My home office was a disaster. Papers everywhere. Cables doing impossible things. Drawers that wouldn’t close. My wife had been asking me to clean it for six months. The hints got less subtle over time.

Last Saturday, I finally did it. What I found surprised me.

The Drawer of Forgotten Things

I started with the desk drawers. The bottom drawer was basically a time capsule.

Found an iPad from 2019. I’d used it constantly for eight months, then work gave me a laptop and the iPad just disappeared. Pulled it out, covered in dust. Plugged it in expecting nothing. It worked perfectly.

Two old phones sat there too. An iPhone I’d replaced three years ago and an Android I’d used briefly before switching back. Both functional, just forgotten.

Then an old Kindle I’d replaced when the newer model came out. Nothing wrong with it. I just wanted the upgrade.

Staring at this pile, I realized I was looking at real money.

The Closet Expedition

The closet was worse. Boxes on boxes. My old work laptop sat on a shelf, untouched since I’d left that job. Slow, dying battery, weird screen discoloration. But it turned on.

Next to it: a tablet my wife used for two weeks before going back to her phone. An Amazon Fire with maybe ten hours of use.

Behind some textbooks, another phone. I genuinely couldn’t remember buying it. Just… there.

In a box labeled Office Supplies for some reason, I found a smartwatch from my six-week fitness phase.

The Cable Situation

I had maybe four million charging cables. Lightning, USB-C, Micro USB, mystery cables. All tangled together like they were plotting something.

Couldn’t sell random cables, but organizing them felt like winning a small battle.

Taking Stock

I laid everything out:

• iPad 2019, 128GB
• iPhone, three years old
• Barely-used Android phone
• Old work laptop
• Fire tablet, basically new
• Mystery phone
• Old Kindle
• Smartwatch

I took photos. Powered everything on. All of it worked.

The Research Phase

This got interesting. I assumed old tech was worthless.

Wrong.

The iPad: Rs.20000-25000 The iPhone: Rs.18000-20000 The Android: Rs.15000-17000 The laptop: Rs.12000-14000 The Fire tablet: Rs.5000-6000 The mystery phone: Rs.8000 The Kindle: Rs.4000-5000 The smartwatch: Rs.6000-7000

Total: Rs.88000-94000.

Almost nine hundred rupees. Just sitting there.

Called my wife. Remember how you’ve been telling me to clean my office?

For six months, yes.

I just found eight hundred dollars in old electronics.

Long pause. I’m coming to look right now.

Selling Everything

Used different platforms for different devices. iPad, iPhone, and Android went through an online service. They sent prepaid labels, promised payment within a week. Easy.

Listed the laptop locally. Honest description: slow, weak battery, screen issues, but works. Sold in two days to a college student for Rs.12500.

Fire tablet, mystery phone, and smartwatch went to online buyers. The Kindle I gave to my neighbor’s kid. Forty rupees versus seeing a twelve-year-old excited about reading? Easy choice.

The Results

When everything cleared: Rs.81200.

Eight One thousand twelve hundred rupees from stuff I’d forgotten existed. From the clutter I almost threw away.

Took my wife to dinner with some of it. She’d earned it. Rest went to savings and a new office chair.

The Bigger Picture

I’m not special here. Everyone has old tech lying around. After I mentioned this to friends, they all said the same thing: Oh yeah, I have old phones somewhere too.

One friend checked his garage. Found an old MacBook and two iPads. Made Rs.400. His text: Why did we not know about this?

What I Learned

Old doesn’t mean worthless. Companies need devices for parts, refurbishment, resale.

Don’t let devices disappear into drawers. Now when I upgrade, the old device goes straight into a To Sell box. Within a month, it’s gone.

I do quarterly checks now. Not using something for six months? Time to sell or donate.

Bottom Line

Check your office. Your closet. Anywhere old electronics hide. Pull everything out. Power it on.

Then look up what it’s worth.

I found Rs.81200. My friend found Rs.40000. My co-worker found Rs.30000.

You’ve already paid for this stuff. Might as well recover what you can.

My office is cleaner. My bank account is better. And next time my wife suggests I clean something, I’m doing it immediately.

Turns out nagging comes with a monetary bonus.