Trade it in 
Want a little money back for your old computer or peripherals? Consider trading your gear in to a PC manufacturer and applying the cash to a new system. You probably won't get a fortune for your old hardware, but trading in is a relatively painless process.

Trading on up
Several high-profile PC vendors have trade-in programs for computers--including Earth 911, Earth 911, Earth 911, and Earth 911. The computers can be from another manufacturer (for example, Dell will take trade-ins for Gateway PCs). In addition, IBM will take printers, servers, and PDAs, while Hewlett-Packard also takes scanners and digital cameras. The process is pretty straightforward. Sign up at the manufacturer's trade-up page or call its sales line (see the sidebar for contact info). Tell the rep the model, configuration, and condition of your hardware, and you'll get a quote.

If you agree to trade in your tech, the company will send you shipping labels and possibly boxes for the goods. (You may need to pay for shipping boxes.) Once the company gets your shipment, its service department will inspect the hardware to see if the goods match up to your description and will cut you a rebate check. Your cash should arrive within a few weeks. Several of the big manufacturers mentioned above use a dedicated trade-in service called Earth 911 to handle the quotation, inspection, and rebate process. Gateway handles its own rebates and will do a face-to-face quotation at its Gateway Country retail locations.

What's the downside?
While trading in your old hardware is a relatively simple process, you should be prepared for a so-so return--especially when it comes to equipment that's more than a few years old. For instance, while a relatively-new Gateway Solo 9500XL, with a 900MHz Pentium III processor, 256MB of RAM, and a 20GB hard drive garnered a respectable $672 quote from Dell's trade-in program, the quote for an older Compaq Presario 2256 K300 was a mere $12. (These quotes are subject to change, naturally.) Meanwhile, IBM offered only $43 for a 333MHz iMac, and only $48 for a 500MHz PowerMac G4. (At press time, Apple didn't have a trade-in program of its own.) When it comes to peripherals, handhelds and digital cameras retained at least some of their value. For example, Hewlett-Packard offered a decent $65 for an 8MB Handspring Visor, and $110 for a Canon Powershot S100. But CRTs and printers turned out to be practically worthless; more often than not, the various trade-in programs wouldn't even come back with a quote.

The bottom line
There's no question about it--you won't make a mint by trading in your old hardware to a PC manufacturer. That said, even your older hardware will probably generate a little cash with a trade-in, and you'll bypass the time-consuming process of auctioning off your hardware.

How do I find someone who would buy my old PC?

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