How do I sell my Macbook Pro without getting screwed on the price?

March 21, 2013 11:49 PM

I've gone to some of those sell-your-laptop websites and I always get a quote for half the original price of my Macbook Pro.

It's a 13 inch Macbook Pro in perfect working condition with no defects or damage to the screen. There are a few scratches and a couple of barely noticeable dents. But other than that, it works just fine. These sites seem to be geared at people who need money really fast so they're willing to sell it for that much, but I'd rather take it somewhere where I'll get a fair offer. Any ideas?

posted by Cybria to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

Best answer: With those sites you're paying for no-haggle convenience and a guaranteed sell. If you want a better price and are willing to trade time for it, post it on Craigslist, eBay, or Facebook and ask people you know if they know anyone who is looking to buy.
posted by michaelh at 11:55 PM on March 21, 2013

This is what ebay is for.
posted by empath at 12:32 AM on March 22, 2013

Response by poster: I think I will try craigslist. ebay doesn't seem much better than the buy your laptop sites (ebay listings are mostly selling at the same price point).
posted by Cybria at 12:41 AM on March 22, 2013

How old is your laptop? Mac laptop prices on eBay tend to be very fair in my experience.
posted by twblalock at 1:30 AM on March 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

Mac's have decent resale value, but if they aren't the current model, half is about what I'd expect to sell it for. With scratches and dents, maybe even less.
posted by empath at 2:45 AM on March 22, 2013 [1 favorite]

The moment you walk out the door of the Apple Store with a computer, that computer drops in value by about 25%. That's because most people would rather buy from an authorized dealer than from a person. A dealer has a reputation to hold up. You, they don't know. There's a lot more that can go wrong. So they're not willing to pay as much.
posted by musofire at 3:29 AM on March 22, 2013

You're unlikely to do much better than eBay's prices, although selling locally for cash at least protects you from common scams and saves you the roughly 12% eBay & PayPal fees. Those prices aren't unfair, they're what the market will support.
posted by jon1270 at 3:31 AM on March 22, 2013

I bought my laptop, a five year old MacBook, from an eBay seller last year. I have noticed that, with Macs, final sale prices seem to be pretty consistent. Even with defects, used Mac can fetch a handsome price on eBay.

Have a search for your model. Expect to sell it for a similar price.
posted by run"monty at 3:34 AM on March 22, 2013

Computer equipment depreciates at 30-50% per year. Price accordingly.
posted by blue_beetle at 4:31 AM on March 22, 2013 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: It's a model from mid 2012 so it's a bit less than a year old now.
posted by Cybria at 11:41 AM on March 22, 2013