It's time to cash it in and spend the proceeds supporting your local businesses. Easy.
Britons are sitting on technology worth £16.5bn that they no longer use, with researchers finding that the typical adult has a staggering £598 worth of superfluous gadgets – simply collecting dust and cluttering their homes.
But during the past year, smartphones, computers, tablets, games consoles and wearables collectively depreciated in value by an average of 20 per cent. So, why not sell it on eBay or any number of other platforms, and spend the proceeds supporting your local businesses?£16.5 billion will go a hell of a long way towards reinvigorating the economy.
Presumably it's not just Brits hoarding tech. If the results of this survey are broadly true elsewhere, then similar cash boosts for struggling restaurants, bars and other enterprises could really make a difference.
The study of 2,000 adults commissioned by musicMagpie, found they currently own 11 unused devices on average – including laptops, games consoles and mobile phones.
Liam Howley, from musicMagpie, said: “There is so much tech people are holding onto that could otherwise help make them money and alarmingly, the value of it is depreciating right before their eyes."
“Our research has shown that not everyone is aware their tech could actually be worth something – and they think that it’s more worthwhile keeping it for a rainy day, but it’s quite the opposite.”
The study also found mobile phones are the gadgets those polled are most likely to hold on to – with the average person having at least two unused handsets at home. And 12 per cent have as many as five or more mobile handsets lying around the house unused.
Remarkably, and paradoxically, whilst 43 per cent would describe themselves as a tech hoarder, more than half of those polled wished they could live a more minimalist lifestyle. More than a third even have a specific drawer or box to keep these items in as they gather dust, with the attic and bedside table popular gadget storage spots.
It transpires that people are more likely to sort through the contents of their garage, organise their bookshelf or clean the utility cupboard than sort through their old devices. And, equally extraordinary, nearly two-fifths had no idea they could be missing out on earning extra cash by selling their old tech or that certain gadgets will lose value if stored for years on end.
Sell it! And have fun spending the proceeds.
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