What do you do with your old cell phones?

[fire]

You've just upgraded your phone. Your old phone works fine. Next, you...

a) Open your desk drawer and toss your old phone in with all the other old phones.
b) Sell your old phone on ebay for profit.
c) Donate your old phone to a worthy cause.
d) ...?

What do you do with your old phone... and what should I do with mine?

[Omniscia]

I tend to use my phones until they break, so I've not been in a position to dispose of a perfectly useful phone, but if I were, I'd be inclined to donate it.

[kerzain]

I don't replace mine until they break. But if I were ever in the position of deciding I wanted a new phone and my old one still worked I'd stick it in the drawer as a backup in case I or my wife loses one.

[Demon G Sides]

I let my little brother's take my old one apart, and play with it mostly.

[Athryn]

I keep it in a drawer until we get around to taking it to the local electronics recycling place. I make sure all the memory and stuff is wiped on it before that, though.

[Staff Sergeant]

poll fail

[fire]

Originally Posted by Staff Sergeant

poll fail

It's because I don't know all the options!

[Staff Sergeant]

Fair enough.

[Leah C]

I always keep a spare in case my phone breaks. I chuck the spare in my earthquake kit with a car charger (works with my wind-up flashlight) so I know where it is. When I get a new phone, whatever's in the kit gets mailed off to a recycling place and the newly retired phone takes its place.

[Hanzii]

Since I began on expensive high end phones and a too rapid upgrade cycle, I've managed to sell the old ones on an ebay-alike here to recoup some of the price for the upgrade (like iPhone 3G to 3GS).
Before that I passed the phones on to first my parents, who just wants a phone that can ring, and then my 8 year old daughter - but she's going to grow out of wanting non-pink handmedowns, so it's probably good I don't have anymore.

[kerzain]

Originally Posted by fire

It's because I don't know all the options!

Here are some suggested options:

A) Hurl it through the window of your old carrier
B) Convince your girlfriend/SO to stick it up various bodily cavities and then take pics of her/him/it for the web
C) Bury it in a national forest and then post pictures of the deed at some eco-terrorist website.
D) Will it blend?
E) Re-gift it (inside a fruit cake)
F) Buy two belt holsters and wear both holstered phones at once just to look more important
G) Glue it to the top of your car and film the reactions of the people in cars next to you trying to tell you what you've done
H) See if you can up-trade it for a better item before continually up-trading resulting items until you get a nice car out of it

[fire]

Has anyone tried Cash Old Phone (http://www.casholdphone.com/) ?

[Sarkus]

I have no idea. I just replaced the only cell phone I've ever owned, having used that one for several years. Right now it's still sitting on a table in my room.

[Rimbo]

http://www.ecoatm.com/

A bud o' mine started this up -- they're ATMs set up where you insert old cell phone, and get cash out.

[Hunty]

I think the best option if it's of no use to man nor ebay is probably one of those pay-you-to-recycle jobbies. They always say you'll get loads of money but it usually amounts to like a tenner. It's freepost though, so whatever, right? Over here we have Mazuma and a few others. I'm sure there are plenty of similar services everywhere.

[Jon_Danger]

Skeet shooting.

[Juste]

They are laying around waiting for when the kids get old enough to need one.

[jason]

I keep them around the house for home defense.

[Griddle]

I take the battery and sim card out and give them to my daughters to play with.

[Demon G Sides]

Fire; I know there are some programs out there that take your cell phone and donate it to US Forces oversees so that they can talk to their families more often.

[extarbags]

I always end up saving them for whatever reason.

[Demon G Sides]

http://www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com/

Relevant link.

[zengonzo]

Donate Used Cell Phones to Help Women and Families Escaping Domestic Violence

http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone.php

[ElGuapo]

Originally Posted by zengonzo

Donate Used Cell Phones to Help Women and Families Escaping Domestic Violence

http://www.ncadv.org/takeaction/DonateaPhone.php

I have a RAZR sitting in a drawer just waiting for a good use. Thanks!

[Jeremy Johnsen]

My son's school collects them for charity. Some woman's shelter I think?

[Adam Altmann]

D) Take the old phone, break it in half, throw it in the trash.

...at least, that's what I did this morning.



(I hadn't even considered that someone else might use it.)

[Dravalen]

Originally Posted by Hanzii

Since I began on expensive high end phones and a too rapid upgrade cycle, I've managed to sell the old ones on an ebay-alike here to recoup some of the price for the upgrade (like iPhone 3G to 3GS).

I did the same until my work started giving me high end smartphones :D.

[Lynxara]

I give them to my parents, who in turn give their old phones to other, older, more technophobic family members who probably wouldn't ever buy a phone otherwise. Works out nicely, nothing is ever just wasted or thrown out.