Technology review: Gazelle, an alternative to Craigslist
Cash for calculators and the phone in your drawer, selling your iPhone 3 G

With the launch of OS X Lion and the refresh of Apple’s ultra light laptops we may be looking to purchase a new toy. But we may be consumed by worry, as our stack of outmoded technology fills our closet. Along comes Gazelle. If we choose to upgrade frequently we should consider where to recycle or redeploy our hardware and be mindful of our wallet and the environment.

Obvious candidates for last year’s technology include donating to a local non-profit or posting on Craigslist. The non-profit will issue you a tax receipt for your donation and your hardware will likely be an upgrade for many small non-profits who rely on your computer donations. While Craigslist sounds like an obvious candidate to sell your retired laptop, there is the added expense of meeting a complete stranger in a coffee shop at ten pm on a weeknight.

Your phone is not very smart, but there is a market for your Nokia 7610 Supernova
Along comes Gazelle, a company who simplifies the sell back process for over twenty electronics categories. Enter your technologies make and model (Nokia 7610) and the wear and tear to your toy (minor scratches, no water damage) and Gazelle makes you an offer. If you accept Gazelle’s offer the site issues a free printing label (no charge for shipping to Gazelle) and once the product is received and the condition matches your description Gazelle pays you. (No meeting shady college students in coffee shops with wads of money fresh from a grow shop).

Gazelle Test drive
While items like my eight your old laptop are not generally on Gazelle’s list of accepted items, I was surprised to see my cell phone with its fancy T-9 keyboard on and my (1990’s college HP 12C) financial calculator. While the offer on Gazelle may be less than that on Craigslist, Gazelle will save you time, help clean up your technology museum hiding in your closet and provide an eco-friendly way to dispose of dated technology.

When will we end Cradle-to-Grave manufacturing
Cleverly Gazelle will donate the money to charity in lieu of payment- completely your choice. In addition, while Gazelle is clearly in the market to reuse or re-purpose your technology, they will also recycle older products. So until manufacturers tire of their current Cradle-to-Grave building model, Gazelle is a necessary site to reduce tired technology from ending up in landfills.