Your old cables left in a drawer could cost a fortune

It’s very likely that you have a bunch of cables and chargers sitting somewhere in a drawer that you’ve accumulated over the years, especially because in the name of technological innovation you bought a new cell phone, a new TV, a new tablet, a new iPod. , etc. Well, those old cables can cost a fortune. We may be exaggerating when we talk about “condition,” but these are definitely valuable items that someone might want to buy in bulk or in parts, or that might also end up at an e-waste recycling center.

Wondering how much your old cables are worth? I quoted some of them that I honestly organized in the “cable box” and this is what I found.

USB-C to USB-A cables

I have two of them, one is practically new. On Mercado Libre, the “simple” ones cost 70 pesos (about $3.50), so you can easily get around 100 pesos (about $5) for both cables.

Lightning to USB-A cable

It’s from Apple, so I think the right replacement would be Belkin. On the free market I found them for about 300 MXN.about 15 dollars.

Two USB-A to Micro USB cables

These were the exact cables we used with Android mobile phones long before USB-C was widely adopted. On the free market I found them for about 100 Mexican pesos. (about $5), so you can get about 150 pesos for both.

Two HDMI Basics Amazon

Both are compatible with 4K signals at 60Hz. I found them for 200 pesos (about $10), so I think I can sell them for 300 pesos (about $15).

Three power adapters

All of them have a power of at least 15 W. Two of them are Samsung, one with a USB-C input and the other with a USB-A input. The third is European Huawei. Now that many cell phones do not come with a power adapter, selling “squares” can be a good business.

On Amazon I found this 18W Ugreen for 169 pesos, about $8 USD. I think I could easily sell each one for 100 pesos (about $5).

Total of all items: 950 pesos / $50.

Of course, the items will have to be listed for sale, and if they are online, they will have to be shipped or delivered. This, of course, makes selling them less attractive, but if you’re holding a garage sale, you more or less have an idea of ​​how much you can get for these items.

You can also recycle

For example, Apple and Samsung have recycling programs for unused electronics.

Apple, for example, process all types of products (you can bring your old cables) but you will be offered a purchase credit with them if you recycle Apple products. The trade-in cost is usually heavily penalized, but it’s a useful option if you just want to get rid of old products and get credit.

Samsung has a slightly stricter policy. For example, in this league In particular, we are talking about monitors, televisions and household appliances. However, they also have a cellphone exchange program, so stop by a Samsung store and see what you can recycle.