8 Steps to Maximize the Resale Value of Your IT Assets

A key consideration for most ITAD programs is the desire to maximize the value return on end-of-service IT assets. While each ITAD provider takes a different approach to remarketing, most use a combination of direct and wholesale channels to sell assets for the most money in the least amount of time. While market conditions ultimately determine the final selling price, here are nine steps you can take to help ensure you receive the highest possible recovery value for your assets.  

1. Shorten your refresh cycle – The newer the asset, the higher the value. Not only will you realize higher recovery values on retired assets by refreshing on a shorter cycle – and thus selling newer equipment – but your support costs will go down and your users will reap the benefit of using newer systems. While service and support costs for notebooks nearly double from year three to year four, resale prices steadily decrease as the systems age.   See Depreciation, Maintenance, and the Three-Year Asset Refresh Cycle for more information on the impact of refresh cycles.
 
2. Maintain equipment in good condition – IT assets have value; make sure your users treat them with that in mind and don’t unnecessarily damage or neglect them when they’re no longer needed. While your ITAD partner can often repair systems, the less work they need to perform to get them in shape for resale the higher value recovery you’ll receive.
   
   
 
3. Don’t sit on decommissioned assets – Once you’ve removed assets from service, get them to your ITAD partner as soon as possible so they don’t depreciate in value while in storage. Having a regularly scheduled ITAD pickup – or an on-demand box program – can help make sure you’re getting your assets into the secondary market quickly.
 
4. Brand matters – The brand of computer you purchase has a significant impact on the resale value when it’s resold. Just as Toyota is known to retain a higher percentage of the initial purchase price than some other car manufacturer, brands like Apple and Lenovo typically see a higher resale value than computers from other companies. The upfront investment made in the initial purchase can yield higher returns during the disposition process.
 
5. Wipe, don’t destroy, hard drives – It goes without saying that an asset with a hard drive sells for more than one without. Unless your security policies require that drives be shredded or degaussed, you’ll realize a significant increase in resale values if you choose to sanitize the data with a hard drive overwriting process. ITAD providers can provide NSIT SP 800-88-compliant overwriting to ensure all data is removed without destroying the drive itself.   See Your Drives, Your Data, Your Decision for more information on how to make the decision between data erasure or data destruction.
 
6. Disable passwords and locking programs – Securing your asset while it’s in service is always a good idea, but your ITAD partner will not be able to resell the asset if security controls like Computrace, iCloud Lock, Find My iPhone, BIOS locks and passwords, carrier locks and other measures are active on the systems. Make sure to disable these prior to asset collection as well as remove any company data from the BIOS, including a boot flash screen.
 
7. Include all accessories and components – Assets that come with everything needed to operate them sell for more than incomplete ones so include all accessories with assets when sending them to your ITAD partner. The components most often missing include power cords, batteries, and memory. While your local IT team may think it wise to remove these components to have on hand for inventory, if they’re missing it will greatly reduce the price at which the asset will be able to be sold on the secondary market.
 
8. Use removable asset and anti-theft tags – Non-removable tags, including etching, may be a more secure way to mark and protect your assets, but they negatively impact resale value. When possible, apply asset tags and other identification that can be removed by your ITAD partner during the disposition process.

  Maximizing the resale value of your end-of-service assets is one of the best ways to reduce the overall cost of your ITAD program. At Ingram Micro, we believe value is enhanced by combining asset recovery and asset management options with deep ITAD industry experience and market knowledge. Our expert staff advises clients on optimal refresh cycles then determines market timing and appropriate resale channels to enhance maximum value recovery.   Connect with one of our resale experts today and let us be your guide to achieving the optimal return on your retired IT assets.