Below is an email that I received from one of our customers after they recently upgraded their phone system to a new Avaya Partner ACS. The customer, Carey asked an interesting question about selling used telecom equipment. This is something that we often are asked and I thought our blog readers might be interested in learning our response.
“Good Afternoon Chris, if we were to sell our old system on Craig’s List what would be a reasonable asking price be? Hope all is well.” Thanks, Care
Carey, Unfortunately, with the large amount of businesses that have recently gone under, the used equipment market is flooded. As a result, you will probably not get the same asking price that you would have a year or so ago. After asking our other customers how they “recycle” their used equipment, the best route seemed to be the utilization of eBay. While Craigslist allows you to list your ad for free, the potential customer base is limited by geographic area.
If you post phones individually or in groups of 2-5, you will usually get a higher asking price then as a package of everything. This is because we have found most people do not want to buy a whole system, they are just looking to add or replace a few phones to a system that they already have. You can anticipate a sale price of approximately $25.00-$70.00 per phone depending on brand, condition, model, features, and the age of the phone – if you can find the right buyer.
I would recommend trying to sell the voicemail and control unit under a separate auction/ad from the phones. Your asking price on this will vary a lot depending on the exact brand and configuration that you have. This is because most phone systems are modular in design and can contain several different cards. It might be a good idea to do a little research on your particular configuration and inventory the part numbers of each module. I would then try to find a comparable system online and price yours to sell by possibly offering free shipping or a short warranty to differentiate your ad from others. Oftentimes dealers will be interested in purchasing the control unit and voicemail, as they can break it down and resell individual modules to their customers. I would not be concerned by this, and would just recommend that you do your research upfront so you get a fair price for your phone system.
I hope this information helps, please give me a call if you have any additional questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued patronage of Teltek!
Sincerely,
Chris Nicoli
Teltek is a second generation, family owned and operated telecommunications integrator and certified Avaya Business Partner and NEC Dealer. Our knowledgeable staff specializes in current Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), digital, hybrid, and key telephone systems in the small to mid-sized market place. We distinguish ourselves by offering one-stop service and bundling a large variety of products and services such as: communications architecture and consulting, unified messaging, mobility solutions, voice and data cabling, and local, long distance & internet brokerage services. Serving Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania and other surrounding areas, trust Teltek to coordinate your next phone system repair, cabling project, system installation and office relocation.
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