Any advice for selling a MacBook on eBay?

davidg4781 · May 28, 2012

I have a MacBook im selling. I posted an ad on Craigslist and only got 2 seemingly fake responses. I checked completed listings on eBay and they seem to be selling a lot higher.

I know there are some risks in selling on eBay but what do I need to do to make sure im protected? I might hold off until I'm off vacation because I live near Austin and San Antonio and can maybe get more for it up there.

tardman91 · May 28, 2012

I'd sell it locally since it seems to get increasingly easier to get screwed on eBay. Also keep in mind that the higher selling price is probably moot after eBay and PayPal take their cut and you pay for shipping and insurance. It might take a little longer and require a little more leg work, but better to be safe than sorry.

davidg4781 · May 28, 2012

tardman91 said:
I'd sell it locally since it seems to get increasingly easier to get screwed on eBay. Also keep in mind that the higher selling price is probably moot after eBay and PayPal take their cut and you pay for shipping and insurance. It might take a little longer and require a little more leg work, but better to be safe than sorry.

I'll probably do that. I brought it with me and posted it locally where I'm at but there's only about 3 MacBooks on that Craigslist. At least mine will be visible for a few days.

afawcett · May 28, 2012

I am selling my old MacBook, and I decided to sell it on Craigslist. eBay takes a fee, and then PayPal takes a fee. PayPal has also become less reliable (I've had a few payments recently that PayPal refuses to process the refund, which is the whole point of using it). Just make sure you meet at well lit area with a lot of people.

spacepower7 · May 28, 2012

I did a trade-in for store credit at best buy, $536 for a 2006 Black MacBook core2duo 2.0 ghz, 2gb ram, 250 hd. That was applied to credit to my purchase of a 2011 MBA 13" 128 GB. It was definitely better than dealing with sketchy Craigslist and eBay which would have gotten much less after fees and no shows, and sketchy bidders.

Just suggesting another option......

davidg4781 · May 28, 2012

spacepower7 said:
I did a trade-in for store credit at best buy, $536 for a 2006 Black MacBook core2duo 2.0 ghz, 2gb ram, 250 hd. That was applied to credit to my purchase of a 2011 MBA 13" 128 GB. It was definitely better than dealing with sketchy Craigslist and eBay which would have gotten much less after fees and no shows, and sketchy bidders.

Just suggesting another option......

Whoa! How does that work?? I could definitely do that. Even if I had to spot a bit to get something more expensive that I can resell it would be a lot better.

spacepower7 · May 30, 2012

davidg4781 said:
Whoa! How does that work?? I could definitely do that. Even if I had to spot a bit to get something more expensive that I can resell it would be a lot better.

They have a trade-in area on their website. You get more store credit than they would offer you as cash.

The guy I dealt with examined the MB and type stuff into the computer. He warned that I might get fair condition credit, a bit less than good, but after a few minutes the computer returned good.

On a side note, at the same time, the online price calculator said I could get ~$150 for a 2003 G4 PowerBook with broken battery. The in store system would not accept any trade for the G4 PowerBook.

Make sure to use the online trade-in price calculator, print up a copy, and present it to the tech if they try to low ball you on trade-in value.

I used bestbuy bc it was less of a hassle than eBay and I actually got to apply the credit to a previous purchase within the allowed return period.

davidg4781 · May 30, 2012

spacepower7 said:
They have a trade-in area on their website. You get more store credit than they would offer you as cash.

The guy I dealt with examined the MB and type stuff into the computer. He warned that I might get fair condition credit, a bit less than good, but after a few minutes the computer returned good.

On a side note, at the same time, the online price calculator said I could get ~$150 for a 2003 G4 PowerBook with broken battery. The in store system would not accept any trade for the G4 PowerBook.

Make sure to use the online trade-in price calculator, print up a copy, and present it to the tech if they try to low ball you on trade-in value.

I used bestbuy bc it was less of a hassle than eBay and I actually got to apply the credit to a previous purchase within the allowed return period.

I checked online and it was kind of low. Do all stores sort this out in house? I didn't want to bother with sending it in but if I can get it right away in house I may do that.

Were you offered the same as the quote online?

spacepower7 · May 31, 2012

davidg4781 said:
I checked online and it was kind of low. Do all stores sort this out in house? I didn't want to bother with sending it in but if I can get it right away in house I may do that.

Were you offered the same as the quote online?

I think many but not all stores will do this in house. The website is supposed to show which ones did or didn't but it wasn't clear and showed all the stores in my area. I just called the closest one, they said that they think they did it, so I went in anyway. Maybe tell them to connect to the geek squad support.

Make sure when you do the online thing, that you include wifi, DVD recorder, etc... I had updated my Ram and HD years ago, so that may have bumped up my price.

I brought in a printed copy of the online quote, but their computer started from the same price. The kid told me some story how the "Good" condition price now required excellent like new condition, which sounded ridiculous, and that the whole rating system had changed. It takes a few minutes for the store system to process and the kid warned that I might get bumped down to the "Fair" price, but in the end I got the higher "Good" price credit.

Overall, it took about 15-20 minutes till I had the bestbuy gift card in hand, and was probably the only "good" bestbuy experience that I have ever had

8281 · May 31, 2012

I've always had good luck selling on ebay (knock on wood), but you should always limit eligible bidders to the States (you can change buyer requirements). I always block people with new PayPal accounts and bidders with unpaid item cases.

Just operate conservatively, and don't accept offers from people messaging you within eBays email system.

Val-kyrie · May 31, 2012

spacepower7 said:
I did a trade-in for store credit at best buy, $536 for a 2006 Black MacBook core2duo 2.0 ghz, 2gb ram, 250 hd. That was applied to credit to my purchase of a 2011 MBA 13" 128 GB. It was definitely better than dealing with sketchy Craigslist and eBay which would have gotten much less after fees and no shows, and sketchy bidders.

Just suggesting another option......

When and where did you get that price?

I tried the BB online trade-in tool and it gave me a value $200 less and mine is an early 08 black MB with better specs.

spacepower7 · May 31, 2012

Val-kyrie said:
When and where did you get that price?

I tried the BB online trade-in tool and it gave me a value $200 less and mine is an early 08 black MB with better specs.

Sorry I did that in January, and rechecked for a friend in February or March. It seems they redid the online system to specific model numbers. They previously used processor generation, GHZ, Ram, Hd, wifi, DVD writer as individual specs to choose from. Although they didn't give credit to a black model which usually pulls an extra $100 on eBay.

Sorry about that, it's a bummer but even worse I have to explain to a friend that their trade-in of their 2006 purchase is no longer ~50% of their original purchase price but now it has dropped to ~25% in just 2 months.

davidg4781 · Jun 10, 2012

Ok, I still have this thing. I've listed in on Craigslist, and while I got a few very anxious people, I wasn't able to meet them and I guess they lost interest. I know, my fault, but living 2 hours away from them puts a huge damper in the mix.

Either way, looking at Best Buy, I'm getting $232.85 on their online estimate thing. I can probably go by on Monday as I'll be sort of in the area. Do they add more for additional RAM? I have 2GB in it, but it originally came with 512MB. If I'm not going to gain anything I might as well swap the 512 back in and try to sell the 2GB separate.

I'm actually thinking of trying eBay. Blah. Maybe I should just keep it, although I really have no use for it and I don't know anyone that would want it that I'd want to give it to, if that makes sense.

davidg4781 · Jun 12, 2012

Ok, it's going on eBay, probably later tonight. I have a few questions...

I have Snow Leopard, mini-DVI to DVI adaptor, and 2GB of RAM. When putting it up on eBay, should I include all that stuff (probably for sure the RAM and try to sell the 2X256MB separate)?

I know if I keep Snow Leopard I need to install Tiger. Would I get better bang for my buck if I include all that? I also have the 2nd to latest iWork and iLife, but I'd like to keep them.

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Any advice for selling a MacBook on eBay?

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