Turning Old Routers Into a Discount on Better WiFi

I turned an old Google Wifi router into a surprisingly large discount on a new eero Pro 6E setup by stacking Best Buy trade-in promotions with a price match, and it completely changed how I look at upgrading old tech.

If you're anything like me, you've probably accumulated a small graveyard of old tech over the years. Devices that aren't worth enough to sell, but not quite useless enough to throw away either. So they end up sitting in drawers, closets, and storage bins: old routers, random accessories, and mystery power adapters all living out their days in a retirement community for electronics.

I had held onto my first-generation Google Wifi setup well past its prime, but with an upcoming upgrade to a 1Gb fiber internet connection, I knew it was finally time to move on to something better. That's when I stumbled across Best Buy's networking trade-in promotions.

Trading In Tech You Thought Was Worthless

Some older devices simply don't have much resale value anymore, especially aging networking gear. Once you factor in the time spent creating listings, answering messages, and dealing with lowball offers, selling locally can quickly become more trouble than it's worth. Trade-in promotions eliminate a lot of that friction. Instead of trying to squeeze every possible dollar out of old hardware, you can apply it toward something newer and better.

The Deal That Sold Me

I had already been considering upgrading my home network. Between the streaming devices, gaming handhelds, smart home gadgets, and laptops, the modern home is basically a tiny data center, and apparently I’m the unpaid network administrator for all of it. To handle that digital traffic, I decided on the eero Pro 6E 3-pack.

Rather than letting my old Google Wifi routers continue aging gracefully in a drawer, I traded one in through a Best Buy promotion. What made the deal especially worthwhile was being able to combine the trade-in promotion with a Best Buy price match against an Amazon sale. That combination lowered the final upgrade cost far more than I expected. On their own, most trade-in values honestly aren't that exciting. But when combined with active sales and price matching, the savings can become surprisingly substantial.

Stacking Discounts

This is the part I think a lot of people overlook. Best Buy trade-in promotions can often be combined with:

• Existing Best Buy sales
• Competitor price matching

That stacking effect is what transforms these programs from a small recycling credit into a genuinely useful upgrade strategy. If you already keep an eye on tech sales, adding a trade-in on top can make upgrading feel much less painful financially. This is especially true for networking gear, where many of us tend to keep hardware far longer than we probably should.

Are Best Buy Trade-In Promotions Worth It?

For me, absolutely. I wouldn't use trade-ins for every device. Some products still make more sense to sell privately if they retain strong resale value. But for aging routers, accessories, printers, or miscellaneous hardware, these promotions are surprisingly effective. The biggest takeaway for me was realizing the real magic happens when you combine multiple discounts together. That's when the savings actually get compelling. And as someone who has spent years accumulating random hardware, it's incredibly satisfying seeing an old router turn into a discount on a new system instead of sitting in a box collecting dust.

Other Trade-In Promotions Worth Checking

Some other Best Buy promotions worth keeping an eye currently include:

• Laptops and desktops
• Printers
• Smart home devices
• Battery backups
• Xbox consoles
• Accessories

If you already have old tech collecting dust around the house, it may be worth checking whether any of it can help offset your next upgrade. You might be surprised what that forgotten box of aging electronics is still good for.