With new devices released every month and technology rapidly changing, it’s not uncommon to buy a new smartphone, tablet and/or computer every few years.
There is a strong resale market for used devices in Australia, so no matter how old the product, there is always someone willing to buy it. Our guide below takes you through the important steps to maximise resale value and to ensure that the purchaser cannot recover your information from the device.
Smartphone or Tablet
Whether using an Apple or Android device, there are a few steps you need to follow before selling or gifting your smartphone or tablet.
Unpair any connected products
If your smartphone or tablet is paired with any device, such as a smart watch, make sure your information from this device is no longer tied to the phone.
Back up and erase all content
Start by backing up all of your data. Once all your data is safe, you then need to go ahead and erase all the data from your smartphone. Guides have been provided for these steps here for Apple or Android.
Clean and polish
Smartphones and tablets attract a lot of dust, dirt and grime throughout their use and no matter how careful you are, every device needs a cleaning before sale.
Laptop/Desktop
Handing over your used computer can result in the loss of credit card information, web browser history you would like to keep private and sensitive documents. The steps to follow:
Back up your computer
Using an external back up device or online storage program such as Dropbox or Google, move and back up all relevant files you wish to keep. While there is an option to clone the partition or desk of your computer using a program such as MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition, starting fresh is the advised option.
Shred your files
Instead of deleting your files through the normal recycle bin process, download a program such as AVG Anti-Virus and use the shred function to ensure these files are deleted and overridden on the system.
Reformat your computer
To fully delete all the information from your computer, you will need to reinstall the operating system.
Clean your computer
Follow our simple five step process to fully clean your computer making it ready for sale.
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