EcoATM Experience

One of the many adventures that comes with this sabbatical is moving out of our apartment. As I have lived here for four years and Brandon for two years, we have accumulated some stuff that we now need to part with. In the process of sorting into Goodwill, recycle, dump, and save piles we discovered we had six old cellphones to dispose of. Yes. Six. I suppose it's not that surprising. When you buy a new one, you usually keep the old one for a back up. Then that new one eventually becomes the back up and either you're too lazy to figure out what to do with the old back up phone or you can't remember where you've stored it...and eventually...you end up with the shame of six old phones. 

I googled what to do with our old phones and came across information about ecoATM, a kiosk which allows you to scan and sell your old phones for cash. It turns out there's one located in the Rivertown Mall, so we decided to experiment with the machine and see if we could make enough money to spring for an Orange Julius and Auntie Anne's pretzel (both are weaknesses of Brandon's that can incidentally be used as bribery to shop for new jeans when needed). 

We found the ecoATM in the food court near the China Max and drew our cellphones out of our plastic bag feeling very sketchy. The ecoATM was not sketchy however. It required a driver's license and thumbprint scan to protect against any potential phone theft for immediate cash. We then followed the multiple prompts and worked thru the very lengthy process of selling our phones. And, the result?...drumroll, please...$0. Yep. Our phones were too old to have any market value. Not a surprise to us, because none were even smartphones. But, still a disappointment with the tantalizing possibility of an Orange Julius and pretzel waiting in the wings. The ecoATM allowed us to donate and recycle the phones and chargers, so we still felt like the experience was worthwhile. 

Since we had saved the environment from our six phones and saved the world several times in the past few days in Pandemic (our current favorite board game), we felt justified in still purchasing that Orange Julius and pretzel. We walked around the mall enjoying our well-earned prize, and we didn't even have to shop for jeans!