Brits sitting on £6.86bn-worth of unused mobiles

91.5 million mobile phones collecting dust all over the UK.
UK mobile phone users are currently sitting atop a proverbial goldmine, after a new report from mobile phone and tablet recycling price comparison site SellMyMobile.com revealed that there are 91.5 million unused phones lying around British homes, worth over £6.86 billion.
The study shows that the average UK mobile phone user has 2.06 phones at home, while 78 per cent have at least one unused device at home, and over a third (33.7 per cent) are holding on to three or more devices.
According to SellMyMobile.com, the average handset is now worth around £75 when recycled online. This means that British consumers are missing out on a potential £154.40 in old devices.
When asked why they have been unable to part with their old handsets, almost one in five (19.26 per cent) said that they are just ‘too lazy’, while 18.7 per cent said that they ‘don’t know what to do’ with them.
However, the report also shows that privacy plays a key role when it comes to deciding whether or not to part with an old phone. Figures show that 14.9 per cent will hold on to their device as they are ‘afraid that personal data will be jeopardised’ and 11.8 per cent aren’t sure how to wipe data before selling it on.
Colin White, managing director at SellMyMobile.com, commented: “In today’s tough economic climate, some extra cash can make all the difference. So it’s surprising that we are literally sitting on a potential goldmine stashed away in boxes at home. There are so many companies willing to pay good money for consumers looking to recycle their old phone, and they all offer tips and advice if you are unsure about how to send it off, or how to wipe old data from your phone.
“So if you’re looking to make some cash, either to help treat yourself to help beat the January blues, or pay off those dreaded Christmas credit card debts, make sure you search your old drawers to see how much you could have stashed at home. But once you’ve found your old phones, make sure you use a recycling service to get the best deal, as cash back can vary by an average of £59.58 between sites for the same phone.”
According to the latest data from January trade-ins via SellMyMobile.com, Apple’s iPhone 4 16GB has been the most traded in handset in January 2013, fetching £139, followed by the BlackBerry Curve 8520 for £54.
The most valuable device to be traded online is currently the BlackBerry Porsche Design worth up to £547, followed by the Apple iPhone 5 64GB at £400.

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