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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Trade in old electronics for a Costco gift card.
- No Costco membership required to participate.
- Phobio handles shipping and pricing for your devices.
Have some old electronics around the house? You might be able to turn those into free groceries.
Big-box wholesaler Costco offers an electronics trade-in program where you can send your old devices and get a store gift card in return. The best part is that you don’t even have to be a Costco member to participate.
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How it works
A third-party service called Phobio handles Costco’s electronics trade-in program. After heading to the trade-in site, choose your device type and model from a list. The site will ask you questions like whether the device powers on, works, and is in good physical condition. Phobio will make an offer based on your answers.
The program takes a wide variety of devices, even those nearly a decade old. General prices are:
- Phones: Up to $985
- Laptops: Up to $4,275
- Tablets: Up to $1,130
- Smartwatches: Up to $931
- Desktops: Up to $1,485
- Media players: Up to $5
Almost all of these prices are higher than they were last year, so even if your device isn’t in perfect condition, it may still be worth trying. It appears to be sporadic which devices the trade-in program accepts, but I was able to see offers for devices as old as the iPhone 11 series and the Google Pixel 6 series.
Also: Turn your old tech into Amazon gift cards and discounts – here’s how
The value for the older devices is pretty low, but it’s worth the effort since the process seems simple, and you can bundle multiple devices.
Testing potential values
To test potential value, I checked the offer for a Pixel 8 Pro in good condition. Phobio offered a $150 Costco card. For comparison, the going rate on eBay is about $200 to $300, and the trade-in rate on Google’s official store toward the purchase of a new Pixel 10 is $190. You’re getting a bit less of the value you would if you just sold it, but you don’t have to deal with the hassle.
I also tried trading in the oldest Pixel phone I could, the Pixel 6. Selling that phone on eBay could get you around $130, with Google offering $75. Phobio offered me $35.
Also: You can buy retail gift cards on Google Play now – here’s how
If you take the offer, you can either print a prepaid shipping label and mail it in your own box or wait to receive a prepaid shipping box. You can choose from a physical Costco Shop card, which you’ll get in one to two weeks, or a digital Costco Shop card, which will arrive in three to five days. You can use either version online or in-store — no membership necessary.
Costco’s trade-in program obviously isn’t the best route if you’re trying to get maximum value or if you’re specifically trading in to upgrade your phone. Still, it is a good way to easily score a gift card for something sitting in a drawer.
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