Zumu is a service which allows you to get cash for your old CD’s, DVD’s, and games, or to donate their cash value to charity. Today we offer our Zumu review, along with reviews from our readers.
About Zumu
Founded in 2012, Zumu pledges to recycle 100% of the materials they receive, either by “re-homing” or recycling. They were seen advertising on television in late 2012 and 2013 on such channels as MTV and Comedy Central. To participate in the service, Zumu lists the following steps:
- Gather your items
- Enter barcode to get an instant value
- Choose what you want to do with your cash
- Box up and apply a free shipping label to your items
- Send or request a free pickup
Contact Info
- Website: zumu.co, registered October 22, 2010
- Address: The Land of Zumu, 8186 Industrial Park Drive, Grand Blanc, Michigan, 48439
- Twitter: @ZumuUS
- Zumu had a Facebook page (which is still linked on the website), which is no longer available. When it was still online, there were numerous complaints posted to it, so it’s not clear if it was removed by Facebook of if they removed it themselves.
Here is a screen capture of Zumu.co, taken in January 2014:
How much does Zumu cost?
The cost of the service is free.
Zumu attempts to answer the question “Is Zumu.co a scam” but offers a paltry paragraph of reassurance:
We understand that our service may seem too good to be true at first. But we like to ensure all of our customers that we provide an honest and helpful service, and encourage them to read our customer reviews.
How much does Zumu pay?
The amount Zumu offers for your trade-ins is underwhelming. We input the bar codes for a few random items to see what we could get.Below are the items we entered, and the amount offered by Zumu.
- Blu-ray DVD of “The Hangover” – $0.35
- Grand Theft Auto V for Xbox 360 – $8.00
- Lana Del Rey “Born to Die” CD – $0.74
- The Beatles “Revolver” CD – $0.25
- Tool “Aenima” CD – $1.04
Below is a screenshot of the bids we received.
Zumu’s restrictions
There are several guidelines you may want to be aware of before using Zumu. Original cases, artwork, instruction manuals, and packaging must be included. Artwork and disks may not be damaged or scratched. There is also a minimum of ten items per trade.
Perhaps the most important item of note is that if Zumu rejects your items after receiving them, the items will not be returned to you.
What Charities do Zumu Support?
As of this writing, Zumu lists the following charities: Goodwill, Keep a Child Alive, Michigan Pet Fund Alliance, Boy & Girls Clubs of South Oakland County
Zumu Reviews
While the self-hosted reviews on Zumu’s own website claim that “9 out of 10 of Zumu’s customers had a splendid experience,” it is quite easy to find customers who fall into the alleged 1 out of 10 dissatisfied customers.
The most common complaint we’ve heard from our readers is that of slow payouts or items rejected and not returned. Consider Zumu’s presence on some of the websites below:
- Yelp: Zumu as of this writing has a one star rating.
- Ripoff Report: 5 complaints
- Better Business Bureau: An “F” rating (It was a D- in December 2013)
- Pissed Consumer: Complaints of not being paid
Bottom Line
If you have some items you simply want to get rid of, Zumu may be a good way to save yourself a trip to the nearest donation center. Based on their rates, along with numerous complaints regarding slow payout, Zumu is not a good place to expect a high return on your trade-ins.
Your Zumu Review
Have you used Zumu? Give us your review in the comments below.
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