I wondered for awhile what to do with old cell phones. I have a lot of old cell phones, especially since several months ago mine died and my mom asked everyone she knew for their old cell phones in order to replace it. I ended up getting a free upgraded phone…and a bunch of old cell phones. Normal people would probably throw them out or sell them on Ebay, but I don’t like selling stuff on Ebay, especially old technology. I also don’t like throwing things away.

So, if you have a similar problem, I have discovered two great options for getting rid of them:

• Sell them online
• Donate them

It turns out that there are several companies online that buy old cell phones and these companies come in two flavors. There are ones that pay for postage and ones that don’t. Here is a run down of the ones I came across:

• Cell for Cash - They provide a shipping box and label so you can send them your phone. If the phone still works, etc., they mail you money. None of my phones were recent enough for them to accept them, however.
• Sell Your Cell – They give you the option of using your own shipping methods or sending you shipping materials. Then if the phone works, they send you a check. None of my phones were recent enough for them to accept, either…
• Phone Is Cash - You have to mail your phone to them. The total value of all my phones came out to be $2.50, which I decided was probably less than the shipping amount so I decided not to use them.
• Ripmobile – They allow you to print the shipping label online and you provide the box. However, they do not offer money but points you can redeem for gift cards, etc. I am not sure how this works or if it is a scam, but I am trying it out with an old Nokia phone that is worth $2. Since the shipping is free I have nothing to lose!
• SecondRotation – They buy gaming systems, iPods, cameras, and more. I plan on using them in the future when I have something besides cruddy cell phones to sell. They pay for your shipping!
• ByMyTronics – Similar to SecondRotation, except that they pay more. However, you have to pay for shipping. I would probably compare what they offer to SecondRotation if I were selling something big like a gaming system.

All these places also accept phones for free recycling – you send them in and they dispose of them safely. But, if you are like me and none of your cell phones were valuable enough to offload that way, you can use this great site that allows you to donate your old cell phones to the troops:

• Cell Phones for Soldiers - They will send you a free shipping label so you can mail up to 3 pounds worth of phones to them. You can also mail them cell phones directly. The concept was started by a 12 year old girl and her brother, who wanted to find a way to help generate money to buy phone cards to send to soldiers overseas. This is a great way to get rid of all those old cell phones while donating them to a good cause.