Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

While on a quick shopping trip to Staples to replenish ink for my printer (which apparently is filled with gold at the prices they charge) I was handed a sheet of paper listing some trade-in discounts for a myriad of products.  From routers to printers to laptops, the trade-in value was significant, enough to make me think, “Hey I’ve got an old router somewhere.”

Why does Staples want my old stuff?  It turns out they don’t, not really.  But a company called Greensight does.  They are a de-manufacturer (my new favorite word) as they take your goods, break them down and test the parts they want to keep in hopes to sell these parts back to into the industry and recycle the rest where appropriate.  I was completely skeptical on if this company could operate, much less turn a profit.

They’ve got metrics

Seems they have the back end dialed.  From their website, Greensight boasts:

- Greater than 97% Fill Rates on Same-Day P-1 Orders - Guaranteed
- DOA & Wrong Part (Combined) Rates of Less Than 3% - Guaranteed
- Reduced Total Parts Costs on Sole-Source Supply - Guaranteed
- Ship over 1,000 Parts Per Day with Daily Air-bill/Fulfillment Tracking

Among their customers, Greensight lists such big hitters as Dell, HP, Lexmark, Cisco and others you know.  Their business plan seems simple: get the products by buying them through retail partners who offer discounts on their products for trading the gadgets in, then de-manufacture into parts, then sell the parts.

What about my “sensitive data”

Greensight says the use EPA and DOD guidelines for recycling and for wiping memories.  Clearly, their techs know what they are doing with a less than 3% DOA rate.  Their warehouse in Atlanta (the company is HQ’d in Boca Raton, FL) must be a thing of beauty.

In all, it is great to see a company getting this kind of play from the big hitters in retail who can make a good case for recycling your stuff without the hassle of selling on eBay.  Check them out.
Company site: [Greensight]