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GoPro will turn busted digital cameras into $50 with the Trade-Up program

Got a broken or defunct camera sitting a junk drawer somewhere? GoPro will turn it into $50 — or even $100 — with a new trade-up program. On Wednesday, April 18, GoPro announced a new Trade-Up program that recycles old cameras in exchange for $50 off the Hero6 Black or $100 of the Fusion 360 camera. 

GoPro launched a similar program in 2017, but put a deadline on the deal, only offering the program for 60 days, and limited the trade-ins to GoPro-branded cameras. Now, GoPro is bringing the promotion back and it is not giving it an end date or a brand limit. Last year, the company said nearly 12,000 cameras were traded in during that limited-time offer.

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The deal applies to both older GoPros as well as “any other digital camera.” Cameras must have an original retail value of at least $100 to be part of the trade-in, GoPro says (sorry, kiddie cameras and super budget cameras). Otherwise, any digital camera is eligible to be sent in. GoPro says the camera can be in any condition, including dings and dents and even if that camera is completely destroyed. The program is also limited to the U.S., however, and can’t be combined with other discounts.

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To trade-in a camera, users have to start from GoPro’s TradeUp webpage by choosing their new camera. GoPro will also cover the shipping for sending the camera in. Once the company receives the old camera, that new order will ship with the discount applied.

“The Trade-Up program is a great way for our fans and customers to upgrade to our newest products and experience how fun and convenient GoPro has become,” Meghan Laffey, senior vice president of product at GoPro, said in a statement.

GoPro says that the cameras sent in for the Trade-Up program will be recycled using zero-landfill methods based on the materials in the camera.

The discount program comes on the heels of the new GoPro Hero, a $199 action camera designed for smaller budgets — and as an entry point into the GoPro family. The Trade-Up program, however, is only available for GoPro flagships, including the Hero6 Black and the Fusion, the company’s 360 camera.

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