Entrepreneur’s ‘Trash For Cash’ Concept Expanding
Brett Mosley sees value in those old cell phones and music players stashed away and forever forgotten in the bottom of desk drawers – and he says you should, too.
Mosley, president and CEO of BuyMyTronics.com, is the brains behind a cash-for-trash concept that purchases used and, in some cases, broken electronics such as iPhones and iPods in exchange for money. The devices are fixed and later put up for bid on eBay or sold to other resellers.
His Denver-based business, which operates out of a small office near City Park, is preparing to expand to include more items, including digital cameras, laptops and camcorders. And in a few weeks, Mosley said he will be able to offer cash back for all Apple devices.
Mosley got the idea after a trip to an Apple store to see what he could get in return for his broken iPod. The store offered to recycle the device for free or receive 10 percent off his next purchase.
“I thought I could probably do better than that,” Mosley said. “So I fixed it on my own and was able to resell it over eBay for $150.”
Mosley decided to expand the concept from there, launching the Web site BuyMyBrokeniPod.com out of his home. The business flourished beyond his expectations and quickly expanded to include items other than just iPods — not bad for someone with almost no prior experience in electronics repair.
Mosley said the service offers additional benefits, including reducing the amount of “e-waste.” All of the items that cannot be resold are recycled, which has kept more than 8,000 pounds of e-waste out of landfills, he said.
Photo by Joseph Kirchmer.
cassy on January 6th, 2009 7:22 am
thats not new many people make it a business,buying electronics that are broken and old,like celphone.computer,camera,and many more,for me its really a cool business and the most important of it is, you help our mother earth from the toxic coming from this electronics if we just leave it in the field and burn it.
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