Selling Your Second Hand USBs is a Bad Idea

8th September 2019 Jonathan News

Thinking of selling your old USB? A study has revealed a concerning set of statistics with regards to the pedalling on of used USBs. For the sake of gaining a couple of pounds for your used memory stick, if that, is it really worth putting yourself at risk through shared data? You could have precious, personal and insightful information stored on your memory stick that your buyer could gain access to upon purchasing it. 

Ensure Quality and Usability with Flash UK

Receiving a second hand USB only to find out that you can’t make full use of the data storage, or that the proposed storage capacity is much less than advertised, is frustrating. At Flash UK, we guarantee that all of our custom USB drives and, indeed, any of the other range of USBs that we sell, have never been used before. What’s more, all of our personalised USB sticks are made and delivered exactly according to your vision, so that you can safely store your files on a device that reflects your personality and ambition. 

Careless Selling of Second Hand USB Sticks

The findings of a study, which was carried out by Hertfordshire University researchers, suggest that the vast majority of USB stick owners aren’t taking the time to erase their data before looking to sell. The researchers ventured into the open market to buy 100 USBs from the United States and the same amount from the UK, with the view of determining if previous owners had disposed of their personal contents. 

Here’s a breakdown of the results drawn from the 100 USBs bought in the UK as reported by Comparitech, the commissioners of the study:

• Of the 100 USBs that were bought, no attempt was made to clear the data on 19. 
• 16 had been formatted, although minimal effort was required to recover data. 
• 47 had deleted data, although it could also be recovered easily.
• Just one of the USBs had BitLocker installed – An encryption tool that renders data unrecoverable. 
• Data was erased properly on 16 and could not be accessed. 
• One was not accessible and consequently could not be read. 
• The previous owner could be identified in almost half of the cases – 22 cases to be exact.  

67% of the USBs bought second hand from people in the UK still had data on. Unless you have the time to look up the correct procedures on how to remain 100% safe during the selling process, we advise against doing so. 

Secure, Personal USB Sticks from Flash UK 

Thinking of purchasing your next USB? All of our USB ranges are competitively priced and therefore cost effective data storage solutions. In addition, you wont get a greater selection of variety anywhere else. Whether it’s a promotional USB or a flash drive that encompasses your personal style, we have you covered. Contact us to discuss any of our products or alternatively, order and enquire online today. We offer free delivery and a 10 year guarantee on all our services.