Brett Mosley, founder of BuyMyTronics.com. (Leah Millis | The Denver Post )

Brett Mosley built BuyMyTronics.com, a million-dollar business, based on an idea he had after his camera and iPod broke.

He spent as much money fixing the camera as the cost of a new one, while the iPod fetched nearly as much on eBay as the price of a working one. "I thought something is wrong with this system," he said.

At the time, he had been itching to quit his job as a securities analyst for mortgage-backed securities. In 2006, he posted an ad seeking broken iPods on Craigslist. So many sellers responded that Mosley needed friends across the country to pick up the iPods in different cities.

After six months, in 2007, his profits were enough to build a website, which he called BuyMyBrokeniPod.com. Soon after, his site was featured in two widely read blogs, one at Mac/Life and the other at ReadyMade magazine's website.

Mosley renamed the website to BuyMyTronics.com as the options for sellers evolved to include cellphones, game consoles and Apple computers. Mosley expects to diversify its purchases further.

BuyMyTronics fixes the devices and sells many of them on eBay.

The website's revenue was $100,000 its first year, Mosley said. He projects $2 million to $3 million in sales this year, with the company buying and reselling 30,000 to 40,000 devices. The company employs 13.

"I was really blown away with how much money they gave me," said Max Gerson of Denver, who found the site during a Google search and has sold it three gadgets.

"I think it's a great concept," he said. "It exposes a niche in the market."

Mosley moved to Denver in 2006 after a downturn in the San Diego housing market forced him to look for work elsewhere. After 11 months, he quit his securities analyst job.

"I'm kind of a free spirit," Mosley said. "I really couldn't take the corporate life."

Mosley recently was named a Top of the Town entrepreneur in 5280 magazine, and national publications have cited his company for its business model.

One of the benefits of BuyMyTronics is that it keeps electronic devices out of landfills.

In 2007, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that of the 2.25 million tons of TVs, cellphones and computers ready for disposal, only 18 percent were recycled. The remaining 82 percent mainly went to landfills.

"People don't realize it's a problem, and if they do, they don't know there's a solution," said Rike Sandlin, director of environmental affairs at Intechra, a 20-year-old technology recycler.

Electronic waste makes up 75 percent of toxics infiltrating landfill space, directly threatening the soil and ground water, said Andy Hellmuth, BuyMyTronics' operations coordinator.