Sell excess and returned electronics

What electronics can I get an offer on?

Skyline Dealz makes offers on consumer electronics (headphones, speakers, soundbars, TVs, cameras, smart home devices), phones and accessories (cases, chargers, cables, power banks), and computers and tablets, new or returned. Typical sources are retailer returns, prior-model overstock after a launch, canceled orders, end-of-life SKUs and refurbisher overflow.

Large home appliances and kitchen electrics are on our appliances page. The difference matters: appliances are judged on voltage, freight damage and bulk; electronics are judged on testing, serials, model age and batteries.

Tested, untested and refurbished: what is the difference in value?

Electronics value is mostly about certainty: the buyer pays for the odds that a unit works.

"Tested" needs a definition. Powering on is not the same as a full function test. Tell us what your test covered: power, display, audio, connectivity, battery health, factory reset. Our guide to condition grading scales explains common grade systems.

Why does model age matter so much?

Because the old model's retail price drops each time a successor launches, and closeout prices follow it down. A prior-generation phone, tablet or TV loses value every month it sits. Holding electronics "to wait for a better offer" usually costs more than it saves. If you know a successor is coming, sell before the launch, not after.

Serials, IMEIs and data

• Serial numbers. For phones, computers, tablets, cameras and higher-value audio, list serials or IMEIs. They let us check warranty status, activation locks and lost-or-stolen flags, and help settle any later dispute about which unit is which.
• Account locks. Devices locked to a previous owner's account cannot be resold as working units.
• Data. Customer returns of computers, phones and tablets may contain personal data. Wipe them to a recognized standard before sale, or tell us they are not wiped so the buyer can do it. If you wiped the devices, keep the wipe report or certificate from the tool you used and send it with the manifest; it answers the first question most buyers of computers and phones ask.
• Warranty. Manufacturer warranty usually does not transfer to closeout buyers. Do not describe units as "under warranty" unless you can show it.

Batteries and hazmat shipping

Almost every portable device has a lithium-ion battery. For transport, lithium batteries are dangerous goods under U.S. Department of Transportation hazmat rules, administered by PHMSA. In practice:

1. Batteries contained in equipment (a phone with its battery inside) ship under the lightest rules.
2. Batteries packed with equipment (a spare in the same box) have more requirements.
3. Loose batteries and power banks have the most.
4. Damaged, swollen or recalled batteries need special packaging, and many carriers refuse them.

Tell us which category each product falls into and flag any swollen units. They should be separated before pickup.

Accessories: high counts, low unit values

Cases, screen protectors, cables, chargers, car mounts and earbuds usually come in large unit counts. They sell to discount chains, bin stores, phone repair shops and exporters. Three things set their value:

• Device fit. A case for a current phone model is worth far more than one for a phone three generations old. Group the manifest by the device each accessory fits.
• Connector standard. Lightning, USB-C and micro-USB cables follow the devices on the market. As devices move to one connector, accessories for the old one lose buyers.
• Packaging. Retail-carded accessories can go straight onto a peg. Bulk-packed items in polybags suit repair shops and bin stores at a lower price.

Chargers and wall adapters should carry a safety listing mark, and power banks are lithium batteries for shipping. Counterfeit or unbranded chargers with copied brand logos are not something we make offers on. Accessory-only lots are low value per unit, so freight takes a bigger share of them. A few cartons may not justify a pickup on their own, while pallets of one item usually do. Send the quantity and we will tell you whether it works as a stand-alone lot.

Certification and export

Devices that transmit radio signals (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular) carry an FCC ID for the U.S. market. Export markets have their own approvals and voltage or plug standards. A product legal in the U.S. may need approval elsewhere, which affects which export buyers can take it. Before counting on an export sale, list the FCC ID and the voltage range on the rating label for each model; that lets a buyer check their own country's rules quickly.

Electronics offer checklist

• Brand, model number, description and UPC per line
• Quantity per model
• Condition per line using the table above; your grade definitions if you grade
• What testing was done, and pass rates if tested
• Serials or IMEIs for phones, computers, tablets and premium items
• Completeness: chargers, remotes, cables, manuals, original boxes
• Battery type and any damaged or swollen units
• Retail price per unit
• Photos: a sample of units powered on if tested, the label with model and serial, an open gaylord or pallet
• Location, dock access, and how the goods are packed (palletized, gaylords, loose)
• Restrictions such as no online resale or export only

Mistakes that lower electronics offers

• Calling returns "like new" without testing
• Removing chargers and remotes to sell separately, which turns complete units into incomplete ones
• Mixing account-locked phones into working phone lots
• Shipping swollen batteries with good stock
• Listing only "assorted electronics" with a total retail value and no models
• Holding prior-model stock after the replacement model ships

A worked example

For illustration only, not market data: an online retailer has a truckload of customer-return audio products across headphones, earbuds and portable speakers from several brands, packed in gaylords. None are tested. The manifest has models and retail prices from the retailer's return system.

The seller tests a random sample drawn from several gaylords, records how many work, and notes that most failures are dead batteries or missing charging cases. The pass rate, whatever it turns out to be, becomes part of the listing.

Freight is gaylords from one dock. Earbuds and speakers have built-in lithium batteries, so the carrier is told before pickup.

To see the buying side, visit wholesale closeout electronics. If you list returns online yourself, read how to list returns and open-box items. Send your model list through the offer form on this page.