Trade Old Cell Phones in for Cash at ATM at Westfield Palm Desert

A San Diego-based company is looking to make it easy to dispose of old electronics and cell phones while providing some spending cash.

And it can be done while shopping here in Palm Desert.

ecoATM has placed a number of ATM-like machines in shopping centers throughout Southern California that accept cell phones and MP3 players in exchange for cash.

On it’s website, the developer describe the machine as “an automated, consumer self-serve kiosk that quickly evaluates and buys back used consumer electronics directly from consumers for cash.”

“The process takes just a few minutes to complete,” they wrote.

According to its makers, the ecoATM will examine your device and then search for the highest price it can find in the “worldwide market.” If the seller makes the final agreement, the ATM will take the phone and pay the seller, officials wrote.

In exchange it does collect some personal information including drivers license information and a thumbprint. This is done to prevent fraud, developers said.

You can find an ecoATM at the Westfield Palm Desert, 72-840 Highway 111. Or for more information on the device and how it works, check their website.