How to Make Money Off Your Destroyed Hard Drives

by Stephanie Faris on Monday, November 27, 2017 11:00

If you've considered selling your used equipment for cash, you've likely noticed that you lose money by removing the hard drive as recommended by experts. Yet failing to destroy the hard drive puts your business at a risk of a data breach, which could cost thousands of dollars and lead to years of headaches for your customers.

But selling your old devices isn't the only way your business can make money. You may even be able to make more by shredding your drives and selling them for scrap online or locally. Not only will this keep your customer data safe, it will also bring an income you can add to your equipment budget. If you have old equipment around your office, here's what you should know about scrapping your hard drives for cash.

How to Scrap

Some businesses are reluctant to destroy a hard drive, sure they'll be able to get more by selling it intact. But just like used cars, that hard drive is only valuable if it's still in good working condition. After a certain point, a drive is simply worth much more for its materials, just like a car. Additionally, you'll be providing materials that can then be used to make new products, which helps protect the Earth's natural resources.

In order to safely scrap your drives, though, you'll first need to wipe the data on them and shred them using a professional process. When you contract with a third-party provider, they will not only take care of this for you, but they may also be able to bring shredding equipment to your location to make it as convenient as possible. Once the shredding process is complete, you'll have the material you need to ship to the seller.

Where to Sell

There are numerous options for scrapping old hard drives, both locally and online. You can start your search by looking at local scrap yards, which often advertise on their websites what they'll pay for certain types of materials. But don't stop at that level of research. You may be able to get a better deal by selling your scraps online and shipping them where they need to go. In some cases, the buyer will even send you prepaid materials in which to ship the metals they're buying.

Many sellers turn to eBay to sell their hard drive scraps, but this is dedicated more to hard drive parts that can then be used to build new drives. Although you'll get less for scraps, as detailed on sites like this one, it will still be more than you would have gotten if you'd simply sent them off to a recycling facility, so it may be worth your while to check into it.

Selling your shredded hard drives is only one of the options available to you once you've safely destroyed them. National Computer Warehouse Services will handle degaussing and shredding your drive, either at our facility or using one of our mobile shredding units, which can travel to your location. You'll have the peace of mind of knowing all data has been safely erased while also having a little extra money to put back into your budget.