How Aussies are making money with their old devices

Those with an old laptop or device collecting dust at home could be sitting on big bucks because the market for used goods has never been stronger.

New figures from Finder say 16 per cent of Australians have made money selling used goods online.

Melbourne couple Mitchell and Erin Miletic — also known as The Retro Rescuers — both quit their full-time jobs to buy and sell used goods online. 

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"I used to work in an abattoir, which obviously isn't a very fun job," Mr Miletic told A Current Affair. 

"I used to just do this for fun on the weekend. Used to put notices up on boards asking if people had any old video games or toys.

"It eventually snowballed and outweighed the regular day job."

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"I would say everything you have in your home is worth something. Don't throw anything in the bin," Mrs Miletic said. 

"The things that you have in your cupboard that you've stored away for so long, you can't buy them anymore."

The Retro Rescuers, who deal in 80s and 90s nostalgia, said they primarily use digital marketplaces like eBay and Facebook to sell their pre-loved goods.

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"We pretty much deal in nostalgia, is a great way of explaining what we do. Anything from the past," Mr Miletic said. 

At the start of the pandemic Mrs Miletic left her job to pursue her own side of the business — used homewares. 

"I thought why not just jump on board and kind of create my own niche in it too. And make the company bigger," she said. 

The Retro Rescuers have amassed quite the following online, with thousands of people interacting with them on Instagram and YouTube.

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They said an old phone sitting in a bottom drawer could be worth hundreds of dollars.

New statistics suggest Aussies are sitting on billions of dollars worth of unwanted devices.

According to eBay, it all could be worth about $6.4 billion.

The average price for an old iPhone is $400, with one phone selling on eBay every two minutes in Australia. 

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Tech company Reebelo, which specialises in refurbishing old technology like laptops and phones, said buying used products not only saved money, it also kept the planet in check. 

"You're not only saving money but you're also doing your bit to reduce the carbon footprint," Reebelo managing director Gulrez Tyebji said.

He told A Current Affair Reebelo will also buy back old devices. 

"A typical family would have two or three devices sitting in their drawer gathering dust — imagine the amount of value in those devices," he said. 

He said to be wary about buying devices through places like Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace as there were no quality checks in place.

"We work with vendors who take these devices through 40-plus checkpoints, make sure they're fully tested, data wiped, cleaned, and repackaged. And that's why we back it up with a 12-month warranty," Mr Tyebji said.

Used cars are also rising in popularity.

Online car yard Cars24 recently launched in Australia. 

"You've got a seven-day test period to figure out if it's the right match for you. If it's not we'll come and get it and give you a 100 per cent refund," Erin Williamson from Cars24 said.

Cars24 has officially set up shop in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide and are looking to expand to Canberra and Tasmania.