If you want to know how to dispose of an old snowblower, I have good news for you. It’s not hard.
You might be surprised to know that snowblowers, and outdoor power equipment in general, retain their value. Perhaps not like you might hope in comparison to how much they cost retail, but probably more than you’d think.
Of course, this is always dependent upon the area in which you live. The more demand there is for a snowblower, the more value a used one will have.
With the cost increases of pretty much anything these days, it’s not surprising to see a new snowblower cost upwards of $1,000.
For a lot of people, it’s much easier to accept spending $300-500 on a good, used machine vs the cost of a new one.
So, if you want to know how to get rid of an old snowblower, I have three options for you, ranging from best to worst (in my mind.)
Best option – fix it and flip it
When I say the best option, this is because you can actually get a pretty good return for a used, running snowblower.
Even if it has cosmetic defects, you can still fetch a couple hundred bucks as long as it runs. Clean it up and do some touch-up painting, and you can add to that return.
So your goal is to do just that: fix whatever is wrong, do a thorough service (with an oil change, cleaning, and greasing), and then fix any blemishes.
Post it on Facebook marketplace, or whatever social classified media that you use, sit back, and collect on your hard work.
Who knows, you might even develop a passion for this kind of side gig. Then, you can be the one benefitting from people utilizing options 2 and 3, which I will discuss next.
The second option – give it away (or sell it for cheap)
If you have no desire to earn a sweet return and learn a valuable skill in the process (that’s my Minnesotan passive-aggressive way to say that you should totally do option 1), you can sell a non-working machine as is for a few bucks or give it away for free.
A non-running snowblower, depending on the cutting size, engine size, and make can still $50-$150. Again, this is a general statement based on my findings. It might differ in your area.
Simply follow the same formula as in the first method and post the old snowblower online. Or, if you get a lot of traffic in your area simply put a free sign on it and throw it out on the curb.
It’ll be gone faster than you think. You see, there are people like me in every area of the country who realize the value that outdoor power equipment holds.
Unfortunately, it also is true that this number seems to be dwindling. I say that it’s unfortunate because more of these repairable machines are being treated as disposable. Thus, they are increasingly ending up in landfills instead of being repaired.
The good news is that this also creates opportunity for myself, and you too. Simply decide to become a valuable mechanic. As long as outdoor power equipment exists, there will be a market for your services.
A third option – utilize reuse centers
My local landfill has a cool reuse center. If you happen to be dropping off trash or recyclables, you’re allowed to “shop” at the reuse center and acquire up to 2 items per person, per day.
Check with your landfill or garbage disposal companies in the area to find out if such a program exists where you are.
At my reuse center, if you bring an item in and they agree to allow it at the reuse center, it’s free of charge. So, it’s a free way for you to dispose of an old snowblower.
Plus, it’ll inevitably make its way back to someone like me to repair. The only downside to this option is that you have to physically bring it to the reuse center.
If you don’t have a good option for loading the snowblower, then this might be more of a challenge.
Recap
In my mind, there are three viable options for getting rid of an old snowblower. The first option is best in my mind because you can learn a valuable skill and actually make a pretty good return.
The second option is good if you don’t have a desire to repair your old machine and you can still possibly earn a few bucks.
The last resort is to attempt to use a reuse center so that someone can actually repair and use (or flip) the old machine.
The absolute worst-case scenario is to junk or scrap a machine. The return simply isn’t worth the effort. You’d make more money by selling it as-is, and you’d be preventing needless waste.
And remember, if you’re in northern Minnesota, you can always bring your old snowblower to me!
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