Students can get a little bit of money back for their old devices, thanks to a trade-in program offered by Ziggabyte.
Ziggabyte is a full-service technology retail store located next door to the University Bookstore in the Union.
Ziggabyte partnered with Encore, a national company that works with higher education, to provide trade-in and repair services.
The trade-in program allows students to trade in their old devices, regardless of condition and either get a check for cash or a Bookstore gift card equal to the value of their device.
Mike Weatherford, technology manager of the Bookstore, is in charge of the trade-in program.
The program takes mostly Apple products, but they’ll take any other relatively high-end tech products, such as Samsung or HTC phones, Weatherford said.
The trade-in program even takes relatively old phones or laptops.
“We’ll take anything as old as an iPhone 3GS or a Samsung Galaxy S3,” he said. “We’ll even take original Macbooks.”
If you trade in a product to the store, the value is dependent on two things: the original quality of the product and its current condition, he said.
“We’re fairly lenient when it comes to condition. A lot of people, underestimate the condition of their product, and when we inspect them they get a little bit more than they thought.” he said. “We’ll take a phone or laptop in nearly any condition. Even if the device is not operational, it still has value.”
When you trade in a product you can either choose a check for cash or you can get store credit on the spot, he said.
If you opt for the check, you have to wait about two weeks for the product to be shipped to the Encore service center and evaluated there, Weatherford said.
The other option is to take store credit for the device which allows you to get an immediate return, but you have to use it in the Bookstore, he said.
“Most people opt for the gift card,” he said.
If you plan on trading in a product, Weatherford has some advice for you.
“Make sure you do a factory reset and wipe all the personal information off the device, then clean up the device and make sure to get any gunk off of it,” Weatherford said.
Casey Jones, a senior Supply Chain Management major, says she might be using the service soon to turn in her old laptop. “It’s getting pretty old,” Jones said.
