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December 15, 2008 12:31 PM

What do I do with a hundred USB keyboards?

The company I work for has, in our Manhattan office, a stockpile of new-in-box USB keyboards and USB optical mice (mouses?). NYC public schools need donations of whole computers, not spare peripherals. I can't seem to sell these things on Craigslist at a rate of more than 1 every 2 months. What do I do with these things?

posted by ben242 to Computers & Internet (11 answers total)

eBay them as a lot!
posted by k8t at 12:36 PM on December 15, 2008

There's plenty of organizations out there where you can donate old computer equipment. At my old company, we donated tons of keyboards, mice, monitors, you-name-it to an organization that refurbished it and sent it to schools in Africa. Here's a list I found of groups accepting computer donations.
posted by JuiceBoxHero at 12:41 PM on December 15, 2008 [1 favorite]

Check with the private schools, too. Contrary to some beliefs, we're not all stock-piled with extra cash. We just transitioned from PC --> Mac and having USB keyboard would have been pretty convenient at the time.
posted by jmd82 at 1:39 PM on December 15, 2008

CFY doesn't specifically talk about whether they'd take keyboard donations, but does link to here as an alternative.
posted by devbrain at 1:57 PM on December 15, 2008

Sell them to me for an art project I've been thinking of? ;)
posted by mistikle at 4:11 PM on December 15, 2008

Freecycle, or otherwise give them away (assuming you're allowed to do that). I know that I don't feel like buying a new keyboard because mine works but if someone gave me one I wouldn't hesitate to take it.
posted by theichibun at 4:35 PM on December 15, 2008

Make wallets out of em and ESTY the wallets? DIY Wallet
posted by legotech at 6:13 PM on December 15, 2008

We rehab older pc's & donate them to toys for tots. I will pay the frieght if you want to send a dozen each to us.
posted by patnok at 6:48 PM on December 15, 2008

I'd like one :). If they're ergonomic, that is. The keyboards, I mean. Although I wouldn't mind a mouse either.
posted by curagea at 8:59 PM on December 15, 2008

I work with a 501c3 (verifiable) that works in community mental health that could use them, as well as local non-profit based student labs in neighboring towns.

I can provide a fedex/ups/dhl label to Vermont for some/most/all of them.
posted by SirStan at 9:51 PM on December 15, 2008

Call Teach For America and see if you can donate to/through them. The kids who wind up using the keyboards will be the ones who need them most.
posted by yellowcandy at 12:27 AM on December 16, 2008