So you have finally made the hard decision to say goodbye to
your old server. It’s probably been collecting dust in some supply closet for a
few months, and you just can’t seem to find a use for it. Your new server is working
just fine, and you’ve already transferred all the data you need and wiped the
drives on the old server. So what do you do with that outdated piece of
technology? If you’re considering just taking it into the recycler…stop! That
old server still has value, and while you may deem it without value, there is
plenty of money tied up the system. Getting your money’s worth out of that old
server is one of the best ways to get a return on your initial investment.
Selling a used server is a great way to recoup some of that cost. But is there
even a market for used servers? How would one go about selling his or her server?
The short answer is yes, and there are two ways to go about selling your
server: person to person and direct sale.
Person to Person
As this method suggests, person to person sales are carried
out among individuals across a variety of mediums. The most common solution for
person to person sales necessitates some sort of third party facilitation. The third
party might be a newspaper providing you space for a classified ad, or it might
be an ecommerce site allowing you to post. Ecommerce is a viable option for
selling your used server, but beware: as you enter the ecommerce arena, you
will be competing for a low price against others in much the same situation as
you. If you have the lowest price on a site like Amazon or Ebay, chances are
you will be able to sell your server. However, if you’re holding out for the
right price you may be waiting for a while.
Direct Sale
A direct sale involves approaching a used hardware or
computer business and negotiating a flat price for the exchange of the server.
There is no “bidding” in the sense of ecommerce auction style purchasing, but
you may be able to negotiate a higher price, depending on the quality of your
server. When selling your server directly, it is important to get a quote and
verify it at another buyer. Whereas you were competing for the lowest price
online, you will now have a little bit of leverage as potential buyers quote up
against one another. Even if your server has no value, many computer businesses
will be able to provide you with a scrap value for the server. With the
precious metals contained within the server, you will still be able to garner
some small return from the server.
Bottom Line
Direct sale is preferable to person-to-person sale, and
often provides you a more realistic return on your server. The ability to
request a quote and verify a quote before you sell used servers greatly
increases your chances of getting the best price, whereas online selling will
cut your margin of return further down.
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