Getting rid of broken printers
July 12, 2010 11:01 PM Subscribe
I've got two broken (as far as I can tell) printers. Can I sell them? If not, what is the best way to get rid of them?
I've had two defunct printers sitting in my apartment for months now, an Epson Stylus 120 and an Epson CX4200. I can't get either of them to work, and I've given up on troubleshooting. I also do not want to pay to have either repaired. I want to get rid of them.
My question is this: are they worth selling on Craigslist? Would anyone want to buy them (to repair and resell, perhaps)? If so, how do I list them so that the people who would want to buy them can find them?
If they are not worth anything, what is the best way of getting rid of them, short of tossing them in the dumpster?
I've had two defunct printers sitting in my apartment for months now, an Epson Stylus 120 and an Epson CX4200. I can't get either of them to work, and I've given up on troubleshooting. I also do not want to pay to have either repaired. I want to get rid of them.
My question is this: are they worth selling on Craigslist? Would anyone want to buy them (to repair and resell, perhaps)? If so, how do I list them so that the people who would want to buy them can find them?
If they are not worth anything, what is the best way of getting rid of them, short of tossing them in the dumpster?
You could try putting them in the "free" section of craigslist. Where there will be at home with all the other offers of free broken/outdated printers.
Or you could look up what the deal is with electronics recycling/disposal in your community, and just handle it once and for all.
I'm not familiar with either of those particular models, but unless they are super specialist printers that do crazy shit 99% of other printers don't do (high quality photos, large formats, etc), they are probably not worth repairing and nobody is going to want to buy them. Especially if they are obsolete. Which they probably are.
posted by Sara C. at 11:22 PM on July 12, 2010
Or you could look up what the deal is with electronics recycling/disposal in your community, and just handle it once and for all.
I'm not familiar with either of those particular models, but unless they are super specialist printers that do crazy shit 99% of other printers don't do (high quality photos, large formats, etc), they are probably not worth repairing and nobody is going to want to buy them. Especially if they are obsolete. Which they probably are.
posted by Sara C. at 11:22 PM on July 12, 2010
Old printers are still a good source of steppers and gears and small mechanical bits for tinkerers, so if you list them for free there's a good chance they'll stay out of the landfill for a while, at least. Maybe you could get a couple of dollars for them at a junk sale / swapmeet. But nonfunctional small inkjets are not hard to get for free.
The CX4200 is a printer+scanner, though, isn't it? Does one half of its function still work? If so it might be worth money to someone who needs a scanner but doesn't need a printer (or whichever).
posted by hattifattener at 11:45 PM on July 12, 2010
The CX4200 is a printer+scanner, though, isn't it? Does one half of its function still work? If so it might be worth money to someone who needs a scanner but doesn't need a printer (or whichever).
posted by hattifattener at 11:45 PM on July 12, 2010
Best answer: The best way to get rid of them is to responsibly recycle them.
The EPA has information on responsible electronics recycling, as does the National Center for Electronics Recycling, a 501c3 that does, well, just what it says it does.
Also most major electronics manufacturers now have recycling programs of their own. You usually have to chip in some sort of shipping or processing fee, but it's the Right Thing To Do and that almost always costs money. Epson has such a program. You pay $10 but get a $5 coupon back.
posted by ChasFile at 12:47 AM on July 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
The EPA has information on responsible electronics recycling, as does the National Center for Electronics Recycling, a 501c3 that does, well, just what it says it does.
Also most major electronics manufacturers now have recycling programs of their own. You usually have to chip in some sort of shipping or processing fee, but it's the Right Thing To Do and that almost always costs money. Epson has such a program. You pay $10 but get a $5 coupon back.
posted by ChasFile at 12:47 AM on July 13, 2010 [1 favorite]
Nobody is going to pay anything for 2-3 year old broken ink jet printers as there is zero market for refurbishing such things. Even assuming it could be fixed for little cost, just replacing the ink would be about $30 + $15 = $45, and who would pay $50 for a refurbished printer when you can get a new and better one for $50-$70?
It's possible that someone would take it for free, depending on how much ink is left, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. Find your local e-waste place to dispose of them.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:06 AM on July 13, 2010
It's possible that someone would take it for free, depending on how much ink is left, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. Find your local e-waste place to dispose of them.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:06 AM on July 13, 2010
Best Buy accepts most computers or electronics items for free recycling. (Sometimes there is a fee for monitors/tvs, but they give you a gift card in kind.) The program and fees vary by state, but in Colorado, they do take in printers.
Staples has been known to offer printer trade-in deals like this expired one, where you could combine the $50 off with rebates for a very cheap printer. Of course, it's up to you whether it's worth storing them in case that offer pops up again.
posted by Gable Oak at 6:04 AM on July 13, 2010
Staples has been known to offer printer trade-in deals like this expired one, where you could combine the $50 off with rebates for a very cheap printer. Of course, it's up to you whether it's worth storing them in case that offer pops up again.
posted by Gable Oak at 6:04 AM on July 13, 2010
You can also try Freecycle--there is probably one in your area. People will often take things that they think they can fix, or take things for parts. Be sure to mention that the printers don't work, of course, in the spirit of fairness.
posted by Ms. Informed at 7:44 AM on July 13, 2010
posted by Ms. Informed at 7:44 AM on July 13, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
I've gotten rid of broken AC adapters, old magazines, broken printers, used pencils, etc... on the free section.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 11:18 PM on July 12, 2010