Outdated Electronics? 3 Things Businesses Can Do with VCRs, Floppy Disks, and Pagers

by Stephanie Faris on Monday, October 30, 2017 12:00

Over time, a business's storage closet can begin to look like a museum, especially if there is no plan in place to offload old equipment. Even if you've cleared out your excess equipment in the past few years, you may still find a lingering pager, Blackberry, or original iPhone in the back corner of a storage room.

After calling all your coworkers over to look at the artifact you've unearthed on a forgotten storage room shelf, you may wonder what you can possibly do with such old devices. While they may be seen as retro by some, many of these outdated items will have little to no monetary value. Still, it's worth a try. Here are a few steps you can take when the past comes to visit your equipment inventory.

Share It

Before you get rid of your old items, consider the opportunity to use it as part of your business's social media marketing strategy. Snap pictures of it and share it across your various social platforms with hashtags marking it as #retro and #vintage. You'll likely find at least a few of your followers share the interesting image to their own followers, which gives your brand exposure that it might not have otherwise had. Your business may even pick up a few new customers who click over to learn more about this company that had 1990s-era floppy disks and VHS tapes in storage. Best of all, you may find an interested online follower who is interested in taking your old items off your hands at no charge to you.

Research It

Before you recycle your old equipment, take time to research its worth online. Check eBay and determine what similar items have sold for in recent weeks. You may realize that the item you were going to discard is actually worth hundreds of dollars to collectors. If items only sell for a few dollars, it may not be worth the extra time and effort it would take to package it and mail it to someone who won an auction for it.

Recycle It

If you can't monetize your items because of their retro status, you'll have no choice but to recycle them. Before you do, though, make sure no data resides on them that could lead to a costly security breach if someone intercepts the information. National Computer Warehouse Services specializes in responsibly recycling electronics, using our tested dual-stage hard drive destruction process to ensure all data is completely irretrievable once it goes to its next location. We also partner with local recycling centers in many of the areas we serve throughout the United States. We can pick up the equipment from your location and safely dispose of it, allowing you to focus on the day-to-day duties of running your business.

If you'd like National CWS to work with your business to create an equipment disposal plan, contact us today. We can set up a regular recycling schedule or provide a one-time service that helps you clear out space in your business that you can use for more productive purposes.