Tips for Getting the Best Used Electronics

December, 2025 by Wes R. Kasik

Used gear is trending, as they say. The new retro relevance associated with secondhand hardware is rooted in a sense of fashion-forwardness the same way bell-bottom jeans come and go. More recent tech—think smartphones, video games, and tablets—is becoming more visible and attractive on the resale market, too, for reasons beyond generational nostalgia.

For one, prices on new electronics continue to skyrocket. Tags on the latest-gen smartphones, from any brand, are at or near four-figures and rising, outside of contracts. This level of investment and constant reinvestment is unsustainable for most consumers. Used gear is universally sold at a tiny fraction of its original price.

7 Tips for Finding Quality Used Electronics

Past the clear financial advantages of buying used electronics, a larger-scale benefit is seen in the incremental reduction of e-junk—a trend of a different kind—from choking the world's finite landfill space. What's more, our own upgrade and update-dependent culture has created a flood of functioning tech on the resale market, disposed of due to a lack of features rather than function. Items like these are still useful if you can find them, confirm their viability, and arrange for safe payment and delivery.

These important variables, and a few more, can make it tricky to get the best used electronics. That's why we've gathered a list of best practices and trusted resale retailers as they relate to finding and buying secondhand tech.

• Confirm it works - Gain assurance of an item's functionality whenever and however possible. This is one remaining advantage to shopping in-person; pop a used game into the store's set-up system for a test run or two at brick-and-mortar resale outlets like Gamestop. When shopping at GameStop, coupons like these can help you save on online orders:

• Clear memory and settings - Most electronics require set-up and some level of data personalization that will need to be erased before use by a second party. Newegg, a laptop and computer-focused resale outlet, will always handle this important step before sale and delivery. Before making a purchase, be sure to check out these new Newegg promo codes:

• Seek secure payment options - Identity and bank fraud linger as risks to conducting questionable online purchases. Confirm a site's security credentials and keep copies of all receipts and correspondence.

• Avoid in-person home deliveries or meet-ups - Shady internet listings are always too good to be true. Decluttr and other full-service electronics resale companies cover the cost of tracked shipping for both electronics sales and purchases. Decluttr regularly offers great deals you can redeem to save, like these:

• Research availability and resale prices - Leverage the power of the internet to ensure your purchase is worthwhile, or at least, that a seller's claims are accurate. eBay casts a global net wide-enough to accomplish this step with confidence. While shopping, try using an eBay discount code to save on orders:

• Get social - Social media has all but replaced the community classifieds section. Keep an eye on your timeline for local deals on Facebook Marketplace; you'll be surprised what you find listed there, especially in the always popular "free" section.

• Go for a walk down memory lane - On the other hand, the digitization of society has left a generation's-worth of dynamite garage, yard, and estate sales go under-picked. This is where you'll find the most unique items, but also represents a scenario at which you'll want to apply all or most of the above lessons.

Learn how to get rid of old electronics responsibly here!