How to make money from your old TV

Retailers and brands offer a range of discounts on new products if you bring in your old tech, but how much money can you expect if you trade in a TV?

Despite numerous adverts and Google's AI overview telling us there would be several retailers who'd take a TV off our hands, the reality proved far more difficult.

As much as I'm still happy with my six-year-old OLED, I took to the internet to try and see how much I could get if I wanted to trade it in.

Our list of the best TVs is the perfect place to start putting a shortlist together.

Which retailers offer trade-in money for your old TV?

Most of the big retailers have some kind of trade-in offer, but I soon encountered some significant problems trying to trade in my telly.

AO

I didn't get off to a very good start with AO. Its trade-in page explains that you need to add a product you want to buy and select the trade-in option at checkout. AO will then pick up your old TV and knock some money off the new one. 

The problem was, I couldn't find any TVs to buy with the trade-in option. You can't filter for it and after checking numerous models from 2025 and 2026 just to be sure, I never saw the trade-in checkbox.

So, I had a look at washing machines instead and finally found some with the option to trade in an old appliance. Unfortunately, it has to be like for like, so you'd need to trade in a washing machine to get money off a new one. Hopefully AO has some trade-in options for TVs at some point, but there's nothing at the time of writing.

Currys

Currys has the most fleshed-out offer and it's one of the few retailers that will give you an estimate based on the tech you're trading in.

The problem is, TVs aren't an option for trade-in. Smaller tech items, such as phones, laptops and tablets, can be though, so if you've got one of those lying around you can trade it in.

You can send your device to Currys or bring it to the store for checking. If it's eligible you'll receive money into your account five days later. If you bring it to the store, Currys will give you a voucher instead.

Richer Sounds

After having no joy with AO and Currys, I was heartened by Richer Sounds' more open-ended approach. To get the ball rolling, I filled out a form with the thing I wanted to buy and the thing I wanted to trade in for it. 

I told Richer Sounds I wanted a 2026 LG OLED48G66LS and would trade in my 2020 LG OLED55BX6LB. An email or phone call would follow 24 hours later.

My initial optimism was crushed when I was told TVs couldn't be accepted for trade-in. The story doesn't end there, though. An email from a London Richer Sounds branch told me they'd take £130 off the cost of the TV anyway, so it pays to ask and there seems to be some franchise discretion.

I still haven't managed to offload my lovely old(ish) TV though.

John Lewis

I was given the option to search for a device to trade in and get a quote, but, alas, TVs were not an option.

It seems as though, for retailers at least, the prospect of having a warehouse of TVs to inspect, resell or recycle is simply too big an undertaking.

If you've got something smaller to trade-in though, such as a laptop or phone, John Lewis will take it off your hands.

We rate retailers on their customer service, delivery, returns experience and more, so buy your TV from one of our top-rated tech and appliance retailers.

Which brands offer trade-in money for your old TV?

After trawling the terms and conditions of retailers, I switched to brands and finally found one willing to take my TV.

Samsung

The instructions on Samsung's trade-up page explains that you add the TV you want to buy to your basket, select 'recycling' at checkout and you can then put in your old TV's model name and you'll see how much you'll get. It doesn't work that way though, and the process was painful.  

In fact, what you have to do is find a TV that's part of the trade up scheme and only then will you have an option to get money off your purchase. There's no way to filter by eligible TVs and it appears that only Samsung's most high-end sets qualify.

Interestingly, the amount you'll get for your old TV depends on the model you want to buy as well as what you're trading in. I was offered £300 off the price of an MRE65R95H, but only £150 off one of Samsung's Frame TVs. How much you get for your TV also depends on its size and brand.

LG  

Unless you're buying a washing machine, fridge freezer or computer monitor you then can't trade in your TV with LG currently.

That's because LG requires a like for like exchange and currently doesn't have any TV options.

There can be major differences between TV brands when it comes to reliability, fault rates and customer satisfaction. We rate them, so you can see the best TV brands. 

How to get money for your old TV

Four retailers, two brands and only one prepared to give me some money for my old TV. Disappointing, but there are ways to make money on an old TV.

Online marketplaces for local deals – assuming your TV is still in good working order, it shouldn't be too hard to shift in on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree. You're not going to get anywhere near what you paid for it, but if you just want a few notes in your pocket and a media unit ready for something new, then posting an ad is a good idea. Whoever buys the TV will probably pick it up, too.

Most retailers charge you to collect and dispose of your old TV when they deliver a new one, so you're saving money there as well.

eBay – possibly the best chance of getting the most money for an old TV is eBay, though it does involve extra hassle. Here people can bid on the item, but you can also add a 'buy it now' price and a reserve to make sure your 75-inch TV doesn't sell for a fiver. You'll probably need to post it (unless you select collection only as a delivery option), so you should look up the cost of this first, and ideally you'll have kept the original packaging.

CeX - these stores are franchises and not all allow you to trade-in TVs, but there are a few available online. Since CeX is a second-hand store, it means someone must be trading them in somewhere. 

The TVs are mostly on the smaller side (43 inches and under) and you can make decent money if you trade in. The closest TV I could find to my OLED55BX6LB I was trying to offload was the 48-inch OLED48B46LA from 2024, which CeX would give you £184 for.

Since not all stores will accept TVs, particularly larger ones, it's worth checking before bringing yours in. 

How to recycle your old TV

As with any tech, it's important you don't just take it to a skip – some materials inside release toxic chemicals into the ground and some of the rarer materials can be used again.

• Donate it to charity - this is handy because it can even be collected in some cases. The British Heart Foundation will collect a TV that's in good working order. Don't donate anything with faults, even small ones, and make sure you've factory reset it first. Some charities, such as Sue Ryder, will only accept PAT-tested tech, which you're unlikely to have at home.
  
• Have it collected - most retailers give the option to have the old one taken away when a new one is delivered. You typically need to pay for it.
• Take it to a recycling point - go to recycle your electricals and put in your postcode to find your nearest recycling point. Recycle your electricals also shows you if there's anywhere local where you can donate a TV in good working order, as well as some repair centres if it's not.