When a district rolls out a major tech refresh, the process is already stressful enough: tight timelines, limited staff, and thousands of devices moving in and out of buildings.
That’s exactly why implementation partners love to say:
“Don’t worry about the old devices… we’ll haul them off for a small credit.”
It sounds convenient. It feels like one less thing on your plate.
But districts routinely lose 30–70% of the real market value of their outgoing devices by accepting these bundled “buyback” offers.
And in many cases, the vendor offering that “courtesy” is quietly turning around and selling your devices at a significant profit—all because you never got a competitive ITAD quote.
At Tech Reboot, we’ve seen this play out in K–12 districts, municipalities, and enterprise environments nationwide. And the fix is simple: separate your implementation partner from your device disposition partner.
One invoice, one vendor… and one very low price.
Implementation companies that install new hardware often include “recycling” or “trade-in” in their proposal. But think about it:
So they offer a flat, low per-device credit to make life easier for you—and much more profitable for them.
Because they have secondary resale channels that districts never see:
While they’re offering you $5–$15 a device, they may be recapturing 3–6× that amount after refurbishing, harvesting parts, or remarketing equipment you assumed had no value.
It’s not “wrong,” but it’s certainly not in your best interest.
A real ITAD partner, like Tech Reboot, uses:
Providers like SEAM Services and others publish transparent ITAD frameworks. That’s the benchmark districts should expect, not a mystery number baked into an installation proposal.
A district refreshes 5,000 aging Chromebooks. The installer offers:
$10 per device → $50,000 credit.
Sounds easy, right?
Until you compare it to what the devices are actually worth.
A realistic resale distribution for K–12 Chromebooks:
After processing and channel fees, districts commonly net ~$40 per device through an independent partner.
That’s: 5,000 devices × $40 = $200,000 returned to the district.
Compare that to the $50,000 vendor credit…
You just lost $150,000.
What vendors never mention is that they also benefit from undervaluing:
Tech Reboot’s ITAD resource hubs confirm the resale and recovery potential of these categories. Schools often give away value simply because they don’t ask what the equipment is worth.
Totally understandable. When you’re managing deployment, imaging, asset tagging, training, and logistics, adding “dispose of 5,000 devices properly” to the list feels impossible.
That’s exactly why vendors bake in a “solution” that works in their favor.
Many districts assume:
“If the devices need certified data destruction, they’re probably worthless.”
Not true.
Secure data destruction and maximum value recovery go hand-in-hand when handled properly.
Districts issue RFPs for new devices but rarely issue RFPs for the old devices.
When only one party controls the process, they also control the price.
When ITAD is broken out as its own category:
The more channels your ITAD partner uses, the more value the district recovers:
Industry reports consistently show that multi-channel remarketing increases recovery value 25–60%.
A professional ITAD partner should offer:
That’s standard at Tech Reboot, not an upcharge.
Even if you love your installation vendor, get a second opinion on disposition.
Districts consistently uncover 5×–10× higher value simply by asking.
ITAD industry bodies recommend these questions as standard due diligence.
If they can’t answer confidently, walk away.
Districts that separate implementation and ITAD are seeing dramatic improvements:
When ITAD becomes strategic, not an afterthought, you unlock budget you didn’t know you had.
Before signing any technology refresh agreement:
A 10-minute review could save, or recover, six figures.
Yes. Installation vendors can still handle deployment, cabling, imaging, cart setup, and onsite services while Tech Reboot handles the old hardware.
Most districts do this already—it’s completely normal.
Absolutely. Even districts with 300–1,000 devices regularly see thousands in recovered value. And every district benefits from proper data destruction and compliance, regardless of fleet size.
Use a transparent ITAD quote as a financial planning tool.
IT can focus on logistics and compliance, while finance can clearly see:
This avoids surprise shortfalls or last-minute decisions during deployment.
Tech Reboot still handles them securely. We:
Even non-resellable assets have liability, and we eliminate that risk.
Phone: (770) 670-5627
Tech Reboot is a trusted nationwide IT asset disposition (ITAD) partner specializing in value recovery, data security, and environmentally responsible electronics management for K–12 districts, enterprises, and government agencies.