Can I sell my nearly new macbook for parts?

July 14, 2010 3:17 PM

Soup attacked my Macbook and now it is on its way to fried-land. Lots of things still work fine, and it's less than 1 year old. Is there a way to get money from the parts?

Long story short, my 9-month old Macbook suffered from liquid damage. I had it diagnosed by both the Apple Store and a third party Mac repair company and getting it repaired will cost upwards of $1,000. After a week of mourning, I have opted to not repair it, and just invest in a new one instead.

I know liquid damage can cause short-circuiting to spread, so what's functioning now may not be in the near future. But -

Lots of things are still great on it. The display is perfect. It auto-boots in safe-mode, but can be overwritten. The computer is functional, though the shift key is permanently enabled so no numbers. A few letters don't work. Basically, enough is wrong with it that it isn't usable but isn't complete junk.

Is there a company that would give me money for the thing, just for the parts? Or should I just throw it up on Craigslist and see if I get any hits? I'm really only looking to get like $100 out of it, I guess.

I am ever grateful to you, hive mind.

posted by Lutoslawski to computers & internet (10 answers total)

You would be surprised what people would pay for a broken Mac on Craiglist or FleaBay.
posted by entropicamericana at 3:28 PM on July 14, 2010

Try the guys at PBParts.com.

http://www.pbparts.com

Disclaimer: I know them, but would not benefit in any way if you sold it to them.
posted by BryanPayne at 3:52 PM on July 14, 2010

I assume that you've tried drying it thoroughly, including sticking it in a sealed bag with a bunch of uncooked rice for a while?
posted by paulg at 4:06 PM on July 14, 2010

This computer is worth a lot more than $100. Try eBay.
posted by whiskeyspider at 4:06 PM on July 14, 2010

If it still boots and is functional, I'd say you can fix it.

Since you have a glitchy keyboard, it might be a stuck key thats putting it into safe mode. I'd pull the keyboard out and see the machine functions proparly with an external USB keyboard. If so, you might try washing out the keyboard (only) and seeing if it is still usable.

Oh and make sure it is properly dried before you try anything.
posted by wongcorgi at 4:40 PM on July 14, 2010

If you wash things, I'd recommend using distilled water (and, as wongcorgi said, letting it dry thoroughly). I've seen this work for a PC keyboard exposed to champagne before.
posted by LadyOscar at 5:31 PM on July 14, 2010

This doesn't directly address your question, but if you paid for this MacBook with a credit you might want to check if your card has any benefits like warranty extension, accidental damage coverage, etc. I have a credit union Visa and a Costco AmEx and both have different forms of those benefits. Might be worth a look?
posted by jroybal at 10:05 PM on July 14, 2010

Get your keyboard replaced, and see how bad it is. I have a macbook I spilled coffee on and it's still perfectly functional after getting the keyboard replaced.
posted by empath at 5:44 AM on July 15, 2010

Hey all. Sorry I'm responding so late. Obvious reasons.

*I tried an external keyboard on the laptop when I went to the Mac Store (not Apple store). Of course the keyboard problems were fixed, but there are still other issues. The sound works sporadically, other random glitchy things.

*I dried and cleaned it the best I could. It was not a lot of liquid that got in, but I'm afraid the exposure time to the liquid was long (~14 hours).

*I don't know enough to fix it myself. I wouldn't know how to take the keyboard out or anything, and if I start pulling things apart I'm worried I'll fuck it up even more. Both quotes I got for fixing it were like $900+. Is there a cheaper way?

*Otherwise, I'll poke around ebay and see what I could maybe get for it. I also found out about a small business in town that buys broken macs.

empath: I have a macbook I spilled coffee on and it's still perfectly functional after getting the keyboard replaced.

Can you replace just the keyboard on the macbook? Both mac and apple stores made it seem like it was an all-or-nothing sort of situation, as far as the keyboard and logic board and whatnot were concerned.

Thank you everyone for your help. Much, much appreciated.
posted by Lutoslawski at 9:04 AM on July 15, 2010

It's called a top case. It's pricey, but not as pricey as buying a mac.
posted by empath at 2:57 PM on July 15, 2010