Whether you know it or not, you’re likely sitting on a gold mine of unused personal electronics. Many of us have an old phone sitting in a drawer for a rainy day, or a laptop stashed in a closet that we never took the time to wipe. What if there was a quick and easy way to not only dispose of the e-waste in your home but make money doing it? That’s what Tiptop wants to help you do with its new trade-in program that any retailer can add to their online checkout.
Trading in devices is nothing new, but we often only consider doing it with specific purchases or transactions. For instance, if you decide to upgrade to the iPhone 16 this fall, you might want to trade in your iPhone 14 to cut down on the cost of the new phone. Apple won’t give you the full value of the old iPhone, but at least the new phone is marginally cheaper.
Of course, Apple’s trade-in program, like most others, has rather strict limitations. You can only trade in Apple devices or select Android phones. If you’ve got an old PC, VR headset, or digital camera, you’re out of luck. That’s where Tiptop comes in.
When shopping online, you eventually reach a checkout screen that features a few options: Pay with a credit card, pay with PayPal, or use a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) program like Klarna or Afterpay. Tiptop is the newest addition to the checkout process, giving consumers the option to get an instant quote for a device trade-in before paying.
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As of July 19th, eight partners have added Tiptop: Phone Daddy, Nothing, Cradlewise, Daylight, King of Christmas, Backbone, Upgraded, and MagFast. If you shop on any of these sites, you’ll see Tiptop as an option at checkout.
Here’s how it works if you decide to use Tiptop at checkout: First, you’ll be redirected to Tiptop’s site, at which point you’ll decide whether you want to get a trade-in quote right away or pay now and trade in later. If you decide to trade in first, you’ll have a chance to choose what you want to trade in, and this is where Tiptop really shines. There are hundreds of products to choose from, including video game consoles, portable speakers, drones, and power tools.
Let’s say I want to buy the $99 Backbone One controller for my iPhone. I’ll save $70 if I trade in a Meta Quest 2. That would bring my total down to $37.79 after taxes and fees.
