Most of us have a trail of old cell phones, computers and other gadgets in our nerd wake. Personally, I have several old cell phones that I personally have no use for any longer. And I just added another one to the list now that I switched to the Iphone 3G.

What do we do with these things? My closet is full of old hardware I have no use for.

There are things you can do with these things.

ReThink With Ebay

When you first hear the word Ebay, your first thought is likely to throw your phone up for auction and sell it. That is, of course, a possibility. You might not get much for the phone, but in some cases you can do really well selling your old phone on Ebay.

But, Ebay also has something called the Rethink Initiative. Rethink is backed by Intel and involves the recycling programs of many different manufacturers. And while Ebay would love for you to sell your phone on Ebay, Rethink includes information on other ways to get rid of it including trade-in programs, local charities as well as local drop-off points.

Rethink also lists out links to the recycling programs of major retailers and manufacturers. You can also get an appraisal for your phone to see what it is worth.

Sell It on Gazelle

Gazelle is another way to get rid of your old cell phone (among other things). They will outright buy your phone from you for it’s market value. If you choose to sell it, you choose how you want to be paid (check, Paypal or donation to charity). They’ll send you a postage-paid box which you can ship the phone to them and get paid.

I plugged in my old Palm Treo 700W (which I replaced with the Iphone 3G) and, as you can see above, I was offered $53 for  it. This, for the record, was about what I was seeing it go for on Ebay.

You Don’t Have To Keep It

There are ways. You can sell it, donate it or trade it in. The above options are two, internet-based ways to do it.