Study: Average U.S. home has $264 worth of unwanted tech

PROVIDENCE – The average U.S. household could get rid of unwanted tech items worth $264 – adding up to over $33 billion of unused technology across the nation, according to a study by Decluttr.com.

Decluttr.com, a buyback site for unwanted tech devices such as outdated smartphones, CDs and video games, reported that 58 percent of people have not one, or two, but three unused cellphones in their homes. The most common types are Samsung, Apple and LG devices, according to Decluttr.com.

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But this holding on to old technology may not always be a case of forgetting, or laziness or hoarding.

According to the study, 32 percent of those surveyed wanted to keep unused tech devices like cellphones as backup in case their current phone breaks. Twenty-nine percent were nervous about personal information on their old devices getting into the wrong hands, according to Decluttr.com.

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Some of the top traded-in items and their values, according to the company, include the Xbox One 1TB, $115; the PlayStation 4 1TB, $150; and the iPhone 8 64GB for $402.

The study also found that, on average, Americans spend just over $531 on new tech items every year.

Susan Shalhoub is a PBN contributing writer.