Chromebook buyback. Sell before the update date.

Every ChromeOS device model has a published date until which it receives automatic updates. Google's Auto Update policy says devices generally receive about ten years of updates from the platform's release, and lists the date for each model.

Buyers pay more for models with years of updates left. That makes timing the most important lever in a Chromebook buyback: selling the previous fleet soon after the new one is deployed, instead of storing it for another school year, usually recovers more. Devices past their date are still collected, and K12 pays on recyclable value.

A Chromebook enrolled in a school's Google Admin console stays tied to that domain after a reset. Google's guidance is to deprovision devices you are retiring so they can be enrolled by a new owner.

Deprovisioning before pickup protects resale value and shortens processing. K12 then erases each device to NIST SP 800-88 guidelines, grades it and records the result by serial number.

Chromebooks retire in carts spread across every school in a district. K12 builds route schedules with each site's point of contact and can collect while classes are in session. In Maryland, K12 collected 40,000 devices from 83 school sites in eight weeks.

Chargers and carts are collected with the devices, and damaged units (cracked screens, missing keys, no power) are taken too.