We buy working CPUs, RAM, SSDs & NVMe
Not a scrap yard. No motherboards, PSUs, cases or low-grade boards.
London · Buyback by post

Sell your CPUs, RAM and SSDs from London — paid after testing.

ChipFlip is a UK postal buyback service for working desktop components. We're not in London — we're in Rochdale — but Royal Mail Tracked from any London postcode arrives at our facility next working day, which means most London sellers lock a quote, post the lot, and have payment in their bank within 48 hours.

Next day
Royal Mail Tracked from London
After testing
Paid by Faster Payments
Up to £109
Per chip Grade A

How it works for London-based sellers

London has the highest density of secondary IT components in the UK — corporate refresh cycles, tech-startup hardware churn, university IT departments rotating kit, and roughly 9 million residents who upgrade desktops on rolling schedules. That's why London accounts for the largest single chunk of our inbound flow.

The mechanic is simple: post via any UK carrier (Royal Mail Tracked 48 is fine for small batches, DPD or Evri makes more sense if you've got 30+ chips or 5kg+). We email the postal address as soon as you lock a fixed quote. From central London postcodes (EC, WC, W1, SW1), Royal Mail Tracked typically lands at our Rochdale facility next working day. From outer London (E, SE, NW, etc.), 1-2 working days. We bench-test on receipt and email a per-line grading report (typically 1–2 business days), then pay by Faster Payments once you accept.

You don't need to drop the parcel anywhere unusual — your nearest Royal Mail post office, ParcelShop, or DPD pickup point all work. Tracking number from your carrier is enough; you don't need to send us anything else until the parcel arrives.

Who in London typically sells to us

Individual sellers

PC upgrades and house clearouts

By far the most common London inbound: someone upgrading their gaming or workstation desktop, or clearing a parent's old IT. Single chip or a small batch, posted via Royal Mail. Quick lock-quote on chipflip.co.uk, padded envelope, done.

Repair shops

Independent IT shops

Tottenham Court Road, Camden, Brixton — the long tail of independent computer repair shops accumulates pulled stock from upgrades, RMAs, and dead-board harvests. Fortnightly or monthly batches of mixed CPUs and RAM make sense as recurring postage runs (see the refurbisher buyback page).

Tech startups

Hardware churn from growing teams

London tech (Tech Nation, Old Street, King's Cross corridor) cycles workstation hardware as teams scale or downsize. Working CPUs and RAM from decommissioned dev rigs go further as buyback than as scrap.

ITAD partners

Corporate decommission

Financial services (Canary Wharf, City of London) and professional services run 3-4 year IT refresh cycles. ITAD providers handling these can route working components through us — see the ITAD CPU buyback page for procurement-grade flow with.

Universities

UCL, KCL, LSE, Imperial

University IT departments and research groups occasionally surplus working components from teaching labs and research workstations. Working desktop CPUs and RAM all welcome — institutional sales work the same as individual ones.

Recyclers

London-based e-waste operators

If you handle electronics recycling for London businesses or council sites, working CPUs you currently route to scrap are worth 50–100× more as components. See the scrap CPU buyer breakdown.

Live UK buyback prices (sample)

Same prices for London sellers as anywhere else in the UK — postal service is geography-neutral. Top-tier examples:

Component Grade A
Intel i9-14xxx (top-tier desktop CPU)£109
Intel i7-14xxx£87
Intel i5-14xxx£51
128GB DDR5 RAM (per stick)£93
2TB NVMe SSD£28
4TB NVMe SSD£56

For exact per-model pricing on the chip in your hand, head to the live quote tool.

Three steps from London to bank transfer

1

Lock a quote

Use the live quote tool — tap + on each component, see the running total, lock when ready. Postal address arrives by email instantly. £30 minimum order; pair multiple items if a single chip doesn't reach it.

2

Pack and post from London

Bubble-wrap each chip individually (keep pin-grids protected). Padded envelope or small box. Drop at your nearest Royal Mail or ParcelShop — every London postcode has plenty within 10 minutes' walk. Tracking number recommended.

3

Get paid after testing

From central London, Royal Mail Tracked typically arrives next working day. We bench-test on receipt and email a per-line grading report (typically 1–2 business days). Once you accept, payment goes by Faster Payments — UK Faster Payments usually clear in your bank within an hour or two of being sent.

Postage from London — practical notes

  • Royal Mail Tracked 48 from London to Rochdale is normally 1 working day, even from outer London zones. Sufficient for batches under 2kg.
  • Royal Mail Tracked 24 if you need next-day guaranteed (slightly more expensive but rarely necessary).
  • DPD / Evri / ParcelForce all work for batches over 2kg or higher-value lots that need extra insurance. Look up your nearest pickup shop on each carrier's website by London postcode.
  • Insurance — insure for the full quote value. For a £400+ batch, paying £2-3 extra for proper insurance is sensible.
  • Avoid Sunday/holiday posting if you want quickest turnaround — first business day after weekend gets received Tuesday morning, paid Tuesday close-of-business.

Common questions from London sellers

Do you have a London office I can drop components at?
No — we're a postal-only buyback service operating from Rochdale (OL12). Postal volumes work better than physical drop-off because the test lab and grading bench are all in one place. Royal Mail Tracked from London is reliable enough that physical drop-off rarely makes sense.
What if my London-based scrap merchant offers more for the chips?
They almost certainly won't — scrap merchants pay metal weight (~£15/kg for mixed CPUs). We pay component value (£8–£109 per Grade A chip). A standard scrap rate on 1kg of mixed CPUs comes to pennies; the same kg sold per-part to us comes to thousands. The scrap CPU buyer breakdown has the full math.
I'm clearing a London-based business's IT — can I sell on their behalf?
Yes. Photo ID and proof of address for whoever handles the sale (you, or your business contact) is required on first sale (UK Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013). One-time check, kept on file. Photo ID help →
Do you do bulk pickups for large London businesses?
For 30kg+ batches we can arrange courier pickup. London routes are well-served — typically 1-2 day pickup turnaround. Email info@chipflip.co.uk with your typical volume and pickup postcode. See the bulk & trade page for standard payment terms.
What about my old laptop CPUs?
We don't buy mobile (BGA-soldered) CPUs — only desktop LGA chips. Most laptop chips are physically attached to the motherboard and can't be cleanly pulled. Different page coming soon for laptop CPUs; for now, email us for a custom quote on rare laptop pulls.
Lock a London quote in 30 secondsTap + on each component in the live quote tool, see the running total, lock in. Royal Mail Tracked from London arrives next working day at our Rochdale facility — paid by Faster Payments after testing.
Build a quote →

Other UK locations

We work with sellers from anywhere in the UK — postal buyback is geography-neutral, prices are the same nationwide. Other city pages: Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle, Cardiff.

Or browse by component: all CPUs, RAM, SSDs & NVMe. New to component buyback? How it works →