Help me sell my PowerBook

June 8, 2007 10:03 AM

I have some questions about AppleCare and selling my PowerBook.

I have a PowerBook purchased in the summer of 2005 that I've decided to sell before the market completely bottoms out on G4 machines, and I have a few questions:

1. The machine is still covered by one more year of AppleCare. In order to transfer the warranty to the buyer, do I need to do anything? I no longer have the enrollment receipt that Apple mailed me. I see the agreement number when I sign in to the Apple service web page; how do I (do I?) let Apple know that I am no longer the owner of said PowerBook?

2. I've upgraded the RAM and replaced the hard drive myself. Should I swap in the original drive and remove the additional RAM? I've heard that these user upgrades don't void AppleCare, but that Apple will make you revert the laptop back to its original state before they will look at it for repairs (to make sure that the new hardware isn't the cause). The new hard drive is 160 GB, the old is 100 GB. I'd think AppleCare would be more valuable in terms of resale value than 60 gigs, but welcome opinions on this.

3. There's some (mostly minor) cosmetic damage that I fear may affect resale value--and could potentially cause problems if the buyer were to bring it in for repairs (I've spent the morning googling horror stories involving AppleCare and user-inflicted damage). The palm rest, mouse button and part of the space key have developed "pitting" that results from sweat. The power supply area and front left side of the case are a little bent, and the hinges of the LCD could stand to be tightened. Is it worth it to repair these before I sell it? The laptop otherwise is in absolute perfect condition and has given me zero problems.

4. Determining a fair price: it's a 15" 1.67 PowerPC G4 with 2 gigs of RAM (1 GB originally), 160 GB HDD (100 GB originally), SuperDrive, ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB VRAM, the battery lasts ~2 hours on a full charge and there's a year left of AppleCare (it was the second-to-last revision of the PowerBook; the one before they introduced dual-layer DVD burners). I'm going to throw in my (pretty banged up) first-gen 2 GB iPod Nano and ask for $1000. Too much/little? I know you can't see the cosmetic damage but I'd rate this laptop a 7.5/10 for looks, 10/10 for performance.

From reading about selling laptops here and elsewhere I've decided to do it on craigslist with cash upon local pickup only, but if you have any specific advice about selling used laptops I'd welcome that as well, as I've never sold a "big ticket" item before and am just trying to do this right.

posted by cosmic osmo to computers & internet (10 comments total)

AFAIK, you do not need to do anything to 'transfer' an AppleCare contract. It is tied into the serial number. I have had experience with Apple disallowing warranty repairs that may have been caused by apparent damage to the case. Howevr I was able to convince them that the problem I had, with RAM, could not have been caused by a bent case. If you sell it with the extra RAM your buyer would be coverd except for the 3rd party RAM. they would not be covered for the HD, and Apple could claim that it was a user installed upgrade and disallow any future covered repairs.
posted by Gungho at 10:15 AM on June 8, 2007

I sold my G4 about six months ago after I bought my fancy new MBP and when I was selling it on ebay I listed all of the changes, all of the cosmetic defects (including a crack in the frame-type plastic that goes around the screen) and posted a LOAD of pictures. The more pictures, the better - so I posted all of that, with the qualifier that if requested, I could send the original (non-working) harddrive that I had swapped for a bigger and better HD. It was still under AppleCare but I got a great deal on a bigger HD, so I just installed it myself. I think gungho has it pretty down as for warrenty issues.

Price: It looks like ebay has g4s going for anywhere from $800-$1000. When I sold mine back in January I made my reserve something like $800 and ended up with $1051 because I threw in a carrying case. If you're listing on ebay you should think about mentioned a few places that you're throwing in the iPod "for free" since it might bring a few additional bids.
posted by banannafish at 10:23 AM on June 8, 2007

I've heard that these user upgrades don't void AppleCare, but that Apple will make you revert the laptop back to its original state before they will look at it for repairs (to make sure that the new hardware isn't the cause).

I've never been told that by AppleCare, though when I've sent my iBook for repair, it's always been the hard drive at fault (which isn't affected by upgraded RAM etc.) So you'd need to replace the old drive or make it clear to the buyer that AppleCare won't help if the new drive fails. I've also found that AppleCare will silently do minor repairs to bent/loose hinges or broken lid clips.

$1000 is probably close to fair value, though you're pricing it close to a new MacBook (which comes with a free nano right now for student buyers): smaller screen, but 1280x800 res. Sadly, there's an implicit discount these days for PowerPC models, especially now that CS3 runs natively on Intel, so the psychological attraction of a three-digit price may get you more takers.
posted by holgate at 10:25 AM on June 8, 2007

Should I swap in the original drive and remove the additional RAM?

I would sell the original drive with the computer, leave the additional RAM in, and just let the end user know about the warranty issues. Alternatively, ask the end user if s/he would like you to revert the laptop back to "factory" state. Options help sell.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:34 AM on June 8, 2007

I would sell the original drive with the computer

As in, put it back in the computer and sell it with 100 gigs? Or keep the 160 gig in there (here, actually) and also include the original when I sell it? (It's in an enclosure right now and not doing much, so including it wouldn't be that big of a deal for me and might make it a more attractive package overall, assuming whomever buys it is computer literate enough to swap the drives if/when a problem with the machine should arise.)
posted by cosmic osmo at 10:46 AM on June 8, 2007

I would keep the upgrades in the computer, but I would give the new purchaser the old parts when you sell it (the original 100GB drive and the old RAM, if you had to remove any). You can probably build an extra few bucks into the price for the older drive, since it'll be "complete." I'd also try to gather up as much of the original packaging, manuals, CDs, etc. as you can, since they'll add significantly to the resale value.

I don't think you'll get $1k for the machine; you need to look at this from a potential buyer's perspective. If you ask for a thousand, they're going to think "for a hundred bucks more, I could get a new Intel Macbook." Plus, there's a lot of FUD/exaggeration going around, people calling the PPC models 'old' or 'outdated,' plus there are severe real-world limitations: you can't run Boot Camp or Parallels on a PPC Mac, so you can't sell it to anyone who's not a hardcore Mac user. (Just as a benchmark, PowerMax is selling "certified pre-owned" G4/1GHz Powerbooks for $939. Not as nice as yours, but it's tough to upsell based on configuration or processor speed when it's not the latest generation of processor.)

I think you might start to find some buyers down in the $900 range, although the used-computer market is fickle.
posted by Kadin2048 at 10:59 AM on June 8, 2007

thanks for the input...i'm going to list it at $1k and see what happens, but i'd let it go for $900 (maybe even $850) if it came down to it.

something that i just thought of: how do I prove to the buyer that the computer is covered by AppleCare if I no longer have the enrollment receipt?
posted by cosmic osmo at 11:21 AM on June 8, 2007

Cosmic: They can put the serial # in on Apple's website and it'll tell them.
posted by SpecialK at 11:48 AM on June 8, 2007

I'd definitely leave the RAM upgrade and larger HD in the system when selling it. You say you have the original drive in an external enclosure, so I'd throw that in as well as it'd only help get a little more for everything, plus they'd have the original drive if they wanted it. Echoing what others have said, definitely try to track down anything that originally came with the unit as it will help the resell value. For an idea on where to start with price, try this site:

Mac2Sell

Their prices seem a little high IMHO, but at least it's a starting point.
posted by drgonzo2k2 at 12:01 PM on June 8, 2007

I'd check with applecare myself and make sure the HDD is a user-replaceable part - couldn't find a guide on Apple's support website that documented how to do it. if you upgrade it and it's not something you're supposed to be able to replace, it'd probably void the AppleCare. either way I'd probably include the original equipment - they're probably going to need it if they take it in for service. the AppleCare FAQ says to check the terms and conditions to see how to transfer (it is transferrable).
posted by mrg at 4:55 PM on June 8, 2007