The universe of unwanted, valuable consumer electronics is probably quite small. The universe of unwanted goods whose resale value is less than the cost of disposal is pretty huge.
Add to that the huge risk of tying up capital in worthless electronics and I see this one as pretty risky.
But it might just be how ebay will have to go - small seperate communities.
> The universe of unwanted, valuable consumer electronics is probably quite small.
Spend some time exploring Ebay and Craigslist and you'll see that it's bigger than you might assume. People are exchanging a lot of consumer electronics, and for nontrivial dollar amounts. And not only the newest stuff.
As for worrying about disposal costs, I think that's unrealistic for any device that isn't actually broken. Show my any working computer or phone and I can guarantee you there's a non-negative price at which somebody will take it off your hands.
This is a case of tech-world myopia. Lots of people either don't care about or can't afford the hottest tech. An 18-month-old smart phone or two-year-old laptop still affords quite a lot of value. Which is why you'll see hundreds of them changing hands in the various marketplaces.
Add to that the huge risk of tying up capital in worthless electronics and I see this one as pretty risky.
But it might just be how ebay will have to go - small seperate communities.