Turn Your Trash Into Cash

Stop picking the spinach from your teeth with that unredeemed gift card and using that old MP3 player as a paperweight. There's cash to be had for your cast-offs -- even if it's just $40 for an early-generation iPhone or 70% of the value for the remaining balance on a gift card.

There's a market for everything and a place to hawk it to the highest bidder. Here's a brief rundown of services to use if you want to turn your trash into cash.

Old Electronics and Other Gadgets

Most of us have a veritable gadget graveyard somewhere in our home. (Attention, Smithsonian curators: I recently unearthed a stack of 5 1/4-inch floppy discs at the bottom of a closet.) Clear up some drawer space and get some cash.

Gazelle.com, which buys cell phones, digital cameras, camcorders, portable hard drives, and more, says that on average, it pays its customers $115 for their unwanted electronic doodads. Recently, a BlackBerry Pearl 8110 fetched $90 at Gazelle.com, and the 8830 World Edition was worth $29 to $36. Another spot to check is BuyMyTronics.com, which will buy some cell phones (definitely iPhones), PDAs, and game consoles. Payment comes via PayPal, a check, or a Visa gift card once these services verify the condition and market value of your items.

Even retailers have gotten into the trade-in business. GameStop relies on used video games and game systems for a significant part of its business, while RadioShack and Costco have trade-in/recycling programs for everything from old computers to unwanted GPS devices. But instead of cash, you'll typically get store credit for your cast-offs.

Gift Cards

You might think they're duds, but gift cards can be worth, well, almost their face value to other folks. With billions of dollars of gift-card balances going unredeemed every year, it's no wonder there's a crop of services to help consumers offload them. You can auction the stuff off (Cardavenue.com), sell it outright (Giftcardbuyback.com), or swap it (Swapagift.com, PlasticJungle.com) for something you'd like better. You'll typically find a full menu of cards online from stores including Lowe's, Wal-Mart, and Cheesecake Factory, among dozens of others.

Don't expect to get full face value, though: Most of these sites pay out anywhere from 60% to 90% of face value. You can make sure that you get top dollar, though, by selling cards of hot retailers, in round dollar amounts, and with long (or no) expiration dates.

Some sites charge you a percentage of the final transaction, and others charge a flat fee. Balances must typically be at least $10 to be eligible for swapping, trading, or selling.

Unused Airline Miles or Points

At Points.com, you can swap, share, or redeem your unused rewards. If your points are spread around, you can even combine them so you can get something -- a gift certificate, song downloads, whatever -- before your points expire. LoyaltyMatch.com is another place to swap your miles or points or get cash for them. Another option is to donate your miles to a cause. Many organizations are set up to facilitate this transaction directly.

Oddball, Unusual, and Limited-Appeal Stuff

To get top dollar for your collectibles and other items that might not have mass appeal, eBay is still the obvious first choice. You don't even need to go through the hassle of setting yourself up as a merchant. Simply take the treasures from your attic to an eBay drop-off location, and the folks there will conduct the transaction from start to finish for you -- for a fee, of course. At the other end of the spectrum is craigslist.com, a digital town crier where you can list, for free, the stuff you want to sell.

Clean Out the Attic This Weekend

There are plenty of other places to sell your unwanted stuff. Consider the following:

• Consignment shops are great for designer-label clothing that's in good condition.
• Jewelry stores or pawnshops are good for that gold rope chain you sported in the '80s. You can sell it off for its value in scrap.
• Children's consignment shops are a popular way to get at a little money for those toys, clothes, and strollers that your little one has outgrown.

When Fool.com writer Dayana Yochim finally gets around to cleaning out the basement, she'll pawn her vinyl (that's slang for "record albums," kids) and her turntable. She doesn't own any of the stocks mentioned here. Costco and eBay are Inside Value and Stock Advisor recommendations. Wal-Mart is an Inside Value pick, and GameStop is a Stock Advisor selection. The Fool's disclosure policy plays that funky music.