Whether you purchased Older fitness trackers for getting fit or hooking your smartwatch to display notifications on your wrist may be in your drawer or closet. It doesn’t do anything to those who are suffering there, and the more you leave it, the less valuable it is. Would you like to get your old smartwatch ready and sell or give it to someone before it’s completely out of memory?
Here’s how to get your old fitness tracker ready and sell it for as much money as possible, give gifts, donate, and recycle. If you don’t have a replacement yet, you can find your ideas in the best smartwatch or best fitness tracker guide.
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Save data
Before wiping the wearable, make sure you back up the latest data so you don’t lose anything. Most smartwatches and fitness trackers automatically sync your data with your smartphone’s companion app. If you’re upgrading to another model from the same manufacturer and plan to continue using the same app, perform a final sync.
If you change to a new brand watch or tracker, you need to export the data. This process depends on the device manufacturer. Below are links to guides on how to export data for some of the largest brands.
- Apple: Open the health app, tap your profile in the upper right, then Export all health data..
- Fitbit: Sign in to Fitbit.com and setting, Data export..
- Garmin: Go to Garmin Connect and Activities, All activities, Export CSV..
- Google: Go to Google Takeout, deselect all, then fit..
- Samsung: Open the Samsung Health app and More options, setting, Download personal data..
- Withings: Click this link to sign in and download the CSV file containing all the data.
Whenever you decide on a smartwatch or tracker to switch to, you can search the app store for third-party apps designed to transfer data between these services (there are several available). After exporting the data, consider deleting the data from the old service if you do not plan to use it.
Unpair and wipe the wearable
The correct procedure for unpairing and factory resetting your smartwatch or fitness tracker depends on the manufacturer and model. Unpairing often triggers a factory reset automatically. It is recommended to fully charge the device before wiping. Wipe your smartwatch or fitness tracker and then turn it off. Here are some useful links:
Clean it
The device should be thoroughly cleaned as it is likely to be on your wrists due to rain, shine, sweaty workouts, etc. Start with a microfiber cleaning cloth and elbow grease. If that doesn’t work, apply warm water to the cloth to remove any stubborn marks and follow up with a dry cloth. The guide has other good tips on how to clean your smartphone.
Find chargers and boxes
Whether you’re planning to sell your old smartwatch or fitness tracker, or make a gift or donation, you’ll need to round up chargers, cables, and other accessories. Try to dig up the original box as well. Not only does it look more attractive to the buyer when it is in the same box as it was purchased, the original box is usually designed to allow the device to be shipped safely.
Where to sell
Now you’re ready to sell your smartwatch or fitness tracker. But where should I sell it? Selling directly can give you the most payment, but with more effort and risk.
Face-to-face sales
Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Nextdoor are all suitable for face-to-face sales. The advantage of these options is that they are free of charge and help you find local buyers, but it’s up to you to negotiate the price and process the exchange. It’s a good idea to meet in public and bring friends. Please do not provide personal information to the purchaser. Also, keep in mind that some people will try to argue when they meet, even if they have already agreed on the price.
Sell to people online
You can find a bigger market on eBay, where trading of older smartwatches and fitness trackers is active. There is some uncertainty in the auction process, but looking at the selling prices of similar devices will tell you what you might get. Remember that the device must be packaged and shipped after sale. To be honest, especially if the device shows signs of wear. Failure to do so may result in returns and objections. The list of eBay tips focuses on making purchases on the service, but it can be useful. If you don’t like eBay, Swappa is a good choice.
Sell online to businesses
Locations such as GadgetPickup, Trademore and DeCluttr offer cash to older smartwatches and fitness trackers. Upon receiving the offer based on the details entered on the website, the company will provide free shipping or prepaid shipping materials. The problem with these companies is that they frequently reduce offers after receiving and inspecting the device. Also, it may take some time to receive the funds. You can’t deny the convenience of selling to such a company, but be sure to shop and weigh customer reviews and offers. The SellCell website is a useful aggregator that displays offers from some of these services.
Credit trade-in
Best Buy, Amazon, Verizon, Samsung, Walmart, and many other companies can redeem smartwatches (which usually don’t accept fitness trackers) for credit. In our experience, these offers tend to be low, but if you plan to buy from one of these companies, this is an easy way to make money. Trade-in offers the same benefits in terms of fixed offers and free shipping, but offers may be reduced after inspecting the device. Some major retailers allow devices to be brought into the store.
Give it to someone
Consider giving your old smartwatch or fitness tracker to your family and friends. Consider donating them to a charity. Recycle Health is a non-profit organization that collects and recycles fitness trackers and provides them to promote fitness to poorly serviced people. You can also donate your old smartwatch or fitness tracker to Goodwill or find a local charity to accept them.
Recycle
If your old smartwatch or fitness tracker is irreparably broken, it’s time to recycle it. Whatever you do, do not throw the device in the trash. Most manufacturers have recycling programs, and some major retailers have recycling drop-off points for older electronic devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, but we’ll do a little research first. E-waste is a serious problem, and some products that appear to be recycled are dumped in hellish e-waste graveyards. To find a responsible recycler near you, search the e-Stewards website.
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