Wanted, Dead or Alive: Your old computers!
Got an old computer sitting in the closet, taking up space and gathering dust? Go green and recycle your old equipment for cash, and make sure the information doesn't end up in the wrong hands.
Don't throw away your old computers without making sure the data is going to be cleaned off the hard drive and the scrap will be recycled in a safe manner. Many recyclers sell their products to overseas processors, who depend on underpaid workers who are exposed to high levels of lead, cadmium, mercury and other dangerous heavy metals. These processors then dump what they don't want into landfills (or even the rivers!) without any concern for the pollution they cause or the risk to life they pose. This can lead to serious liability issues for larger companies that dispose of their equipment improperly.
Others often sell the components on the open market without any concern for what data may be on the drives. Deleting or formatting a hard drive does not erase the personal or confidential information from the drive, it only removes the index entry that tracks where that information is stored. Powerful forensics and data recovery software is a common tool of identity theives and the information on a hard drive can be recovered years after it has been deleted by traditional methods, even when the operating system promises that all data will be lost or all files will be deleted.
Items we buy for cash:
Please note that these prices are dependent upon the price of gold, which is currently on the decline. Call now for the best possible rates!
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Boards and Computers |
Rate |
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Motherboards, prepared with no steel or plastic |
up to $1.00 per pound |
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Motherboards, unprepared, with hex nuts, plastic, but no steel frames or brackets |
up to $0.75 per pound |
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PC Expansion Cards, controller cards, etc. prepared with no hanger brackets or hex nuts |
up to $1.00 per pound |
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PC Expansion Cards, controller cards, etc. unprepared with hanger brackets and hex nuts |
up to $0.75 per pound |
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Motherboards or expansion cards with gold fingers and edges removed |
up to $0.15 per pound |
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Gold finger trimmings removed from circuit boards |
up to $5.00 per pound |
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RAM: DDR, SDRAM, SIMMs, COAST modules, etc. gold or silver contacts |
up to $3.00 per pound |
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Mixed DIPs, DRAM, CMOS chips, certain other ICs removed from boards |
up to $1.00 per pound |
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Complete desktop computer case or tower computer case with all components intact |
up to $1.00 each |
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Complete laptop computer with all components intact |
up to $2.00 each |
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CPUs |
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Intel or AMD i186 or i286 flat gold bottom CPUs  |
up to $15.00 per pound |
Intel or AMD Ceramic 80286 / 80287 or 80386 / 80387 with gold bottom  |
up to $10.00 per pound |
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Ceramic Pentium / 586 with gold bottom |
up to $10.00 per pound |
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Ceramic Pentium / 586 with ceramic bottom |
up to $6.00 per pound |
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Ceramic CPU with shiny black metal bottom |
up to $4.00 per pound |
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Fiber PIII and Celeron CPU |
up to $3.50 per pound |
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Slot Processor prepared with no plastic or metal attached to board |
up to $2.00 per pound |
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Slot Processor unprepared with plastic case attached |
up to $1.00 per pound |
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AMD K5 / Aluminum top CPUs |
up to $1.25 per pound |
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Intel / AMD Ceramic Gold top / Gold Bottom CPUs |
up to $3.00 each |
Intel Pentium Pro Gold Top CPUs  |
up to $5.00 each |
IBM / Cyrix / Texas Instruments Gold Top CPUs  |
up to $1.50 each |
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P4 and newer multi-core processors |
varies |
Items we can process for free in any quantity:
Cables, hard drives, floppy drives, optical drives, tape drives, power supplies, empty computer cases, LCD monitors, keyboards, speakers, mice, scanners, accessories, stands, other miscellaneous computer related items.
Items we do not accept:
Computer monitors and CRTs other than working LCD monitors
Printers, multifunction printer/fax/scanners and dead UPS batteries or dead CMOS batteries, ink or toner cartridges
We recommend you consult with your trash hauler or local municipality for proper disposal of these items, which are considered hazardous "Universal Waste" in Maine. Most municipalities offer free disposal of these items on an annual basis for limited quantities. Computer monitors and printers often require special handling and may incur a fee depending on the quantity.
All of our electronic scrap is processed by licensed third-party processors in the continental US using modern facilities that ensure environmentally friendly handling of scrap electronics and compliance with all laws and regulations.
Free pickup of scrap computers in Central Maine can be arranged by calling 207-660-5625 or sending an email to recycle@tqf.us with a short description of the type and quantity of equipment to be picked up along with contact information. Larger quantities or ongoing commercial or industrial e-scrap recycling projects may also qualify for free pickup services.
Please call Norm at 207-660-5625 for a free consultation about removing your outdated computer equipment and while you're at it, ask him about your existing computer system and how he can help you get the most life out of it, or provide a plan for replacing those tired old computers with new ones.
TQF.US Computer Services has been serving central Maine since 1992!
TQF.US Computer Services offers a variety of options for removal of old computer equipment and electronic scrap recycling in an environmentally friendly manner that won't put your company or your data at risk. We offer free data scrubbing to strict military and government standards on all recycled computers from laptops to desktops and even servers and mainframe system. Our process ensures compliance with the laws and industry-specific regulations that protect the environment as well as the privacy of your clients or your personal files. Certificates are available for any companies that require them, showing the individual systems that were recycled and more importantly the destination of all of the resulting scrap. Video documentation of the data destruction is also available for a small fee if necessary. We are available for large quantity recycling and disposal projects in Maine including data center deinstallation and can obtain a fair market value for your used equipment in most cases.
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Reference and Services 
