Tin-containing nanocrystalline Mg2Sn and Ni3Sn4 were prepared by ball milling to see their electrochemical proper-ties as a new anode material for lithium ion batteries. Electrochemical tests demonstrated that the initial charge-discharge capacities are very high for both materials. Although the capacity faded rapidly after the first cycle, reversible insertion-extraction of lithium occurred after the second cycle. Both capacity and cycle life of Ni3Sn4 were markedly improved for the ball-milled electrode as compared with the as-cast alloy electrodes indicating that the nanocrystalline structure of the starting materials plays an important role in enhancing lithium storage performance.