Ingram Micro Offers Credit for Recycling Cell Phones, Ink

Ingram Micro VARs can dispose of customers’ cell phones and printer cartridges as an added service, and earn credit to boot.

Ingram Micro Outlet/Recycle is designed to provide a streamlined process for resellers to toss customers used cell phones, ink and laser printer and fax cartridges, an added service for the end-user and an extra toward credit with the distributor, Ingram said in a statement.

It is “a smart, simple and free way for our solution providers to add more value in the eyes of their customers and supplement their revenues by recycling the technology they sell and service,” said Justin Crotty, vice president of Ingram Micro North America’s services division.

“By leveraging our scale and investing time and resources up front, we’ve made it easy and even profitable for our solution providers…”

Similar to Refresh IT, Ingram’s trade-in program for used but working technology, registered VARs qualify products for Outlet/Recycle and credit on a Web site and then ship qualified items to Ingram’s Cartridge Return Center in prepaid boxes or through pallet pick-up.

Refresh IT refurbishes products and sends them back to market either as parts for manufacture or as reconditioned products.

Some VARs, looking to save money for their customers, have sought out Refresh IT and other programs such as Network Liquidators, a private firm that buys and sells used and working network equipment, to source products.