Later this year trade2save.com, will be launched, an altogether different consumer electronics e-retailer, whose primary aim is to reduce emissions from consumer electronics, gaming and DVDs. So how does an electronics and gaming e-retailer expect to make a difference?

CEO Chris Whittome explains, “Consumers are buying more electronics goods like iPods and cell phones than ever and this appetite is growing exponentially. 10 years ago, you might have expected a camera to last a consumer 7 or 8 years.

Today, most are upgraded after just 1 or 2 years. Add this diminished life cycle trend to cell phones, iPods, computing etc and it’s no wonder that China will be churning out 12 billion tons of greenhouse gases each year by 2030, much of it attributable to consumer electronics manufacturing.” Waste created by consumer electronics cast offs is also the fastest growing hazard in the third world.

“When you buy something new instead of pre-owned, it means that 1 extra product (via demand) is manufactured. In turn, if, after regular use, you keep it in a draw instead of trading it in, it doesn’t give another person the opportunity to buy it pre-owned… buy and trading pre-owned increase the lifecycle of a product by 5 times or more…”

Guarantees will put an end to the fear of buying pre-owned

Trade2save sees buying pre-owned electronics as the most productive and appealing way for consumers to upgrade while also reducing their carbon footprint.

Denis Ramirez, Head of Technology, is an avid electronics consumer himself. Says Ramirez, “We all want the latest gadgets, but many consumers are reluctant to buy pre-owned because they can’t be certain of the seller or the product’s condition, plus there’s no warranty if the device malfunctions. Let’s face it, at some point we’ve all been burned by a negative eBay experience….

trade2save.com tests all the products they buy and guarantees everything we sell. We also sell in grades so that customers can be sure of the condition of their purchase – like new, very good or good - so a customer trading in his iPod can trade it in for a ‘like new’ iPhone with a 1 year store guarantee which costs less than retail. Plus he’ll be saving significantly more if he traded something else in too.”Trade2save.com hopes that with these assurances, traditional fears about pre-owned products will be tamed, enabling consumers who would normally buy new every time to significantly reduce their carbon footprint.

As Whittome notes, “… manufacturing a cellphone produces 60kg of CO2 emissions and a laptop produces five times this much. (This doesn’t include shipping implications or the waste produced afterwards). Trading it means someone else will buy it pre-owned instead of new, reducing the carbon footprint of the product at both ends.”

Trade2save.com will stock all the latest cellphones, electronics, console gaming platforms and movies pre-owned. “Because we pay high prices and keep our margins low, we’ll always have the latest stuff” says Whittome. “We don’t have an expensive retail store to run, so in addition to slashing our margins, we can provide free shipping too in most cases.”

“Consumers have got to start taking responsibility for their purchases – they’ve got to realize that buying an iPod, laptop or games console counts towards their personal carbon footprint and no one else’s. We’ve got to get personal and get personal now!”

Green Points to give incentive to buy and sell pre-ownedTrade2save will also be launching an eco-incentive scheme called Green Points to reward consumers for reducing their carbon footprint. Customers will typically get one point for every dollar they buy or trade. Products with a high carbon footprint will get more. Customers will be able to access their own carbon footprint totals online, showing the amount of carbon emissions they’ve saved since trading at trade2save.com. Says Ramirez, “Reducing your carbon footprint should be engaging and tangible – so seeing your own total increasing in black and white will really bring home the whole point of this enterprise.

Top traders will receive prizes and be eligible for bonus points and savings. As Whittome notes, “The corporate world has been using loyalty schemes to save them money for years… we’ll be taking the same approach with the individual consumer to help save the planet.”