If you read Lifehacker, you're probably interested in tech, which means that statistically speaking, you'll likely upgrade your electronics more often than most people. You probably also have people in your life that are the exact opposite, who are still holding on to the Motorola RAZR (not the Android one) and the original Amazon "snowspeeder" Kindle. Seems like your old, leftover tech might be a good match for one of these people, right? Maybe!
If you're the giver
On the surface, it's a straightforward proposition. Rather than selling my unwanted gear, I'm giving it to you, because what you're currently using is worse, and I want you to enjoy using your phone/computer/camera more. Everything makes sense logically until you account for the fact that we're humans, and we don't always think logically. Let's get in the mind of the other person for a second.
For example, I recently gave my wife my old iPhone 4 after I upgraded to the iPhone 4S, bringing her from an iPhone 3GS, which was also a hand-me-down a year ago. She liked it, because the phone was faster and better than her old one, but she's long said she doesn't want to get all my old stuff, even if it does save us money.
Emotions are important. If we did everything strictly by facts and data, we wouldn't have art and we wouldn't have entertainment. If someone feels like they always get hand-me-downs, they'll eventually get tired and frustrated and want something new, even if it costs them extra money. The youngest children in large families know a lot about how much always getting old stuff sucks. Sometimes it's not about always saving money by grinding your gadgets into the ground, and that's something to keep in mind.
So what should I, or another giver situation do? Be honest. Ask the receiver if actually do want the device, giving them the option of politely declining if they would rather have something new. Maybe they had their eye set on the new tablet or computer that you just got, and would have picked it up eventually. Most of the time they will probably take your gift graciously, but even then, it's nice that you took their feelings into consideration.
If you're the receiver
Since I'm often the guy with the new gadgets, I'm not in this position often, but I would probably feel the same way as much wife about receiving used gadgets, as in, I'd prefer something new. You might be in the same mindset, but let's once again get inside the other person's head.
Think about what it means for the other person to be giving you their used tech. Do you need it? Is it actually better than what you're currently using, even if it's slightly worn? If so, you should accept it and use it, at least temporarily.
With Gazelle and Amazon electronics trade-in being so fast and easy to use, the gift giver could have easily just traded in his gadgets for cash rather than giving it away for free. Try not to take their gesture for granted.
However, if you do accept, and eventually outgrow the gift, what do you do? Do you give the gift back to the original owner, saying that you appreciated the gift, and now you've got something else? Or do you just sell the thing to Gazelle yourself? Or maybe you find someone who's even worse off electronically than you and give it to them?
Photo by Julien Tromeur/Shutterstock
Etiquette is, by its very nature, subjective. What's acceptable today probably wasn't acceptable 20 years ago, and what's unheard of right now might be commonplace in a decade. It might also be seen as pedantic to some, because if you boil it down, it's just an arbitrary set of rules that we all abide by to make all our lives easier. So weigh in and tell us what you think about this subject. It's one of the few times that just about everybody's opinion is more or less as valid as everybody else's. Got something you're curious about? email tips+etiquette@lifehacker.com
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/pidfNikkwMo/the-etiquette-of-hand+me+down-electronics
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