I walked into my parents’ house last Sunday for our usual family dinner and found my mom standing over the kitchen trash can, holding her old iPhone like she was about to perform a burial ceremony. The phone was poised directly over the garbage, suspended in that moment before the drop. My mom looked at me like I’d just suggested she keep spoiled milk. Honey, it’s broken. I already got my new phone. This one’s garbage.
The Generational Tech Gap
Here’s the thing about my mom: she’s brilliant with people, can manage a household budget like a CFO, and makes the best lasagna in three counties. But technology? That’s not her strong suit.
Define broken, I said.
It won’t charge.
Nothing. Tried the charging port. Nothing. Okay, so it doesn’t turn on. But Mom, even broken phones are worth money.
She laughed. Actually I laughed.
The Education Process
I spent the next twenty minutes explaining something I’d learned recently: old electronics have value even when they’re not working. Companies buy broken phones for parts. The screen might be fine. The camera modules might be perfect.
I pulled out my laptop and started searching.
A hundred dollars? For this? She held up the phone like it had just transformed into gold.
Maybe more if it’s just a charging port issue or battery problem. Those are cheap fixes for the companies that buy these.
The Scepticism Phase
There was the incident with the weight loss tea. We don’t talk about weight loss tea.
These are legitimate companies. They refurbish phones or use them for parts.
I explained the whole ecosystem. They fix it and resell it for more. Or they part it out and sell the components. Or they recycle the materials. Either way, what’s trash to her is inventory to them.
I’d have to mail it? What if they say I sent them something different? What if it gets lost?
Walking Her Through It
I realized this wasn’t just about explaining the concept. My mom needed me to actually show her how simple the process was. So we did it together, right there at her kitchen table while the lasagna cooked.
We found a service that had good reviews and a straightforward process. She had to answer a few questions about the phone’s condition. Does it turn on? No. Is the screen cracked? No. Any water damage? Not that she knew of.
The quote came back: Rs.9500. My mom stared at the screen. That’s real money.
That’s real money, I confirmed.
We went through the shipping process. They’d send her a prepaid label. She’d box up the phone. Drop it at the post office. They’d inspect it and send payment. The whole thing had tracking and insurance.
What if I just take it to one of those phone repair places in the mall? she asked.
You could, but they’ll probably offer you less. These online services process volume. They can pay more because they’re efficient.
The Big Decision
My mom sat there for a long moment, looking at her old phone. I could see her mental math happening. Ninety-five dollars. That was groceries for two weeks. Or that new garden hose she’d been eyeing. Or just money in her savings account, which was her favorite place for money to be.
Okay, she finally said. Let’s do it.
We completed the process. Confirmed her address. Selected her payment method. She wanted a check because she’s never fully trusted electronic payments. The company said that was fine. We’d receive the shipping label via email within 24 hours.
That’s it? she asked.
She looked suspicious again. It seems too easy.
The Rest of the Discovery
Then my mom said something that changed the whole afternoon: I wonder if your father’s old iPad is worth anything.
We found the iPad. Then we found Dad’s old Android phone from two years ago. Then we discovered my brother’s old laptop from college that nobody had touched in four years. It was like an archaeological dig through the home office closet.
By the end of it, we had a pile of five devices. We went through the same process for each one. The iPad: Rs.13000. Dad’s old phone: Rs.6500. The laptop: Rs.18000, even though it was slow and outdated. An old tablet I’d forgotten they had: Rs.4000. My mom’s previous phone before the iPhone, buried in a drawer: Rs.3500.
The total came to Rs.54500.
My mom actually gasped. Five hundred dollars for things I thought were garbage?
Things you were literally about to throw in the garbage, I reminded her.
The Aftermath
The shipping labels arrived the next day. My mom called me three times to confirm she was packaging everything correctly. She used enough bubble wrap to protect a small car. I talked her down from using an entire roll of packing tape.
She sent everything out on Tuesday. By Friday, the first payment confirmation arrived. The iPhone had been received and inspected. The Rs.9500 was being processed. She called me immediately.
It worked! They sent me an email saying they got it and everything checked out!
Over the next week, all the other confirmations came through. Every device was accepted. Every payment was processed. My mom received a total of Rs.54500 in checks that she deposited with the enthusiasm of someone who’d just won a small lottery.
She called my brother to tell him about it. Then she called my aunt. Then she told her book club. Apparently, three women from her book club had old phones sitting in drawers. My mom became the neighborhood expert on selling old electronics.
What This Taught Me
She would never have known she’d thrown away real money.
It’s not just about the money, though that’s obviously nice. It’s about not being wasteful. Those devices have useful components. The materials can be recovered.
The Lesson
Check their junk drawers. Look in their closets. Ask about old devices.
She’s become more environmentally conscious too, understanding that proper recycling matters even when devices can’t be resold.
Last week she called me. Your father’s old electric shaver doesn’t work.
But I appreciated the enthusiasm.
The iPhone she almost threw away? Someone probably bought it refurbished after it got fixed. It’s working perfectly for them now.
Check your parents’ drawers. Trust me on this one. There’s probably money sitting there that they don’t even know about. And maybe you’ll save some perfectly good electronics from an unnecessary trip to the landfill.
Your mom will thank you. Mine still brings it up at every family dinner.
