Resale value for laptops
May 25, 2012 12:50 AM Subscribe
Where can I view and compare the expected resale value of different laptops?
Wisdom has it that Macs have a higher resale value, but I'd like to see some numbers. Where is a good place to read about ready-calculated resale values for laptops, charts, tables and analysis would all be nice.
Wisdom has it that Macs have a higher resale value, but I'd like to see some numbers. Where is a good place to read about ready-calculated resale values for laptops, charts, tables and analysis would all be nice.
Response by poster: Just to make it clearer, I'm looking for pre-digested analysis if possible (not where to get raw data). Thanks a lot.
posted by devnull at 1:12 AM on May 25, 2012
posted by devnull at 1:12 AM on May 25, 2012
To expand on Blazecock Pielons comment, eBay has an advanced search feature where you can see how much an item has sold for.
Click on "Advanced" next to the search bar on the main page. Under the "Search including" section, check the box next to "Completed Listings". Now you can see how much a particular item has sold for! If the price is green than it sold for that amount, red means it didn't sell.
posted by littlesq at 1:13 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Click on "Advanced" next to the search bar on the main page. Under the "Search including" section, check the box next to "Completed Listings". Now you can see how much a particular item has sold for! If the price is green than it sold for that amount, red means it didn't sell.
posted by littlesq at 1:13 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This "How to to determine your resale value of your laptop" page mentions a study by Andover Consulting group where they estimated that laptops depreciate at 2% per week - meaning that my $1000 laptop will be worth about $350 in a year's time and $122 in 2 years.
The article also mentions Orion Blue Book as a data source.
posted by rongorongo at 2:37 AM on May 25, 2012
The article also mentions Orion Blue Book as a data source.
posted by rongorongo at 2:37 AM on May 25, 2012
Laptops don't really have resale value. Desktops don't really either. The things are really only worth buying used if you resell them in less than six months, because (1) they're so cheap to begin with, that (2) the rate at which hardware and software advance mean that anything six months old isn't just used, it's halfway to being obsolete.
This isn't like a car, where other than maybe needing some paint and new spark plugs, a vehicle from 1980 can still be perfectly serviceable. A laptop from more than about three years ago is going to have a tough time running Windows 7. But a new laptop that costs $400 will run it just fine. So if yours cost $1000 to start--which is a really nice laptop--and it's now two years later... yeah. $122 sounds about right. Not only are the parts significantly used up, but they wouldn't be worth all that much more if it were new.
In short, laptops aren't the kind of thing you resell, and there isn't much of a market for used ones. They're the kind of thing you use up and replace.
posted by valkyryn at 3:44 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
This isn't like a car, where other than maybe needing some paint and new spark plugs, a vehicle from 1980 can still be perfectly serviceable. A laptop from more than about three years ago is going to have a tough time running Windows 7. But a new laptop that costs $400 will run it just fine. So if yours cost $1000 to start--which is a really nice laptop--and it's now two years later... yeah. $122 sounds about right. Not only are the parts significantly used up, but they wouldn't be worth all that much more if it were new.
In short, laptops aren't the kind of thing you resell, and there isn't much of a market for used ones. They're the kind of thing you use up and replace.
posted by valkyryn at 3:44 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Valkyryn, that's complete rubbish :) Laptops have plenty of resale value, as a quick trawl across eBay will tell you.
The place to go for this data right now is yet another startup in SF: priceonomics.com
Here's the page for my workhorse laptop, a ThinkPad X60s, six years old & still going strong :)
posted by pharm at 7:05 AM on May 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
The place to go for this data right now is yet another startup in SF: priceonomics.com
Here's the page for my workhorse laptop, a ThinkPad X60s, six years old & still going strong :)
posted by pharm at 7:05 AM on May 25, 2012 [2 favorites]
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posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:59 AM on May 25, 2012 [1 favorite]