7 Best Companies for Selling Used Servers and IT Hardware

KEY TAKEAWAYS  

• Understand why selling used tech can put digital data at risk 
• Find out what makes a place safe for parents to sell used tech 
• Discover the best places to sell used devices
• Uncover the red flags parents should watch for when making a deal 

According to recent research from MPB and Retail Economics, almost three-quarters of consumers (71%) bought or sold used goods in the past year. And millennials and Gen Z are a big part of these numbers, although it’s good that people are reusing things, saving the environment, and saving money, but behind this, there is a big issue we can’t ignore. 

That issue is digital data safety. This concern becomes quite big if your kid sells their tech often to update to new ones. So what’s the solution, keeping all the old tech in a locker? Well, the answer is no; all parents have to do is find a reliable and safe place like Big Data Supply to sell used tech.  

Let’s continue with the article and find out some responsible and trustworthy places where one can sell their used tech without giving a second thought. 

Why Selling Used Tech Can Put Your Kid’s Digital Data at Risk

Kids’ phones are full of personal details, even if they just use them for homework and games. A used tablet or phone may still have: 

• Photos and videos 
• School emails and documentations
• Chat messages 
• Location history (where they have been)
• Log in to games, social media, and streaming apps
• Saved passwords and autofill details 

If the device isn’t fully wiped, then the next person who gets it might be able to see these private photos and videos and pretend to be your child online (misuse this identity in different ways). They access school accounts or even use saved payment methods inside any app or game. 

This is why how and where you sell your kids’ used devices matters more than the money you get for them. One should find reliable places like Facebook Marketplace, which has one billion monthly users and the trust of many buyers and sellers. 

What Makes a Place Safe for Parents to Sell Used Tech?

When it comes to safety, a good price is obviously not enough. A safe place to sell used tech should: 

• Help you erase the data properly: clear instructions or free data-wiping tools.
• Guarantee data destruction on their side: they should reset or wipe the devices again when they receive them
• Have a clear privacy policy: easy-to-read rules on how they handle your device and data.
• Offer trade-ins or buy backups, not just pen listing: direct sale to a company is usually safer than selling to random people.
• Provide secure shipping or in-store drop-off: prepaid trackable labels or supervised hand-ins.

You pick a buyer; always think, “If my child’s entire digital life is still on this device, would I trust these people with it?”

7 Best Places to Sell Used Tech in 2026 (Ranked for Child Data Safety)

To help you a bit more, here’s the list of places, ranked mainly by data safety for families, not just payout amount: 

Trade-in Method	Example	Best for	Safety/Benefits
Official brand trade-in programs	Phone or laptop brand’s own website or store	Phones, tablets, laptops	High security, trusted by manufacturers, data wipe guarantee
Major Electronics Retailer Trade-Ins	Big tech or electronic chain	Phones, tablets, laptops, game consoles	In-person help, controlled, secure refurbishing process
Trusted Online Buyback Companies	Large, well-known backpack websites	Quick, mail-in selling	Step-by-step instruction, secured, tracked shipping
Mobile Carrier Trade-In Programs	Your phone network provider	Smartphones, tablets	Secure handling of SIMs/eSIMs and personal data
Regional tech shop	Certified Refurbishers and Local Tech Shops	Older devices, laptops, PCs	Data destruction services, personal, face-to-face service
Family-Focused Resale Platforms	Smaller platforms that target parents and students	Kids’ tablets, Chromebooks, school laptops	Targeted safety, specific guidelines for child data
Large Online Marketplaces (With Caution)	Big auction and listing sites	Getting a higher price	Caution: higher risk needs self-managed data wiping

Marketplaces vs Buyback Companies: Which Is Safer for Families?

After going through this table, one question might have come to your mind: which is safer, the marketplace or the buyback companies, right? Well, to clear this up, let’s have a simple comparison of both of these: 

Marketplace

Pros: 

• Often higher price
• More buyers to choose from 

Cons: 

• You are responsible for all data wiping 
• Buyer is usually a stranger 
• No second layers of data protection once it leaves you 

Buyback Companies 

Pros: 

• Clear process and instruction
• Extra wipe done by companies
• Less direct contact with strangers  

Cons:

• Sometimes slower payout than the marketplace
• If the device is in even a bit worse condition than described, the offer may be lowered 

So both methods are great in their own way, but when it comes to child data safety, buyback programs and trade-ins are a better option. 

Red Flags Parents Should Watch for When Selling Used Devices

People often ignore some warning signs when selling used tech and then end up regretting their decisions. Don’t want to be one of them? Be cautious whenever you see these red flags because they could cause you bigger damage than you think:

• No instructions about factory reset or data wiping
• No privacy policy or data policy on the website
• A buyer insisting, ‘Don’t reset it; I’ll do it’  
• Weird requests like keep the account logged in, ‘so they can test’
• Payment methods that are unusual or hard to trace
• Very poor reviews or a lot of reviews mentioning “data” or “privacy” problems (you can also check the rating stars on iPhone and Android for a better idea)

Even if you get good deals, do not try to ignore these signs because they can cost you more than the profit you get from them.  

Also, before you hand over any tech device, keep a few things in mind and never forget them. Like backing up important photos and school files, removing your account (Apple ID, Google, Microsoft, school logins), logging out of apps, doing a full factory reset, and removing SIM cards and memory cards. These might take some time, but will save you from future worries. 

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