Dormant Nokia phones holding your university boyfriend's first text messages gathering dust in the attic. The camcorder you filmed family holidays on decades ago lying abandoned in the garage. We all have sentimental clutter hidden in the cobwebs of our homes, but it could actually be worth thousands.
New research shows that a quarter of Brits struggle to clear out old junk because of emotional attachment. However, brave the mess and you might find a pretty penny at the end of your clear-out, especially as old tech and retro toys could fetch eye-watering figures on sites like eBay.
A survey of 2,000 people, conducted by refurbished tech marketplace Back Market, found that 26 per cent still cannot bear to part with their favourite childhood teddy, while 24 per cent have even held onto their child's first pair of shoes, and 11 per cent still have all their old love letters from former flames.
While your child's drawings and old fridge magnets likely won't attract much attention on resale sites, old tech we are holding onto could be a secret treasure trove. Around 24 per cent have clung onto their first games console, which could go for upwards of £1,000 online, and 15 per cent still have an iPod worth hundreds, with all their favourite tunes on it.
'We are seeing a clear shift in how people think about their devices,' said Joy Howard, Chief Marketing Officer at Back Market. 'For years, tech was about having the newest thing. Now, it is about whether it works for your life. People are starting to question why they are replacing devices that still do everything they need.'
Here are the items we cannot bear to part with that could fetch thousands on eBay:
Old Mobile Phones
Leading the old tech Brits struggle to part with are mobile phones, many of which may contain photos and texts we are wary of losing. But everything from old brick phones to special iPhone editions can fetch a pretty penny on online marketplaces. Of particular interest are Y2K-beloved Motorolas, which can start from £48 to a whopping £10,000 for a bulky old Motorola 8000X from the 80s. Meanwhile, an Orbitel Cityfone from the 90s can go for anywhere from £30 to £150 online. And Nokia N950s, which were all the rage in the 2000s, have even been known to sell for £5,000. Equally popular are Blackberry mobile phones, ranging from £60 to £150 for well-kept models. First-generation iPhones, released in 2007, are also in high demand. Unopened ones go from £500, but used ones can still rack up a respectable £200.
Childhood Teddy
It can be tough to get rid of the cuddly toy that carried you through childhood. But in some cases, it is more prudent to let go than hold on, especially if you have a special edition or collectible. Beanie Babies famously make a killing on online sites, with some, such as a special Princess Diana memorial teddy, racking up an eye-watering £746,475. However, more reasonable listings have seen it go anywhere from £5 to £100. Other popular variants to look out for are the Ty Kuky stuffed bird and the Ty Wise Owl, which have both gone for upwards of £600 each. Other famous stuffed animals are popular because they contain production quirks, such as Ty's chameleon Beanie Baby 'Rainbow', which has fetched as much as £59,718 online for versions made with the wrong, darker fabric. Those who were lucky enough to get premium Steiff bears may also consider selling them, as they frequently go for tens of thousands. A Titanic mourning bear made to commemorate the sinking of the ship in 1912 fetched $136,000 (£100,000) at a Christie's auction, while a Steiff x Louis Vuitton bear sold for $2.1 million (£1.5 million) in a 2000 Monaco auction. A model from the 1950s has been seen going for £1,395 on eBay, while newer and less vintage bears can still fetch £50-£60.
Old Laptops
Many of us hold onto laptops out of fear of losing old documents and memories. But some hidden treasures can earn thousands, especially as the appetite for retro 90s and 2000s tech grows. For instance, an Apple Macintosh PowerBook G3 WallStreet, first released in 1997, can be seen listed on eBay for £150-£380. It is a similar price range for IBM ThinkPads from the early 90s, considered a rare find on places like eBay, or an early gaming Alienware laptop from Dell. And going even further back, a Commodore C286-LT from 1990 could be upwards of £500. But it is not just the vintage; even newer laptops from 2018 (especially if refurbished) can go from £160 to £670.
Old Game Consoles
Experts from Protect Your Bubble have scoured eBay listings to find the most valuable retro gaming consoles. Topping the list is the NTSC Limited Holiday Edition Xbox Original, which was just £299 when first released in 2001. If you held onto yours for the last 25 years, it could now be 1,601 per cent more valuable, reaching £5,086 on eBay. Following closely is the Nintendo DS, the touch-screen handheld launched in 2004. One recently sold on eBay for £1,816. Rare editions regularly fetch several hundred pounds, with one Zelda Phantom Hourglass DS Lite selling for £991. Sony's PlayStation 1 came to Europe in 1995. While the average top-end resale price in 2025 was around £217, the rare Net Yaroze Black and Matt Black editions go for significantly more, with one reaching £1,744. The successor, the PlayStation 2, released in 2000 with an RRP of £299, saw one console sell for £1,653. Rounding out the top five is the Nintendo Game Boy, which went for a staggering £1,562. If you have any of these rare editions, holding onto your old consoles might have been a great financial move. The strongest financial performer was the Nintendo DS, which can now sell for 904 per cent more than its inflation-adjusted cost. The most valuable Xbox models can be worth up to 795 per cent more than their 2025 inflation-adjusted cost of £568. The Game Boy also posted impressive gains, with a 733 per cent increase. It proved to be the most popular retro console, grossing £302,417 in 2025.
MP3 Players
Although by far the most valuable is the original iPod Classic from 2001 (discontinued in 2014), which can go from £400 to upwards of £600 for unused or boxed versions, any variant of Apple's popular MP3 players can fetch quite a bit of cash. A 5th generation iPod video from 2005 is also popular, with options from £70 to £200 listed on eBay. Meanwhile, an unboxed 2004 iPod mini can be around £250 (with used versions fetching £30 to £50). A 1st Gen iPod Nano from 2005 can also go for around £50, as can an iPod shuffle. Elsewhere, unopened iPod Touch versions have been listed from £70 to £238 online. And it is not just Apple; a Sony NW-A306 player from 2023 has been listed for £329.99.
Retro Video Cameras
Old camcorders are all the rage now, fresh off the digital camera comeback. Especially if you have an SD card and charger with your old device, you can make hundreds for some models. A Sony Handycam is very popular, going from £60 to £139 on places like eBay and Vinted, as is a Canon Legria (which can fetch around £80) and a Panasonic Leica (going for around £150).
