To a market that's still in a premature stage, but could be a bright growth point in the next few years. That's e-recycling with venture capital coming their way, companies who have the know-how to deal with the mountains of used electronic gadgets may very likely hit pay dirt.
Mr. Wei Yang is not delivering a package on behalf of his employer, he is going to pick up a purchase. And the transaction facilitated by an online platform. A used iPhone and iPad. Their old owner Zhang Qiujie got several hundred yuan in return.
"Screen is broken. And I've got a new cellphone," said Zhang. With an online presence, the company aihuishou is a strong player in the market.
You place an order on its website, fill in the details, and a price will be quoted instantly before the offline transaction happens.
Jin: Do you worry about privacy?
"I don't worry about that, because I haven't downloaded any payment apps, and my bank card is not linked," said Zhang.
But people like Zhang are still few in number, as not everyone is willing to recycle their phones.
"I wouldn't sell used phones. A lot of information in them, like pictures. They should be kept."
"I would worry about privacy."
"I would probably reformat it myself."
"We first started doing this in 2010, when the smartphone market started to take shape. We made a judgement: if mobile internet is to develop, smartphone usage would boom. And smarphones will need upgrading and replacement,"
"We have a whole set of Standard Operation Procedures, to ensure security. First we restore the phone to factory settings on the spot. Then at our operation center, after strict examination, we rewrite the data in the hardware," said Aihuishou CEO Chen Xuefeng.
Many companies have also jumped on the bandwagon. Smartphone maker Meizu has also partnered with the company Huishouwang
"We've already taken that into consideration. We will first ask users to unlink their account, and restore the phone to default settings," said Kong Xiangbo from Mei Zu.
One of their partners is a company in Hong Kong, which has about 20 years experience in dis-assembling gagets. Phones unfit for reselling are sent there.
With increasing public awareness of environmental protection, it's not about gaining profits alone.
"Used phones could cause serious environmental pollution. A lithium battery can pollute several Mu of earth. But we don't have a good way to deal with it in China,"
"We will be able to collect all e-waste that people plan to discard as our company gets bigger and bigger," said Wei Yang from Aihuishou.com.
A blue ocean market and a fight for not just profits but also a better environment.
