Most online buyers and sellers are very familiar with eBay’s (News - Alert) online auctions. But when you are selling a gadget and don’t want to go through the detailed process of an online auction, eBay has another option called Instant Sale.

EBay explains that Instant Sale is a “fast, convenient way to sell your electronics for cash or recycle them for free.” Benefits of instant sale include free shipping, removal of personal data, and receiving cash in your PayPal (News - Alert) account.

If a device has no value and does not sell on Instant Sale, they will recycle it for free. Recyclers (ECS Refining and Cloud Blue) are certified e-stewards – meaning they are organizations are committed to “globally responsible electronics recycling and refurbishment,” eBay says.

Frequent items on Instant Sale include: laptops, phones, tablets, PDAs, digital cameras, MP3 players, camcorders, GPS systems and other devices.    

LifeHacker’s Whitson Gordon recommends that “If you're looking to sell your old phone, laptop, or other gadget but don't want to go through the hassle of an online auction, eBay's got you covered with an unbelievably simple selling route … Instant Sale.”

He confirms, “You could probably get more money from the auction section of eBay.” But that requires sellers to take the time out to put up “a listing, taking pictures, coming back to check up on it all the time, and dealing with buyers.” Time is valuable.

Instant Sale offers “quite a few phones, tablets, cameras, and other gadgets in their system,” Gordon reports. Sellers do need to report the item’s condition, whether a charger is included, and if it is fully functional. They will calculate the price for the item.

No doubt, there are competing sites such as Gazelle or the Android (News - Alert)-focused Swappa, Gordon said. But many online users are already very familiar with eBay.

Looking for a Verizon iPhone?

“They've even got a super easy swap offer for those looking to trade in their old iPhones or Android phones for the new Verizon iPhone (News - Alert),” Gordon says.

In addition, TMCnet reports that to take advantage of the interest over the Verizon iPhone, eBay announced Tuesday that its buyback service will purchase select used smartphones for a minimum of $200.

For the next two weeks, the Instant Sale service will offer consumers cash for fully-functioning iPhone 3GS, Motorola Droid X, HTC Evo 4G and Samsung (News - Alert) Galaxy S Vibrant smartphone models, TMCnet said.