The research, conducted by www.vouchercloud.com, polled 2,684 UK adults, all of whom were 18 years old or over, with an even split of male and female respondents. To qualify for the survey, respondents had to own at least one tech/gadget item. The survey was conducted as part of ongoing research into the spending habits and financial attitudes of the British public.
Initially, all respondents were asked whether they were aware that old tech and gadgets could be sold and/or recycled, to which 76% stated that they were. These respondents were then asked whether they had ever sold or recycled any of their old and unwanted tech or gadgets. Almost three fifths of respondents (58%) confessed that they hadn’t, with the majority (59%) stating that they thought it was ‘too much hassle’ followed by a third (31%) who said that they thought the item was ‘too low in value to be worthwhile’. Furthermore, a quarter of respondents (25%) said that they had ‘never considered’ recycling or selling their unwanted tech.
The survey then asked all those who had sold or recycled their gadgets and tech, what categories the items fell into. Respondents were able to select all applicable answers, which revealed the below top 5 items to be recycled:
1)Mobile phone – 52%
2)Tablet Computer – 41%
3)Games console – 29%
4)MP3 player – 24%
5)Laptop – 11%
Matthew Wood of vouchercloud.com made the following comments: “People seem to be making the most of their surplus belongings nowadays, either via traditional auctions or selling on social media, so it is very surprising to see that so many gadget owners are not making extra cash from their unwanted tech, especially as some of these can fetch such good sums.”
“I would encourage anyone who has old tech to make sure that they don’t let the value go to waste. Not only will you be making yourself some extra cash, regardless of how much, but you might be giving your gadget a second life with someone who may not have been able to afford it before.”