Where can I sell used radios

[KE8GPY]

I work as a security officer for a major corporation here in Ohio. My manager put me in charge of our radio system, both obtaining and maintaining new radios for our team. Back in 2019 I was able to upgrade a portion of our radios from Motorola XPR6550s to XPR7550e. We retained the old radios and ended up lending them out to our facilities team. The faculties team has budgeted to get their team new XPR7550e radios to bring them in line with our team. Once they do this we will have between 25 and 40 of the old style radios, I know we have some that are dead, that we will just have sitting around in the closet. My manager has asked me if there is a way to sell them to recouped some money in to the budge. We are not sure if corporate would be down with the Fleebay rout and our local radio store has said they are not doing trade-ins or purchasing used radios. Does anyone know where I could liquidate the old radios?

 

[prcguy]

Ebay.

 

[N1XDS]

Like what PRCGuy already said Ebay for the best option or you can join a Motorola Facebook for sale group to post the radios there as well but be ready for people to ask lot of questions like where the radios come from, how they were used and other questions.

 

[mmckenna]

Sell Two Way Radios, Sell Portable Radios | Used Radios

At Used Radios, we sell two way radios and we sell portable radios. We carry top brands such as Motorola, Kenwood, Harris, Vertex, Thales, Tait, and Icom.

used-radios.com

I've purchased used radios from these guys before. It's a reputable company, Sunny Communications. They'll buy the entire lot at once and you won't have to deal with flakey e-bay buyers. One check for your accounts receivable office to deal with, which will probably only translate into one headache, instead of 40 individual headaches.

 

[clbsquared]

Honestly, the best place to sell them is going to be on some of the Facebook groups like two way radio trader, or Motorola buy sell trade, etc. You will be able to reach a larger number of people at one time.

 

[mass-man]

Kinda depends on how much work you wanna put into getting rid of them. The classified ads here work...FB Marketplace certainly works in my area. QTH.com is good if you wan to concentrate on selling to hams.
I too have had bought radios from Sunny and it was a good experience....the prospect of one check, one outbound shipping effort would appeal to me if I was getting rid of stuff!!!

 

[Giddyuptd]

Don't forget to fully de program the old ones back a bare basic codepkug without any data at all on your system. There is some who seek equipment with the information out there still. If secure equipped remove said keys as well from the radios.

 

[vagrant]

I agree with mmckenna on used-radios.com, but you may get more cash for the whole lot or individually if you sell the working radios on QRZ.com to hams. Items move pretty quick on QRZ.

 

[HavenBTS]

I run a nonprofit organization in New Jersey and we need some handhelds for our Outreach team. Can you send me a PM?

 

[prcguy]

QRZ is/was a great place to sell but they have gone to a paid subscription for sellers along with some other sites. One of the few remaining free radio selling sites is QTH.com. They don't get as much exposure as QRZ but at least its still free for sellers. Ebay is still the most effective selling tool due to the massive audience if you can deal with their fees, charging tax and starting next year they will be reporting all your sales to the IRS as income.

I agree with mmckenna on used-radios.com, but you may get more cash for the whole lot or individually if you sell the working radios on QRZ.com to hams. Items move pretty quick on QRZ.

 

[mmckenna]

Don't forget to fully de program the old ones back a bare basic codepkug without any data at all on your system. There is some who seek equipment with the information out there still. If secure equipped remove said keys as well from the radios.

This. Absolutely this. Amazing how many radios get dumped with programming fully intact and encryption keys still loaded.

Remember, these radios can end up in your own town, and now you've given some random dude on e-Bay full access to your radio system to use as a "really cool CB radio system" for him and his hunting buddies.

 

[mmckenna]

Does anyone know where I could liquidate the old radios?

Obviously talk to your management about this to see how they want to handle it. Check with Accounts Receivable and the accounting people. I've found in many cases it's easier to e-waste the radios than to try and sell them. You may still get some good money for these, but when I ended up with a few hundred MTS2000's, and the market was flooded due to rebanding, it was cheaper/easier to wipe their programming and dump them in the e-waste bin. The hassle we go through at work trying to sell old equipment can be nightmarish, as everyone involved wants a cut of the income, and the paperwork to do it will drive you nuts.
Hopefully your employer has procedures for doing this that makes life easier.

 

[mass-man]

The way we've been getting rid of old radios and other wireless RF stuff is for me to sell it, and the cash goes into the engineering kitty for summer cookouts, a retirement party for the transmitter engineer, Halloween and Christmas decorations and branded jackets for the staff. I just got started with the pile, no telling what next year will bring!
All of it went on either FB Marketplace, QTH.COM or a couple of other radio related www sites.

 

[mmckenna]

The way we've been getting rid of old radios and other wireless RF stuff is for me to sell it, and the cash goes into the engineering kitty for summer cookouts, a retirement party for the transmitter engineer, Halloween and Christmas decorations and branded jackets for the staff. I just got started with the pile, no telling what next year will bring!
All of it went on either FB Marketplace, QTH.COM or a couple of other radio related www sites.

That's pretty sweet. I work for the gubmint, and that sort of stuff would get me fired, drawn, quartered, hung, firing squad, gas chamber, electric chair, followed by lethal injection, and probably a reprimand on my "permanent record". Then I'd have to sit through some awful training all day to talk about it. Then they'd hire me back and fire me again for good measure.

At one point we used to save copper wire and use it for parties, but some bean counter found out and threw an absolute screaming hissy fit. Now it has to go to a central recycling point and given to a recycling service for free.

 

[RodStrong]

Plus 1 for Sunny Communications. i don't think I've ever sold to them, but I've bought dozens of radios from them over the years, and had plenty repaired. Bought 4 XPR mobiles from them earlier this month actually....

 

[KE8GPY]

Thanks for all the responses. I was asked by my manager, who is beholden to the corporate overlords, to see if there were options out there since the local radio shop is not taking trade ins. Most likely they will end up in the e-waste with all the trashed computers and other e-waste. It will still be several months before we are actually ready to dispose of the radios as we were told 12 to 15 weeks ( and I could see more) lead time to get radios. I was already planning to have them wiped when the technician comes to update and do preventative maintenance on our system.

 

[FFPM571]

the market is flooded with first gen Trbo radios... Ewaste them dont even bother with deprogramming them.. Run them through with a 1/2 " drill bit throw them in the bin

 

[MTS2000des]

Can't emphasize wiping them if you do plan to sell them. Otherwise as FFPM571 says, drill em, or hit the battery contacts with an Astron RS-35M or some similar high current way overvolt DC supply. Keep it there until it starts to let the magic smoke out

 

[AM909]

...hit the battery contacts with an Astron RS-35M or some similar high current way overvolt DC supply. Keep it there until it starts to let the magic smoke out

Does that work? I'd think there'd be a fuse and crowbar that would protect the smoke.

 

[MTS2000des]

it does on XTS5000s.