Last Updated on July 3, 2018 by Dave Farquhar
Where to sell computer parts can be a difficult question. I remember a time when cities like St. Louis had tons of used computer stores more than happy to sell your parts on consignment. Those days are over. But there is still a market for used computer parts, and the Internet provides a couple of venues to pick up the slack.
Whether you just want to raise money for your next purchase or try your hand as a professional reseller, you have some options.
What computer parts sell
Not all computer parts are worth anything. Old hard drives aren’t worth a lot unless they work and are really old. I’ve never had too much trouble selling memory though, as long as it’s a module large enough to still be useful. For example, 1 GB modules aren’t in high demand since most motherboards have one or two slots and people really want 8 GB of RAM. But if you replace your 4 GB modules with 8 GB modules, someone probably would still be interested in your old 4 GB modules.
Video cards have an active market, because new video cards are extremely expensive. If the video card is powerful enough to play current games, you can expect to be able to sell it.
Motherboards and CPUs have an active market as long as they’re still powerful enough to run current software. Don’t expect a booming market for your old Core 2 Duo CPU and board, but if you have something recent enough that it can run Windows 10 well, someone will probably be interested in it.
Cases and power supplies have some value on the used market as long as they are standard and recent enough to work with current hardware.
To find out what it’s worth, use the same strategy you would for the whole computer. Just search on individual component names instead of the computer.
What computer parts don’t sell
There’s not much of a market for things like keyboards, mice, and cables. If you have an especially high-end keyboard or mouse there may be some interest. Mechanical keyboards that click when you press the keys have interest, as do gaming mice.
But the keyboards and mice that came with a Dell or HP computer when it was new don’t have a lot of demand.
Where to sell computer parts
Hopefully now that you have some idea what has demand, let’s take a look at options for selling them.
Consignment shops
It can be worthwhile to check your area for a used computer store and see if they still take items on consignment. If this option is still available to you, it’s the easiest by far. You take your item in, they price it, and when it sells, they send you money.
A tech garage sale
I’ve seen people hold “geek garage sales” or the like, but with mixed success. Their best items did indeed sell pretty quickly, but inevitably when I circle back at noon to see what’s left, there’s quite a bit left over. Let’s just say their success wasn’t great enough to inspire me to try to sell my own used computer parts the same way.
Ebay
If you’re up for packing and shipping items, Ebay is likely your best option. Search on the name of the item. Then click on a listing that matches yours fairly closely. Underneath the photo in the listing, there’s a link labeled Have one to sell? Sell now. Click Sell now. Don’t worry, there’s no obligation at this point. Scroll down about 2/3 of the way down to the section labeled Pricing. Ebay will give you a recommended starting bid, an estimate of what it will sell for, and the chances of it selling.
If you only sell a few items a month, Ebay doesn’t charge a listing fee anymore. They charge a commission if the item sells, but you no longer risk any money up front.
To get the best price, be very descriptive in the listing, and take lots of clear, well-lit photos.
Craigslist
When you ask someone where to sell computer parts, Craigslist always comes up. The great thing about it is it’s free and you don’t have to deal with shipping. But be prepared to deal with a lot of lowballers and people not showing up. Just like Ebay, having a great description and lots of clear, well-lit photos helps you sell the item. If you can show a photo of it actually working, even better.
Leave a little room in your asking price to give you room to negotiate, and try to never meet the person at your home. Meet them in a safe, well-lit public place.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.