Gadget Hoarding: the By-Product of Business-Life?

Old laptop used for work not keeping up? Shove it aside, find a use for it eventually. Shiny new laser printer to replace the old ink-hog? Sell it when there is time! Sleeker company smartphones to replace the ones of yesteryear? The other obsolete gadgetry will enjoy the company! Only they won’t.

Does all this sound familiar? You may be suffering from gadget hoarding; the acquisition of a new gadget often replaces an older one, with the mindset of “finding a use for it later” coming into play when left wondering what to do with the old tech, only to toss it aside into some dark corner of your workspace.

On the bright side, you don't have to feel alone in your habits: according to a recent survey conducted by the used electronics marketplace uSell.com, up to 68% of those within the business community(from executives to entrepreneurs) admit to having kept an unused gadget for 2+ years. Despite this, the survey also mentions that only 25% of Americans admit to having a “gadget hoarding” problem.

Perhaps the first step is admitting you have a problem?

Seeing the dusty old printer, the past two or three phones before your current, and maybe even your previous computer sitting together in a closet, or on a corner in your office might let you gain some perspective as to what you can do to deal with this problem; although you are obviously not impeded from getting working done(hopefully,) it certainly is a problem that can get out of control, and in some cases using old tech can be just as bad as keeping it around collecting dust.
 
Although frugality is one of the many tools that can help those within the business world succeed, it may payoff to invest in a newer smartphone, especially when considering that at-least half of those in business meetings judge someone based on the condition and age of their device; according to the survey, over 80% consider a business associates abilities based on the age and condition of their phone.

Consider the following: upon meeting a potential vendor at a business conference, you are impressed by their vast knowledge and keen know-how. The vendor pulls out their phone to exchange contact information with you, only to jovially ask that you disregard their shattered screen and mangled case as a by-product of the “harsh business world.”

Will you take care of work as well as your phone?

Getting rid of old technology—especially an outdated or damaged smartphone—can be considered keen business sense more than fashion sense, and even if you only get a quarter of it’s retail value back upon selling old devices, that influx of money could be reinvested into newer and possibly higher functioning gadgetry that would better suit your needs!

At the very least, getting rid of old gadgets and tech will clear out some space in your office or home. If you cannot sell the gadgetry there are numerous outlets for recycling and proper disposal, such as program’s offered by BestBuy and Goodwill that will gladly take your old tech, both programs let you simply bring in the old tech and drop it off! Even Wal-Mart has a “Smartphone and Tablet Trade-In Program” to help deal with old gadgets, and their own electronics recycling program to deal with any and all manner of unwanted tech!

Given the above outlets for dealing with unwanted gadgets, and even turning the unwanted into the needed, a lack of time is not much of an excuse to leave that ever-growing pile of obsolete gadgetry in the corner of your home office or business space untouched for months at a time.

Are you a gadget hoarder? Share your experiences below!