Staples

Just a heads up to everyone who may not have noticed. Staples is doing a promo on there cartridge trade in program. $4.00 credit per cartridge traded in. It's usually only $2.00. Just thought you would like to know!

what is the limit that they will take at $4 each for store credit? I know where to get used printer cartridges very cheap.

Originally Posted by jghilino

what is the limit that they will take at $4 each for store credit? I know where to get used printer cartridges very cheap.

It states that with a normal account you can do 10 per month. With an upgraded account you can do 20.

thats a good deal

Originally Posted by PartTimeScrapper

could you link to this please? I would like to know more about this and the upgraded account.

Double Staples Rewards® Double Recycling Rewards.| Staples.com®

Originally Posted by DrJamesDaddy

Double Staples Rewards® Double Recycling Rewards.| Staples.com®

How many of you guys are doing this and how is it working out? I don't pick up printers but for 2.00 a pop I'd certainly stop and grab the ink. All the money lost

well my hp laserjet eats toner cartridges so it would be worth it for me if i could get a couple for free

if i need to buy ink i would do this cause spending $50 getting $40 back in ink rebate plus 20% is a money maker but doing it one time only is a bummer unless im reading it wrong i do not see were you can do 20 but let me know cause thats $40 plus free ink

I've been doing the Staples Rewards all year long, turning in cartridges every month. I just got a real nice leather office chair and a case of paper for $13 plus my ink rewards. Always grab the ink and toner from a printer if you do nothing else, it's worth it.

Didn't know about the staples program. Thank you!

Can you spend the credit as soon as you turn them in? I turned in a few last year and i guess they had a time limit when you could use the credit bc my account showed 0 by the time i check.
I have been saving a huge cart from one of those commercial printers. Anybody know if they take those too?

Ever printer i have found has had cartridges in it and they always have some ink in them. Ive been using a hypodermic needle to take the ink out and put it in my printers cartridges. Pretty cool. Ive got a full cartridge right now from removing the ink from 5 trash printers. Good times.. lol doesn't take much to make me happy :O)

Originally Posted by brucie

Ever printer i have found has had cartridges in it and they always have some ink in them. Ive been using a hypodermic needle to take the ink out and put it in my printers cartridges. Pretty cool. Ive got a full cartridge right now from removing the ink from 5 trash printers. Good times.. lol doesn't take much to make me happy :O)

I don't have or use printers but get some cartridges with scrapped printers.

Somewhere, I believe, theres 'something weird going on' with the whole subject of printers & ink cartridges.

First, the printer costs less than $100, while the ink, costs 1/2 or more than that, but you get 'free' ink with the brand new printer.

Then they give you good $$ for a empty cartridge, they actually go out of their way to do this.
So for a $4 rebate, they must have a value of, say $10 or they are getting the $$ back some other way. I hear its because they make lots of $$ of the resales of ink cartridges.

I clicked a few weeks ago to sucking the last of the ink out & refilling a used cartridge. But a guy who works in a shop that sells cartridges says "If theres a few molecules of dirt in there, it blocks the ink jet unit".
But then, lots of ink cartridges have their own inkjets on them, so they are disposable. Dosn't make sense.

They also say "Its really expensive to make the ink in the first place". Yes, I can see that, anything chemical needs a LOT of processes. Industrial manufacturing processes are not cheap, clean rooms, Tankers of expensive chemicals, wages, startup costs, industrail waste disposal etc etc.

But, how much does it cost to make a printer?
Plastic molds are not cheap, circuit boards - with gold on them & all the parts, wires, power supply, LCD screens, springs, plastic, screws & bolts, metal manufacturing assembly, shipping, taxes, waste & guarantees etc etc etc...
All up $100? I don't think so.

Try & spend $100 on another sort of electrical item & you won't get anywhere near that volume of material.

The only thing I can add. Is that I have found the gold on the cartridge contacts is quite solid, with very little copper backing & there must be some sort of inherent value in it.
Even the little metal traces on them is gold & it stands up to the HCL/Peroxide extraction a lot better than most other gold items I put into the acid wash.