Many of us will have old technology gathering dust in cupboards or attics, having somehow avoided throwing it away for years.
As the saying goes, however, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, with keen buyers snapping up all manner of unlikely items on online marketplaces.
You could earn hundreds or even thousands of pounds selling phones, games consoles and other technology from the 1990s and 2000s, according to online selling website Gumtree.
Some of the most popular phone models include Blackberrys, Nokias and Motorolas, as well as early iterations of the Apple Iphone.
While these phones from years gone by might be lacking in utility compared to today’s, there are still those looking to get their hands on them for the right price.
Here are the nostalgic phones and consoles which could earn a pretty penny.
First of their kind: The original Iphone from 2007 and Motorola DynaTAX 8000X are both sought after among collectors
Why do people want retro tech?
In many cases, the buyers of these items aren’t looking to use them for their original purpose.
Ben Wood, founder and co-curator of the Mobile Phone Museum, told this is Money: ‘People rarely buy old phones to use them – in many cases, they won’t work anyway.
‘Furthermore, older first, second and third generation mobile network technology has been turned off or being phased out.
‘I suspect that in most cases it is a combination of nostalgia, and collectors betting on mobile phones starting to appreciate as they get older and rarer.’
Wood says the easiest way to tell if an old mobile phone is worth something is to look it up on Ebay.
‘There is a vibrant trade in vintage mobile phones, and you can quickly find a ballpark figure for pretty much any model,’ he says.
‘In most cases, you are likely to be disappointed… however, there has been a notable uptick in prices on online auction sites over the last few years as people have become more interested in collecting old technology.’
| Phone model | Value |
|---|---|
| Motorola DynaTAC 8000X | £1000 – £5,000 |
| Nokia N950 | £1000 – £1,500 |
| Orbitel Cityfone | £1500 – £3,500 |
| Motorola Aura | £1000 – £3,500 |
| Vertu Signature phone | £2000 – £10,000 |
| IBM Simon | £1500 – £3,500 |
| Nokia 8800 Arte Gold | £750 – £1,500 |
| BlackBerry Porsche Design | £250 – £1,500 |
| Original Apple iPhone | £100 – £10,000 |
| Source: Mobile Phone Museum | |
There are models that can sell for thousands – including the Vertu Signature phone and original Apple Iphone from 2007, both of which have netted £10,000 in the past.
And Blackberry phones, for example, which haven’t been manufactured for almost a decade – the firm ceasing production in 2016, and the last Blackberry license ending in 2018 – are still being snapped up on reselling platforms, according to Gumtree.
The selling website says these products, whose operating system has been permanently disabled for ‘classic’ devices, sell for an average of £30 – but some examples are worth much more.
This includes Blackberry’s limited edition Porsche Design models, launched in 2011, which are a collectors’ item and can sell for anything from £250 to £1,500.
On Ebay, recent sold listings show that the more common Blackberry Bold model, has been flogged for as much as £100 or more, while more up to date Blackberry smartphones such as the Key2 have sold for up to £537.49.
Worth selling: Old Blackberry Bold phones can net £100 or more online
For premium models, such as Vertu’s Signature (which can sell for up to £10,000), the packaging is likely to be luxurious, and if in good condition, could add to the value of the phone, Wood said.
Nokia N950 and 8800 Arte Gold models sell for £1,000 to £1,500 and £750 to £1,500 respectively, while Motorola DynaTAX 8000X and Aura models – among the first mobile phones ever made – can fetch £1,000 to £5,000 and £1,000 to £3,000 each.
Meanwhile, original Apple Iphones can sell for anything between £100 and £10,000, depending on the condition, Wood said.
Later Iphones command an average of £250, with more recent models selling for much more, while Samsung phones can sell for £200 on average.
The Vertu Signature could sell for as much as £10,000, according to the Mobile Phone Museum, while the BlackBerry Porsche Design could make owners £1,500 if they sell it on
In comparison, lesser-known brands like HTC and LG sell for an average of just £40 and £32.50 respectively.
Iphone listings have generated 45,000 responses on Gumtree this year, with the average Iphone receiving 1.4 replies.
Kim Faura, consumer expert at the Gumtree, said: ‘It not only highlights the surprising worth of forgotten tech, but also shows how re-commerce can help people save money and reduce waste.’
Wood said: ‘If you do have a drawerful of old phones, it is well worth digging them out and doing something with them.
‘Selling them as a job lot on an auction site is often the easiest way to deal with them, and you’ll likely get a few quid.
‘If you can’t be bothered with that, it is worth taking them to your local recycling centre so they can be disposed of safely. Whatever you do, don’t just put them in the bin!’
Can you sell your old answering machine?
Thanks to their nostalgic value, answering machines from the mid-nineties sell for an average of £35 on Gumtree, with the platform saying more than 1,000 responded to ads for these in the past year alone.
Fax machines could also earn sellers a pretty penny, with listings on Ebay showing the products selling for more than £100.
Nineties and noughties games consoles are also big sellers, with Playstation 1s and Playstation 2s, launched in 1994 and 2000 respectively, sell for an average of £45, while those with game and accessory bundles can fetch a higher price.
Ebay listings show original Xbox consoles selling for even more, with one recently bought for £71.99.
Back in demand: Fax machines are selling for a surprisingly high price point
Ebay listings show original Xbox consoles selling for even more, with one recently bought for £71.99
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