Most offices in Dubai have a room or a cupboard full of IT nobody uses any more: laptops from the last refresh, a server that was replaced, switches from an old floor. That equipment loses value every month it sits there. This guide explains how companies sell it properly, from making the list to getting paid, and what to do about the data on it.
By Proto Link IT Solutions · 22 October 2026 · 6 minute read
IT hardware loses resale value steadily. A business laptop that is two or three years old still has a clear market; the same laptop five years old is worth a fraction of that, and eventually only its parts are. Servers and network equipment follow the same curve, just more slowly.
Timing matters more than usual right now. Server memory and enterprise storage are in short supply in 2026, so RAM modules, SSDs and servers pulled from a refresh are worth noticeably more than they were a year ago. If you have decommissioned hardware waiting for a decision, this is a good time to make it.
Storing it also costs money: floor space, insurance, and the risk that drives with company data on them go missing from a storeroom.
You do not need a perfect inventory. A spreadsheet or a few clear photos of the labels is enough to get a first price.
Add where the equipment is (office, warehouse, data centre) and roughly when it needs to be gone. That is all a buyer needs to start.
Every laptop, desktop and server you sell has stored company data at some point: emails, finance files, customer records, passwords. Deleting files or reformatting a drive does not remove that data. Decide before anything leaves your premises which of these you want:
Whichever you choose, ask for a list of the equipment with serial numbers so you have a record of what left the building and what was done with it. Our guide to IT asset disposal covers this in more detail.
A buyer will price each line of your list, or give one figure for everything. What moves the price most:
Mixed lots are normal. Most office clear-outs include a bit of everything, from servers down to keyboards, and a good buyer will tell you plainly which items carry the value and which do not.
Once you accept the price, the buyer arranges collection from your office, warehouse or data centre and checks the items against the list. As a company you should expect to deal company to company: a written quote, an itemised list of what was collected, and payment as agreed in the quote.
If the equipment is in a data centre or a secure area, tell the buyer early so access, gate passes and timing can be arranged without holding up your team.
Very old or broken equipment, monitors that no longer work, old printers and tangled cables usually have little or no resale value. They still should not go into general waste: electronics contain materials that need proper recycling. A buyer who takes your whole lot will normally strip what can be reused and send the rest for recycling, so you clear the room in one go instead of finding a second company for the leftovers.
If you only have network equipment, read our guide to selling networking scrap.
Yes. Working equipment is worth more, but faulty laptops, servers and network gear still have value for parts. Tell us what is working and what is not, and we price it accordingly.
No fixed minimum. A single server or a few RAM modules can be worth selling. For small lots of low-value items, we will tell you honestly whether it is worth the collection.
Your choice: we hand them back to you, they are destroyed, or they are wiped before the equipment is reused. Decide before collection and we work to that.
Dubai and the rest of the UAE. Send the location with your list and we arrange collection from your office, warehouse or data centre.
Send the list or photos of the labels on WhatsApp +971 56 696 1736 or email sales@proto-link.ae. We price each line or the whole lot.
Message us on WhatsApp with what you have, the quantities and photos of the labels, and we will come back with a price.