Best Mac resale solution online?

August 8, 2008 9:58 AM

What's the best Mac resale solution online? Describe your experiences.

I'm looking to unload a Santa Rosa-era Macbook and wondering how people rate their experience using the sundry Apple resale sites out there (see below). I have just posted to Craigslist in the past but just want a simple, straightforward process that will give me best value for the machine--and hopefully be a service I can use again in the future, too.

Eg.,
http://www.macofalltrades.com/
http://cash4macs.com/
http://www.sellamac.com/

posted by jeffmacintyre to computers & internet (6 comments total)

For what it's worth, I've never heard of the Mac resale sites you've mentioned. I've sold two Macbooks on eBay in the past and both times the machines have gone for what they were worth.
posted by whiskeyspider at 10:29 AM on August 8, 2008

No reseller is going to give you "what its worth", as they need to sell it for "what its worth". That being said; if you are buying a new Macintosh look into SmallDog's trade in rates -- they actually do seem rather fair. (Full disclosure: They are 25 minutes away from me, though I have never bought anything there except a power cable)
posted by SirStan at 11:21 AM on August 8, 2008

You are going to get significantly less than what it is worth, because they have to make a profit on selling the machine. You are much better off selling on eBay or Craigslist if you want to maximize the amount of money you get from the unit.
posted by BryanPayne at 11:41 AM on August 8, 2008

"a simple, straightforward process that will give me best value for the machine"

That's still Craigslist. The "sell your laptop" places lowball you badly. If you want convenience, you'll be paying them for it. If you want cash money, you're going to have to suffer all the idiots on Craigslist who ask you questions you answered in the ad and make unreasonable requests. Dealing with the inevitable CL problems will net you the best possible value for your sale.

I've cut down on the difficulty with idiot CL buyers by being prepared with a response email that says "Your question was answered in the carefully written, detailed ad you are responding to. The ad reads as follows: *PASTE!*" and "No, I won't hand-deliver the laptop to your grandmother 2500 miles away and take Green Stamps in exchange." If you take a few minutes to anticipate the common problems it's fairly easy to sell at a fair price.
posted by majick at 12:06 PM on August 8, 2008

eBay or Craigslist for best resale value (to you). The previous answers are right in that using a middleman reseller will cut down a lot of what you'd get. You're paying for the "simple" convenience.

eBay has more protections in place than Craigslist if you're iffy about it, but CL is obviously free. Another option is a tax-deductable donation. But you need to be a bit educated about resale "value"--something is only worth however much someone else is willing to pay for it. If you list at a price on eBay for three months straight, for example, it's definitely not "worth" your perceived price. If you don't have a good feeling for price, try searching eBay's "completed auctions" lists for similar Macs.

Just be sure to really wipe the hard drive before reselling.
posted by Ky at 12:07 PM on August 8, 2008

I've sold my previous 2 desktop Macs to online resellers, and each time it's worked out fine, and fast. Most recently I sold a g5 tower here:
http://www.dvwarehouse.com/The-Seller-Form-s-74.html

The process went exactly as described by the buyer. I was delighted not to have to deal with anyone via ebay or craigslist, or to try to determine the best possible price I wanted; I just wanted to know up front what I could be certain of getting for the old box while I toted up the price of the new one, so this service was worth it to me. (Can't recall exactly which outfit I sold the first one to, but it was equally fast and smooth, and also just the result of comparing the offers from 2 or 3 googled-up buyers.)
posted by dpcoffin at 1:02 PM on August 9, 2008