If you have an old or unwanted laptop, you essentially have the choice of giving it away, selling it or trading it in. This article highlights the advantages of trading in your laptop with a reputable company.
Laptop Technology
Once upon a time, laptop computers were solely the preserve of overworked professionals but, nowadays, are used by all kinds of people, including children. Video games, for example, are becoming more and more sophisticated and require increasingly powerful computer hardware. Laptop technology continues to advance quickly and in many directions, such that even the most ardent technophile has trouble keeping pace. A laptop bought today is likely to have a lifespan, on average, of two and a half years and, once it comes to the end of its life, you are faced with the question of what do with it.
Laptop Trade In
An increasingly popular solution is to trade in your laptop, so that you are not only recycling the hardware, but also earning yourself some cash into the bargain. When considering laptop trade in UK, users need to do some research to make sure they are dealing with a reputable company, who will offer them a competitive rate for their used laptop. It may be worth your while offering your laptop to a few different companies, as the rates quoted can vary quite widely from one to another. If you cannot obtain a competitive price from any of them, you may be better off selling your laptop privately on eBay or a similar auction site. Of course, if you follow this route, the price you want to ask, backing up and deleting your data and sending your laptop to the buyer is entirely down to you.
Trade In Process
Websites offering laptop trade in typically ask you to fill in an online form with the details of the laptop you want to sell, in terms of make, model, processor, memory, hard disk size and so on. They will then offer you a price based on the information you provide and, if you agree the price, send you packaging material in which to send off your laptop or, in some cases, arrange collection by courier. On receipt of your laptop, the company in question will check its condition and, if everything is in order, send you your payment.
Data Back Up And Deletion
Of course, your used laptop may contain valuable and/or sensitive data, such as digital photographs, music files and other documents, which you want backed up and deleted securely, before the laptop is sold on to a third party. Deleting data securely involves more than just deleting files or reformatting the hard drive. The data needs to be deleted by a process known as data destruction, or data sanitization, or the hard disk needs to be physically shredded. Otherwise, it is a fairly straightforward to recover the data. Some laptop trade in websites offer data back up and deletion services for an additional charge.
AUTHOR BIO
Smith is a Chartered IT Professional (CITP) and has over 25 years experience in the commercial IT industry. He writes regularly about mobile computing for a range of IT websites and blogs and his interest in laptop trade in stems from his work as a writer.