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Automated Machines To Recycle Phones For Money
judgecorp writes "EcoATM is going to install machines which give money for old phones across the U.S. The system, shown at CES, takes a photo of any phone or other gadget put in its tray, and provides a data cable (for every kind of phone?) to check it is working. The machine offers a quote based on the current used price, and pays up on the spot."
All that, and still no Suicide Booths.
Seems stealing phones just got a lot less risky...
that's what my 2-year-old feature phone was worth used.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
This is a nice idea, but surely the condition of the device matters too? I'm sure a cracked iPhone 4S wouldn't be worth as much as one in mint condition.
What do these recycling companies do with these phones anyway?
Summation 2
Sadly, this was my first thought. Unless there is some sort of holding period, like with pawn shops, this could easily be abused. My second thought was issues with personal data. Will the phones be wiped when received? Or only when they are prepared to be sold. This could work, but they'd need to handle these issues, along with the others that I'm sure I'm forgetting.
Cynical Idealist
take my plastic replica with a 5$ microcontroller that pretends it's an iphone
Cash on the spot? I think not... Considering the issues of stolen devices, carrier account transfer/deactivation, forgotten SIM and purging of personal data; this is a business model that will not fly. These are human problems that will not be easily overcome by some image acquisition and USB port hacking... One business opportunity for this may be to create a service to collect lost phones found by a good samaritan. Insurance carriers for policies that people buy for their phone could report SNs and pay a small fee to ecoATM for the return of a lost device. If the lost device was already replaced, the insurer would be free to dispose of the device as fit (sell to ecoATM). Add a feature to collect the finder's data to optionally allow payment for a finder's fee and place it next to a Redbox or Coinstar and this MAY have a SMALL chance.
Actually there's only about a dozen connectors that work with 99% of the phones available in the US the last ten years. If the cord doesn't work then the phone is likely too old to be of any use anyway.
But what prevents theft? Steal an iPhone, slip it in the machine and instant money! Currently you have to wait hours to find a craigslist buyer or pawn it fast but at least the phone is still there for recovery. I'm sure you can't open it to see if your stolen phone is in there so you'll never know.
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Your plan won't work. Once the data cable is plugged in, the door closes and you don't get access to your phone again unless you decide to decline the transaction.
These machines are not going to hand out cash like an ATM, because they'd have to be refilled and they'd have to be more secure.
The machines will probably require you to insert an ATM card or credit card, so your identity will be associated with the transaction and the stolen phone you just tried to sell it. Even better, maybe they'll give you a coupon or "gift card" good for 10% off a new phone (upon activation of 2 year contract).
Eventually, the penalty for selling a stolen phone to this machine will be death, because you tried to take money from a corporation. Stealing the phone itself will carry a penalty of a $5 fine because all you did was steal from a human being.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Bonus points if it opens a little drawer full of cash and, as the seller is reaching for it, slaps them in handcuffs to await the arrival of the police.
The big complaint I have with used cellphones, at least here in the USA, is this:
Most people obtain their new phone with a 1 or 2 year contract, so the phone's price is heavily subsidized up-front. You might get a $700 phone for $200, or a $400 phone for $50. You wind up paying its full price, of course, but only as you pay your monthly bills to finish off your contract (or pay the ETF to get out of it sooner).
Problem is, the used market generally views these devices as though their actual VALUE is relative to the subsidized prices, not the TRUE prices.
As just one example? My Sprint HTC Evo 4G is just under 1 year old right now, and when I got it, it was the "rock star" of phones on the Sprint network. There was really nothing better they could sell you, even if you wanted it. Currently, Sprint has a "trade in" offer where you can send back your old phone for credit on your future bills (not even cash!), and my Evo is worth a whopping $80, if in "excellent condition". Never-mind I'm probably still paying Sprint more than that for the phone, as I use up the remainder of the 2 year contract I had with it!
And judging from my experiences with most of the "cellphone recyclers" out there I'd talked to, I suspect they pay even LESS on average. Their business models usually revolve around the idea that plenty of people value their used phones at "basically zero", considering them a waste of space, or extra junk lying around.
If you've got a plain old flip-phone of some sort (hardly matters what make, model or how new) -- because it's used and not a "smartphone", I'd say you'd be lucky to get even $5 - $10 for it from most recyclers. That's one hell of a depreciation rate, when you consider a lot of those were "military spec" Nextels and such, that their owners only recently got done paying hundreds for in their contracts.
I've consistently found I got FAR more out of semi-recent model used cellphones by reselling them on Craigslist or even eBay, vs. recycling them. People who don't want long contracts but need reliable cellular service with a major carrier quickly realize the real value of these used phones, and are essentially the only customers you'll have who'll pay you a fair price for one.
The difference is the shop clerk needs a shop to operate out of. This just needs a couple of square feet of floorspace in a mall. They could even do a deal with people who operate those change converting machines to put both systems in one (share the running costs and rental overheads for machines that probably sit unused for 90% of the time).
Keep your old phone.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
The difference is the shop clerk needs a shop to operate out of.
The recycling companies won't set up shops extra for this, but instead partner with existing shops. So, the newsstand, the photo shop, or the place where you buy new phones also takes used phones on the side.
Advantage:
take my plastic replica with a 5$ microcontroller that pretends it's an iphone
I doubt they'll pay out more than $5 per phone anyway. It's meant ot be an alternative to dropping them in the trash, not a way to get a fair resale price.
I do several times a week. They're called "ATMs" and they seem to work pretty well. Just pop that sucker in there, type in a PIN number (mine is 1234) and then hit the Fast Cash, $100 button on the touch screen. Crisp bills come flying out. If you listen carefully, you can hear the machine licking it's robotic thumb as it snaps off those five double-sawbucks like a pimp at a rolling crap game.
I don't know, does anyone have a dedicated "ATM card" any more or are they all debit or credit cards?
You are welcome on my lawn.