LTT have videos showcasing their warehouse of old stuff, explaining how they have to expand it and explaining that some things they use for later comparisons. But sure, all the tech they store is not used much.

Some get sent back as they are demo units. I assume they then get salvaged for parts which show up in later reviews.

I have not done this for Youtube, but I have done it for tech reviews as a ghost writer. Basically, a lot of those tech reviews done under a pseudonym in magazines. No, I won't tell you which ones, I like getting paid. Anyway, I'd say about 40% I had to send back in a set amount of time, about 50% I am told to destroy or keep, and 10% they don't tell me and won't answer my queries. Reselling is almost always a huge no-no, and that also applies to giving stuff away.

Sounds fun, but some of this stuff is utter, unworkable crap. So many SBCs that never see the light of day, or have the most impotent release announcements on the planet. Like, "this is set for release Jan 3rd, 2024." Then it's not ever mentioned on any main page on their website, is listed as a .gz image in their repo (which is on gdrive), but only one release candidate and it's the same one you reviewed where the wireless chip just randomly stops responding until you reboot. Maybe has a byline on their products page under "this power adapter works with [list of models, including the one they don't have for sale on the same site]."

I have two HUD displays I got in 2022, which look amazing, but the screen never powered on (which is why I have 2, they sent me a replacement, which was broken the same way), and I am considering at this point making them some cosplay item or taking it to a rave, because it glows super sexy. But with no working LED screen, kinda useless.

It really depends on the YouTuber and the items in question.

A lot of stuff is loaned out to them as review samples and they have to return them. This is the case for TVs, for example.

Stuff they purchased themselves, like gamers Nexus tends to do, they either keep, use it themselves, give it away, or sell it off.

I don't think many bother to keep the stuff. After a certain point you have too much stuff.

I have no doubt that for a lot of reviewers the process is extremely wasteful. But for those who make a lot of videos, they're leaving a lot on the table if they don't make an effort to resell their stuff - and depending on where they live they could be leaving a lot on the table if they don't recycle it.

The big ticket items get loaned out to reviewers as part of the company's marketing campaign. Some reviewers are blacklisted from this process (or refuse to be part of it for ethical reasons) and have to beg, borrow, or buy from their contacts in the industry/community.

If a retro reviewer lives in your town, it's possible that they're single handedly keeping multiple secondhand tech stores afloat. Also, if you keep a sharp eye on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace (easy if you're doing it as part of your job) then you'll see interesting tech appear there literally all the time.

Really prolific reviewers will do regular auctions of things that have piled up. This practice is common but they gotta be careful, as we saw when it got Linus Tech Tips into pretty hot water a few months ago when they sold something they had promised to return.

If you have a production team, then you can have people who spend their time listing and shipping out unneeded items - not to mention that people will tend to just take things that aren't being used if they lie around long enough. On the other hand smaller reviewers tend to get big collections because they run out of people to give things to and selling stuff takes time away from video production.

Depends, a really big tech reviewer probably gifts some stuff to his friends and family - other than that they all have a huge amount of physical storage. Like others pointed out, big companies like Linus Tech Tips have a huge Warehouse.

They eat it

Some do giveaways on patreon.

I’ve seen a video of YouTuber who built a custom cabinet just to hold the phones he reviews. Sorry can’t remember his name.

They also go through frequent battery checks just to make sure none of them puffs.

I wouldn't want to hang on to it. can you imagine a warehouse full of aging lipo batteries

This is speculation:

I think a lot of it is temporarily leased or loaned. i was watching a retrobytws video recently, cant remember the exact name. but it was about this console that was 'designed for girls' (read what old men in suits think teenage girls want). He said a lot of.yputubers have made videos on it, but console is actually pretty rare. One or two people own pne amd loan it out to others for their videos.

Also auctioning. I gotta imagine some of it can be flipped.

Maybe donated to a museum.

That's just me speculatong tho.

I think already know the answer.