It's a joke!!

I tried to get a quote for a 1.6 GHz pentium M HP laptop with 1.5 GB of RAM, 80GB HD and 15.4 display with CD-RW/DVD Rom drive, and the site lists a quote of $200, that's a clear rip off, so it's DEFINITELY "your milage will vary"!!

[thaluckyspoon]

Trade in prices are laughable

I keyed in my Fujitsu Lifebook T4220 Convertible notebook with these specs:

12.1" Active Digitizer Screen
Core 2 Duo T7500
4Gb Ram
80GB HDD
Modular DVD Burner/ CD Burner
8-cell Primary Battery
6-cell Modular Batter
Wireless - N Built in

It quotes me at a laughable $370. This laptop is worth nearly $2,000 USED and alienware giving up $370 for it. I expect the figures to be low but not $1,600 too low. WOW. I guess they are just really short on customers and I doubt this p.o.s. publicity stunt will get their business moving.

[Uncle Jung]

like car dealership

This article is a free publicity to Alienware. I can't imagine the writer was as naive as he wrote. For the $5000 cost of their rig, Alienware certainly could afford to give away a few hundred bucks to the customer. So it's just a way to get the customer in the door. I imagine the cost of handling "trade in" merchandise is as much or more than what they can recover from selling used gears.

[itstheoldindy]

That's the whole point of a trade-in...

I don't know why people are so surprised by this.

Any time you sell used stuff to a store in exchange for store credit, you will be getting a very small percentage of what the item is 'worth' on the market. This is true for cars, computers, musical instruments, cameras, antiques, you name it. The store is going to turn around and resell it, either for parts or as a whole unit, and they are likely to give you less than half of what they can resell it for.

You can certainly get more for these things if you sell them yourself, but it'll take a lot more time and legwork. You make the choice between getting rid of it immediately, or getting lots of money for it.

It may be newsworthy for a computer company to be doing this kind of thing at all. I don't know, because I tend to use computers until they break down and have to be recycled. It would definitely be useful if they were giving credit (even a tiny amount) for equipment that a user would have a hard time selling privately because of its age or condition. It would provide an alternative to letting the old stuff pile up in the garage or in a landfill.