Costco just started a trade-in program. The trade-in will be paid with a costco cash card. The trade in values are not very high.
Now for the hot deal part. If the item has no trade in value, they will recycle it for free with free shipping. This is a great way to get rid of all the old junk(that has no resale value left) you have laying around at no charge.
They also promise that all items will be broken down and recycled and not dumped in a landfill(great for tree huggers).
Costco does not run this program. As such, proceed carefully if trading in anything of value.
michiganmother
Senior Member
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 7:33a
A good deal for computer junk...around my neck of the woods you pay $10 for each computer or monitor that you take to the landfill!
MythSpell
Senior Member - 1K
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 8:45a
In answer to questions likely to be forthcoming, the following is from their FAQ:
Who can use the Costco Program? Anyone who is interested in trading in/recycling a qualifying product.
So, apparently you do NOT need to be a Costco member. However, remember that if your item has a trade-in value, you will receive it in the form of a Costco Cash Card.
Geesh I miss the days when I could just put my girlfriend in the closet, when I wanted some time to myself. Wads said: nice post op, need to clear out the closet for gf
Keep in mind that if you have a local e-waste recycling event, that "may" have less of an environmental impact since the material could be shipped in bulk.
21" CRT finally getting disposed of properly. Thanks OP!
BoKingWen
Senior Member
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 10:56a
Got $64 for a Toshiba PIII - 1G which have been sitting in my room collecting dust. Good deal I checked email this thing have no value well minus all the fee I will end up maybe a little more than $64 but save me all the touble.
I read the short "About The Program" link at the bottom of the page and while it says that the program is open to all Costco members it looks like the shipping is only valid in the US. I guess this is just one more deal that us Canadian shoppers can only hope for in the future!
Interesting enough ... when you fill out the submission form, it does not "require" the costco membership number. So, it should be open for all to use and if so this is even hotter.
Mulligan said: Geesh I miss the days when I could just put my girlfriend in the closet, when I wanted some time to myself. Wads said: nice post op, need to clear out the closet for gf
Just take the air out first.
JuneBug44
New Member
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 1:08p
i have a scanner, an older computer, and a stereo system I need to get rid of, will they take any of this?
To save money buying shipping materials (if you don't have them handy) and time packing up those old CRTs, printers, etc. you'd better first check free ewaste collection in your local community. Just load your junk in your car/truck and drive to drop-off location; there may even have staffers/volunteers there helping you un-load yours. Quick and easy.
This program has been on Costco's site since April. However, no one paid any attention until they moved it to their home page. The part about Costco insuring you item will be recycled is total BS. They have no control over what happens to the item you turn in. All of these programs offered by retailers and manufacturers (ie Costco, Staples, HP, Sony, etc ) are all run by the same Canadian company Mediagrif. People here might know them better by one of their US subsidiaries Market Velocity. Virtually NONE of the items collected through those programs are recycled in the sense that they are melted down and reused to make new products. Market Velocity takes all this junk that is turned iin and resells it to salvage dealers like us. We get 3-4 calls a month from them just in our Phoenix home office. About 75% of the junk Market Velocity collects and sells to salvage dealers ends up on eBay and then eventually ends up right back in your communities where the cycle often repeats itself. The other 25% of trade-ins Market Velocity collects are simply too damaged for resell or contain hazardous materials such as CRT monitors.Those item are shipped to Galveston TX and loaded on barges. Those bardges are then sent to Indonesia where environmental laws don’t exist. The point here being if you are recycling through these programs and actually believe you are helping to clean the Earth you are sadly mistaken.
For those of you surprised that you don't have to be a member of costco to use this program, it's really nothing surprising. You don't even have to be a member to shop there. In fact it is cheaper if you aren't a member to shop there (B&M, not sure about online). If you have a costco gift card (bought for 90-95% of face value on eBay of course), you can show that as proof of membership when you walk in. Then when checking out all you have to do is show them the gift card, and they will accept it no questions asked, they won't (shouldn't) even ask you for a membership card.
Thus, it's cheaper to shop there without being a member, why pay a $40 dollar membership fee?
jayK
Senior Member - JayK
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 3:14p
Bowen said: Thus, it's cheaper to shop there without being a member, why pay a $40 dollar membership fee?Opportunity cost and convenience. If you always need to buy a costco cash card in advance (99% of face value is a better estimate for eBay purchases), you lose the use of that money between the time you buy the card and the time you make the purchase. Costco makes money on this float.
You also lose the ability to earn rewards on your purchases, not to mention the loss of the interest-free 30 day loan you get when purchasing with a credit card. Plus, if you need to buy more than you have on a Costco cash card, you're out of luck.
You also might run into trouble returning an item without a membership.
aquariumwarehouse
Senior Member
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 3:16p
michaelkenyon said: When the Costco recycling deal is the hottest one to be found at FW on a Sunday, it makes me wonder what's going on.
Stores are getting tired of giving stuff away cheap and losing money, then people want to return them and get a price match since it went on clearance.
I was hoping to get rid of a couple of old TV's sitting around in my garage! Oh well...
ddark
Member
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 3:51p
jayK said: Bowen said: Thus, it's cheaper to shop there without being a member, why pay a $40 dollar membership fee?Opportunity cost and convenience. If you always need to buy a costco cash card in advance (99% of face value is a better estimate for eBay purchases), you lose the use of that money between the time you buy the card and the time you make the purchase. Costco makes money on this float.
You also lose the ability to earn rewards on your purchases, not to mention the loss of the interest-free 30 day loan you get when purchasing with a credit card. Plus, if you need to buy more than you have on a Costco cash card, you're out of luck.
You also might run into trouble returning an item without a membership.
The times I've went, the CSRs are clueless about the Gift Card and ask me for a membership card anyway. I think it works fine for groceries but if you're buying a big ticket item, you may have problems returning it. The membership is $50 dollars now.
cnIsfg said: All of these programs offered by retailers and manufacturers (ie Costco, Staples, HP, Sony, etc ) are all run by the same Canadian company Mediagrif.
The other 25% of trade-ins Market Velocity collects are simply too damaged for resell or contain hazardous materials such as CRT monitors.Those item are shipped to Galveston TX and loaded on barges. Those bardges are then sent to Indonesia where environmental laws don’t exist.
Could someone please give some credible references to these claims? That all the remaining items like CRT monitors are shipped to Indonesia.
MasterX said: grusty3 said: How do you check worth at Circuit City ?
Ditto, did a quick Google and did not find anyting. Inless I missed it.
Look up DealTree, I believe the address for the program is cc.eztradein.com or something of the sort. Other retailers participate in that too, but CRTs and printers are not accepted IIRC.
Not really talking about recycling e-waste, but interesting nonetheless.
rhk0327
Thrifty Member
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 6:35p
" About 75% of the junk Market Velocity collects and sells to salvage dealers ends up on eBay and then eventually ends up right back in your communities"
This is the best form of recycling. 100% of the material is recycled, compared to melting it down and salvaging maybe %50.
Where can I buy treo 750's? Do you have to buy it with a plan?
lhotdeals
Tired Member
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 8:05p
omg this is perfect, time to recycle all of my CRTs Thanks op!
CameronPoe
Shopaholic Member
posted: Oct. 28, 2007 @ 8:26p
Green for you OP for saving me money even though I have nothing of trade-in value!
Disclaimer: By providing links to other sites, FatWallet.com does not guarantee, approve or endorse the information or products available at these sites, nor does a link indicate any association with or endorsement by the linked site to FatWallet.com.
Members of our community may attach files to a post in accordance with the User Agreement. FatWallet is not responsible for the content, accuracy, completeness or validity of any information contained in any attached file. Files have *not* been scanned for viruses. Be especially wary of Excel files which may contain malicious content.
