Recycle that mobile, Get paid

[Hands0n]

I am just about to engage with Simply Drop to get rid of a pair of Nokia N95 handsets that I no longer use, nor am I likely ever to again.

I had looked around eBay and see these going for around £95 for good condition, mine are near mint. But then you have to pay eBay the auction price (usually around 10%) and then PayPal another 5% for handling the funds, so that £95 soon turns into something like £80.75, not quite the sale price

Now while I cannot reasonably criticise eBay and PayPal for trying to make a living, I do rather resent handing over such large amounts when there are perfectly good alternatives, these being the clutch of recycle sites that pay good money for popular phones.

I chose Simply Drop from a list published by Martin Lewis' Moneysaving Expert website which also has a comparison tool here --> http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/pho...recycling#tool

Simply Drop came out with the best offer of £102 for each N95, regardless of condition, as long as it works. And there are no other fees other than having to pay for a secure delivery to Simply Drop - part of the UK Post Office.

What I particularly like about the idea behind these is the no-hassle way of getting cash for your handset.

Be aware, you must read the Terms and Conditions of sites like these. These sites will not return handsets once sent to them. They will assess the value of the handset upon receipt and pay you the advertised fee if, and only if, the handset is as described, i.e. working or broken. Also make sure you clearly mark the envelope with the registration number assigned for the sale - I plan to also mark each handset with the same number in case they get separated. Otherwise the money is donated to a charity and you get nothing.

I know this last bit sounds risky, but if you're not trying to cheat them with dodgy handsets, and they are in the condition you describe there really should be no issue arising.

If you do try the service to dispose of your handset for a bit of cash, do let us know on here how you get on.

[solo12002]

The other side of the coin is you appear to only get that type of money for a really up todate phone one thats only out 12/18 months other wise you are screwed and you get better money selling on ebay and else were.

[miffed]

I am a little wary of these services after being screwed over by CEX on my T-mobile ameo , best of luck !

[mob453]

envirofone lost my nokia n70

mazuma is currently my favourite and their lists are up to date

[Hands0n]

After successfully registering my two Nokia N95 with SimplyDrop I waited for the envelope to arrive. I waited, and I waited, and I waited.

Then I got an email from them "reminding" me to send them on. I replied and said that I was waiting for the envelopes they say they will send, and asked for a new delivery. I then waited, and I waited and I waited.

Coming back from holiday I received another "reminder" at which point all the toys left the pram Firmly I thanked them for their communication, mentioned the history, told them what I thought of them and asked them never to darken my mailbox again.

Fast forward to this week - Fonebank. I looked up on Martins Money Saving Expert again (see above), and this time read the reviews. Plenty of people had similar feelings to myself regarding SimplyDrop. Some of the others didn't read too well either. But Fonebank consistently had the better reports written about them, although even they seemed to have some problems.

I got an offer of £89 for each N97 - the offer prices have dropped since way back then! But it was a reasonable offer, matching or bettering what I'd actually get in my hand off eBay after their and PayPal's fees. So I went for it.

Tuesday 15th Sep I sent the pair off using Special Delivery, well worth the £5.40 for the insurance. Each handset was individually wrapped in foam - laminate floor underlay is perfect for this - and attached to each was a copy of the Order Sheet, plus one extra copy in the envelope. This saves any problem with handset being separated from the order sheet and the problems that will cause.

Today, 17th Sep, I checked with the Post Office tracking, delivery was made on 16th. Then checking on Fonebank's website I can see that they've sent a cheque off for the full £178 on the 16th, same day of receipt.

All being well, the cheque should arrive tomorrow or Monday, and if it does, then it will have been probably the simplest transaction of this kind I've ever conducted.

Why can't all of the others just play the fair game?