To make way for tech presents this holiday season, I recently tried out three programs for getting rid of used electronics. The programs, Amazon, Gazelle and Best Buy, are available nationwide. Each one was simple to use and headache-free, and I even managed to get a decent amount of money for my old electronics, like my outdated video game controller and a used smartphone, to spend on holiday gifts.

Amazon’s trade-in program was my favorite of the three because it accepts such a wide variety of products, from old DVDs to Wi-Fi routers, in exchange for Amazon gift cards. The process starts on the program’s website, amazon.com/trade-in, where you can find out which items the retailer will buy. The process took me a while, but I eventually learned that the company would buy a good amount of junk in my drawer: a PlayStation 3 controller, three used video games and two cable modems from past living situations. (Nontech items can be sold, too. I even managed to get rid of a gluten-free cookbook I bought two years ago when my girlfriend was hooked on that trendy diet.)

Once I knew which items Amazon would take, the company supplied me with a free shipping label. All I had to do was pack everything up and drop the packages off at a U.P.S. mailbox. About two weeks later, after Amazon inspected each item, I received about $60 worth of Amazon store credit. Not shabby at all.

Stacey Keller, an Amazon spokeswoman, said the company’s trade-in program allowed people to declutter by selling an array of eligible items “and in return, receive an Amazon gift card which can be spent on millions of items that they actually want.”

I also used Gazelle, which buys and sells used electronics, to sell a used iPhone. The company gave me a quote of $70 based on the “good” condition and age of the phone. Then it gave me the option to receive a free box with packing materials for the phone or to print out a free shipping label so I could pack and ship the phone myself. I chose the second option, erased the contents of the phone, removed the SIM card and shipped the phone in a used Amazon box. Two weeks later, after Gazelle inspected the phone, I got my $70 via PayPal, the popular payment service.