According to Gazelle, UK households are holding 125 million old phones – approximately two per household – and by not trading in old phones, we could be missing out on anything from £18 (HTC One M7, for example) to about £433 (iPhone X 256GB).
That’s some money to be made almost immediately across the UK using its self-service kiosks. Not only are those phones making you money, but you will also be reducing the number of phones ending up in landfills where they do us harm with all the toxic chemicals they emit especially when burnt. The device can be resold on to places where they can be of used, parts can be re-used or they can be simply recycled by one of the Gazelle’s trusted recycling partners.
Recycling is good for the environment
Elements used in phones include lead, mercury, barium, lithium, and a wide array of other hazardous elements; now I’m no scientist, but from what I understand, if left in the landfill, these elements start to decompose and leach chemicals into the soil and underground waterways. These chemicals are not safe for consumption.
Gazelle has diverted over 19 million phones and counting from entering landfill in the US, and are now bringing the same service to the UK with 18 new kiosks currently in operation in supermarkets and shopping centres across London and the Midlands, with more installations planned in the near future, the new kiosks from Gazelle will offer you a convenient trade-in service with immediate payment, and the assurance that the devices will
not contribute to ‘e-waste’ or end up in a landfill.
Getting paid is very EASY
The process itself is pretty simple; you will need a UK drivers licence in order to verify your age and who you are to prevent fraud (or selling stolen handsets), Gazelle also advice you to wipe your device if you can and remove things like passwords and Find my iPhone service for example and the rest of the process is just about plugging in your phone and let the AI-driven machine scan your device before giving you a value for your phone. Once you are given a value, you can decide whether you want to accept it or take your device back.
At the moment, the machine can pay directly into your bank or PayPal, but in the future, you might be able to get a voucher, so you if you were to be in your local Morrisons’ supermarket, you can get a voucher to spend in store.
How much can I possibly make?
With new phones coming out almost every other month, you can imagine that older devices will begin to love their value very quickly, but some of the typical valuation are still better than watching your phone grow dust in your drawers.
A 256 GB Apple iPhone X will fetch around £431 while a phone like the Galaxy S9+ SM-G965F will fetch around £314. On the lower end of the spectrum for an even older device like the 5 A5000, you’d expect to get around £68. I don’t know how they are valued, but if your phone is a popular one like the iPhone XR and it’s a good condition (no scratches and in full working order), then you can expect to fetch a decent amount of money.
Where are the Kiosks now?
London:
• Morrisons, 1 King St
• Morrisons, Chalk Farm Rd
• Morrisons, 10 Hertslet Rd
• Westfield London, Ariel Way (x2)
• Westfield Stratford City, Olympic Park (x2)
• Morrisons, 19 Aldermans Hill
• Morrisons, 6-7 Salisbury Hall Gardens
• Morrisons, James Watt Way, Erith
• Pentagon Shopping Centre, High Street, Chatham (Kent)
Midlands & others:
• Newlands Shopping Centre, Gold St, Kettering
• Morrisons, Redditch, Warwick Highway
• Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre, 33 Maple Walk, Birmingham
• Morrisons, 264 Chester Rd, Birmingham
• Waterside Shopping Centre, High St, Lincoln
• Idlewells Shopping Centre, Sutton in Ashfield
• Morrisons, Rushton Ave, Bradford
