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How to Sell a Customized MBP?

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Slyth66

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 23, 2013
32
0
I plan to sell my Macbook Pro 15-inch Early 2011 soon (probably around Spring and on eBay) but I'm really worried about getting its true value. I feel like a lot of people on eBay assume that the only thing that determines the value of a computer is the year and screen size. I bought it with improved specs, such as the following:

Anti-glare Matte Screen
2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3
Intel HD Graphics 3000 512 MB
750GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive

Any idea how to sell my Macbook Pro at its maximum value? Most sites that offer a trade-in price don't even ask specifics. Also, if anyone wants to take a gamble and let me know what my machine may be worth with these customizations it'd be helpful. It's in great condition with a perfect screen and only a slight ding on the left side near the battery light indicators.
 
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Justinhub2003

macrumors regular
Jul 17, 2012
137
0
Cincinnati Oh
Im Actually having a hard time selling my 13" MBP that has a 500GB Samsung 840 SSD and Crucial 16GB of ram.


Basically im probably gonna take the SSD out and keep it and sell for normal price since a lot of people dont appreciate I spend 450$ for the SSD
 
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rapicell

macrumors regular
Mar 20, 2013
248
58
The only way to get max value ebay wise is to do a buy it now as the only way to purchase it. Though with those specs, they go for around $900 ebay wise, plus with the GPU issue that's going on with that year of laptop, there may be some very cautious buyers.
Also, people don't care if you have the best specs in the world for your model year, once better stuff comes out that value is going to drop both of the product itself and what people value it from their perspective.
 
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Slyth66

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 23, 2013
32
0
rapicell said:
The only way to get max value ebay wise is to do a buy it now as the only way to purchase it. Though with those specs, they go for around $900 ebay wise, plus with the GPU issue that's going on with that year of laptop, there may be some very cautious buyers.
Also, people don't care if you have the best specs in the world for your model year, once better stuff comes out that value is going to drop both of the product itself and what people value it from their perspective.
Click to expand...

No I completely understand that there are better specs on newer models, I just want to convince people that this isn't the base model. Also, would it help or hurt to mention that it was just sent to Apple and inspected for problems, during which they put in a new Logic board and the battery was replaced by Apple less than a year ago?
 
B...

B...

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2013
1,949
2
Slyth66 said:
No I completely understand that there are better specs on newer models, I just want to convince people that this isn't the base model. Also, would it help or hurt to mention that it was just sent to Apple and inspected for problems, during which they put in a new Logic board and the battery was replaced by Apple less than a year ago?
Click to expand...

I would imagine saying the HDD and logic board are less than a year old could only help your cause.
 
R

rapicell

macrumors regular
Mar 20, 2013
248
58
Slyth66 said:
I just want to convince people that this isn't the base model. Also, would it help or hurt to mention that it was just sent to Apple and inspected for problems, during which they put in a new Logic board and the battery was replaced by Apple less than a year ago?
Click to expand...

Just mention in your ad that it's an upgraded model and mention that it was repaired by apple within the year should only help your ability to sell it. Also, if you happen to still have the paper work about the repair, taking a picture of the dates to prove your claim would ease a lot of buyers.
 
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Slyth66

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 23, 2013
32
0
rapicell said:
Just mention in your ad that it's an upgraded model and mention that it was repaired by apple within the year should only help your ability to sell it. Also, if you happen to still have the paper work about the repair, taking a picture of the dates to prove your claim would ease a lot of buyers.
Click to expand...

Great tip, thanks! I just thought maybe the fact that it had to be repaired at all would scare some people away.
 
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bniu

macrumors 65816
Mar 21, 2010
1,120
303
Upgraded models don't have as high of a resell value because the people buying second hand models are more price sensitive and won't pay extra for the bells and whistles. Nevertheless, I buy specs based on what I want, not what resell value could potentially be.

Someone I worked with only offered me $250 for a 64GB LTE iPad 4 that had AppleCare on it. I wasn't really looking to sell and such a price was kind of an insult. I told him I wasn't selling for a penny under $750. He called me crazy with that asking price, but I set that price because I wasn't looking to sell but if someone would offer me that much, sure, I'd sell it.
 
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rapicell

macrumors regular
Mar 20, 2013
248
58
I may just be subjective in this thought, but if people are scared by the fact a computer has been repaired before, then they probably shouldn't be buying used.
 
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Slyth66

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 23, 2013
32
0
bniu said:
Upgraded models don't have as high of a resell value because the people buying second hand models are more price sensitive and won't pay extra for the bells and whistles. Nevertheless, I buy specs based on what I want, not what resell value could potentially be.

Someone I worked with only offered me $250 for a 64GB LTE iPad 4 that had AppleCare on it. I wasn't really looking to sell and such a price was kind of an insult. I told him I wasn't selling for a penny under $750. He called me crazy with that asking price, but I set that price because I wasn't looking to sell but if someone would offer me that much, sure, I'd sell it.
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Yeah I definitely wasn't considering the resell value when I bought it. It was actually my first laptop but decided since I now work as a video editor at my college and have been working on an iMac at work that I wanted to get one for myself. I'd be more than happy getting $900 for mine which is what someone suggested it may be worth but I don't know where I could sell it for that high.
 
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saturnotaku

macrumors 68000
Mar 4, 2013
1,978
97
Does the machine have AppleCare? It would add a small amount in terms of dollar value to the machine, but there would also be a greater chance that someone would buy it.
 
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rex450se

macrumors 6502
Apr 9, 2011
261
77
Independence, MO
I would say you would have good luck on eBay. I just sold an expensive customized laptop on eBay and was pretty happy with what I got for it. I put the buy it now price a little higher than I'd settle for and had a Best Offer option. I sold it in less than 2 days. This was for a $2500 Asus laptop and I did have a transferable warranty on it and the buyer said that he was looking at getting one and mine was the only one on eBay with a warranty so he grabbed it. I know one thing that may help your sale is to offer international shipping. Good luck with the sale.
 
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leman

macrumors Core
Oct 14, 2008
19,202
19,063
I woulds say $800-900 is the most realistic price you can get, although you might be also able to sell it for $1000 or so to a less educated buyer. The problem is, a 2013 MacBook Air sells for just above $900 on the Apple refurb store - and its a better computer for day-to-day tasks. And that what people on a budget usually look for. The performance crowd is less likely to buy an old MBP.
 
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Slyth66

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 23, 2013
32
0
saturnotaku said:
Does the machine have AppleCare? It would add a small amount in terms of dollar value to the machine, but there would also be a greater chance that someone would buy it.
Click to expand...

Well I have a 90 day warranty for it based on the repairs that I had done by Apple which expire in March but I may not even sell it before that so no, there's not a warranty, haha.

rex450se said:
I would say you would have good luck on eBay. I just sold an expensive customized laptop on eBay and was pretty happy with what I got for it. I put the buy it now price a little higher than I'd settle for and had a Best Offer option. I sold it in less than 2 days. This was for a $2500 Asus laptop and I did have a transferable warranty on it and the buyer said that he was looking at getting one and mine was the only one on eBay with a warranty so he grabbed it. I know one thing that may help your sale is to offer international shipping. Good luck with the sale.
Click to expand...

Wow that sounds great. I like your idea about the buy it now price. Based on the other comments I'd probably set that around the $800-$850 range with an "or best offer" option.

leman said:
I woulds say $800-900 is the most realistic price you can get, although you might be also able to sell it for $1000 or so to a less educated buyer. The problem is, a 2013 MacBook Air sells for just above $900 on the Apple refurb store - and its a better computer for day-to-day tasks. And that what people on a budget usually look for. The performance crowd is less likely to buy an old MBP.
Click to expand...

Very true. I know it's for a very specific buyer who would want it and that's what worries me. I guess I'll just do my best to upsell it. I was thinking of making a YouTube video and embedding it in the description just of me showing it off and talking about it. Being super friendly with things like "It's a great computer, I loved it, I'm just upgrading because I'm doing more advanced video editing, blah blah blah" haha.
 
john123

john123

macrumors 68030
Jul 20, 2001
2,582
1,536
Slyth66 said:
Great tip, thanks! I just thought maybe the fact that it had to be repaired at all would scare some people away.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't mention this, to be honest. It will scare more buyers than it reassures, because it triggers the psychology of worrying about lemons.

OP, the best tactic you can use is a well-written ad with lots of pictures and good use of bold, italics, and underline.

Another thing that would help is sitting on your sale. This is a horrible time of year to be selling used Macs. People—at least in the demographic most likely to buy used Macs—are often low on disposable income (due to holiday shopping). A better time is in a couple months when folks start getting their tax refunds. I've been trying to move two used MBPs in the past month, and despite having sold ~15 of them over the years, I've never had as rough a time as I am right now.

Overall, though, your fears are very valid. People look to used Macs because they want a deal, and it's a small audience that would rather take those spec upgrades on a used model versus paying the same or even less for a "new" base model. That's the reason I almost always have bought base models; resale on them is quite good.
 
S

Slyth66

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 23, 2013
32
0
john123 said:
I wouldn't mention this, to be honest. It will scare more buyers than it reassures, because it triggers the psychology of worrying about lemons.

OP, the best tactic you can use is a well-written ad with lots of pictures and good use of bold, italics, and underline.

Another thing that would help is sitting on your sale. This is a horrible time of year to be selling used Macs. People—at least in the demographic most likely to buy used Macs—are often low on disposable income (due to holiday shopping). A better time is in a couple months when folks start getting their tax refunds. I've been trying to move two used MBPs in the past month, and despite having sold ~15 of them over the years, I've never had as rough a time as I am right now.

Overall, though, your fears are very valid. People look to used Macs because they want a deal, and it's a small audience that would rather take those spec upgrades on a used model versus paying the same or even less for a "new" base model. That's the reason I almost always have bought base models; resale on them is quite good.
Click to expand...

Very valid point about the tax refunds. Definitely a strategy I will use. And i definitely understand about the base model situation. It's just when I buy a computer I like to get the most out of it, especially when I'm using it for very intensive purposes. I guess it's a negative when it comes to reselling but I guess I'm willing to loose it and sell it for the base price. Just was wondering the best way to let people know it has been upgraded. Thanks!
 
michelg1970

michelg1970

macrumors 6502
Jul 26, 2011
288
120
The Hague - The Netherlands
Justinhub2003 said:
Im Actually having a hard time selling my 13" MBP that has a 500GB Samsung 840 SSD and Crucial 16GB of ram.


Basically im probably gonna take the SSD out and keep it and sell for normal price since a lot of people dont appreciate I spend 450$ for the SSD
Click to expand...

I did exactly the same: from my 2012 MBP swapped the 16 GB memory back to the 8GB stock memory and put the stock HDD back inside. Used the 2x8 GB sticks in my iMac and placed the SSD in my daughter's MBP 2011. Price I got for my MBP was only 50 EUR lower than the offers I got for the "loaded" version.
 
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