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Apple Trade-In for MBP, legit?

AMTYVLE

AMTYVLE

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 23, 2014
739
712
Florida
So I have a Mid-2015 15.4" MacBook Pro Retina and I desperately want to upgrade to the new 16" MacBook Pro. Apple's Trade In says they'll give me $520 credit for my current MBP.

Question is - I've read in the past that when you send in your MacBook Pro to them, Apple uses a 3rd Party for their trade ins, (don't know if they still do?) they then low ball you on the trade-in value, and you do not receive what you were quoted for on Apple.com....is that still happening? Anyone have any experiences with trading in their MacBook and mailing it in? Apple Stores do not accept Mac trade-ins in person and they must be mailed in. I'm nervous about sending it in and getting low balled as it is in perfect condition and still performs like the day I bought it over 4 years ago.

I could sell it - but I do not want to deal with people or shipping :rolleyes:.
 
I tried to trade in a MacBook Pro through Apple/Phobio. They offered me about $900 - and then when they received it, they "adjusted" the offer to $0. In my opinion, Phobio are thieves who basically tried to steal my computer.

The reason for the adjustment was that they say the battery was swollen. Battery service for a MacBook Pro is supposed to cost about $200, but after I got it back, Apple actually fixed it for free. I could have tried to send it to Phobio again, but I had no desire to do business with them. I do not recommend them at all.
 
  • Wow
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I am from Argentina, and the regional situation is a bit different but better try selling the Macbook Pro on your own.
I would believe that Apple's exchange system is for dumb people (sorry if I sound offensive) but their offers are very low, sometimes getting your device at $0.
In Argentina, the average price of a 2015 MBP is 900 USD.
 
Had a good experience selling my '13 iMac at one of their local shops: https://experimax.com/

Walk in with Mac. Agree on price. Walk out with check. Easy.

Each shop is independently owned, so if you don't have luck with one you can try another.
 
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I had a completely positive experience with Apple trade-in. I traded in a 2012 13" MBP Retina 2 years ago with Apple. It was a company issued notebook so getting the last dollar for the trade-in wasn't worth my time and effort. I received a ~$500 credit within a few weeks and applied it to the purchase of a 15" MBP.
 
Personally, after seeing the myriad negative reports on Phobio, I would never consider using them for trade in. Better to try to sell it locally.
 
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AMTYVLE said:
Thank you for this. There is one close to me! I'll see what they offer me 🤞
Click to expand...

Let us know how it goes. Heck, if the shop you try out gives you a good price/experience, maybe I'll take a long ride. Still can't even GET a trade-in value for my '19 iMac through the traditional sites. I'd consider a trade-in upgrade if the price is right.
 
The 2015 is a fine MacBook, the last design with a full complement of connection ports.
What makes you "desperate" to trade it away for a new one?
(sorry, just had to ask)

(with a "trade-in" value of only $520, even if I bought a new 16", I'd keep the old one around as a spare...)
 
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Fishrrman said:
The 2015 is a fine MacBook, the last design with a full complement of connection ports.
What makes you "desperate" to trade it away for a new one?
(sorry, just had to ask)

(with a "trade-in" value of only $520, even if I bought a new 16", I'd keep the old one around as a spare...)
Click to expand...
Agreed - the trade in was very low compared to what was paid ($2500) in 2015.

I love my 2015 MBP 15" i7 I have had for the past 4 years.
It's a workhorse computer on my work desk.

Love the ports on the 15" compared to my new personal 16" MBP which I have to get a dongle adapter for everything....
 
Things went horribly wrong for me. Mostly, the situation is rectified, but not without my consistent intervention. To summarize: My trade-in with Phobio was valued as $X credit. The trade in had a screen delamination issue which resulted in a significantly reduced credit. I had the laptop returned. After having Apple fix it under warranty, I sent the laptop back for a trade. I was now to receive less than the original amount - possibly due the two-week turn around time. So, to summarize - I'm forced to decline the first trade, send the laptop for a covered repair, get the laptop back, send it to Phobio again for credit and take what they offer since no reason was given for the reduced credit. No offer was made on the second return to Phobio. My "offer amount" did not come with the option to decline!!! The transaction has left a bitter taste in my mouth and I will not ever do a trade involving Apple again. I plan to post notices on several forums warning others of the pitfalls of doing a trade. The delamination was the only issue and was covered under Apple's warranty. The original trade should have been accepted. If not an accepted trade, allow time for the return of the laptop to the customer and have the customer work directly with Apple to arrange for the covered repair. Then, when the laptop is returned to Phobio, run normal tests and make an offer. If there are no issues - stick with the Original Offer. Do not upset the customer by reducing the amount! And, again, provide the option to accept or deny the offer!!
 
AMTYVLE said:
So I have a Mid-2015 15.4" MacBook Pro Retina and I desperately want to upgrade to the new 16" MacBook Pro. Apple's Trade In says they'll give me $520 credit for my current MBP.

Question is - I've read in the past that when you send in your MacBook Pro to them, Apple uses a 3rd Party for their trade ins, (don't know if they still do?) they then low ball you on the trade-in value, and you do not receive what you were quoted for on Apple.com....is that still happening? Anyone have any experiences with trading in their MacBook and mailing it in? Apple Stores do not accept Mac trade-ins in person and they must be mailed in. I'm nervous about sending it in and getting low balled as it is in perfect condition and still performs like the day I bought it over 4 years ago.

I could sell it - but I do not want to deal with people or shipping :rolleyes:.
Click to expand...

I’ve never gotten low balled (I actually received more once). Yes they do use a third party but as long as you’re accurate with any damage you’ll get your trade in value. I use it all the time.
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SegNerd said:
I tried to trade in a MacBook Pro through Apple/Phobio. They offered me about $900 - and then when they received it, they "adjusted" the offer to $0. In my opinion, Phobio are thieves who basically tried to steal my computer.

The reason for the adjustment was that they say the battery was swollen. Battery service for a MacBook Pro is supposed to cost about $200, but after I got it back, Apple actually fixed it for free. I could have tried to send it to Phobio again, but I had no desire to do business with them. I do not recommend them at all.
Click to expand...

You sent in a laptop with a swollen battery and are mad they changed it to $0? Sorry dude that’s on you.
 
Last edited:
EarlR said:
Things went horribly wrong for me. Mostly, the situation is rectified, but not without my consistent intervention. To summarize: My trade-in with Phobio was valued as $X credit. The trade in had a screen delamination issue which resulted in a significantly reduced credit. I had the laptop returned. After having Apple fix it under warranty, I sent the laptop back for a trade. I was now to receive less than the original amount - possibly due the two-week turn around time. So, to summarize - I'm forced to decline the first trade, send the laptop for a covered repair, get the laptop back, send it to Phobio again for credit and take what they offer since no reason was given for the reduced credit. No offer was made on the second return to Phobio. My "offer amount" did not come with the option to decline!!! The transaction has left a bitter taste in my mouth and I will not ever do a trade involving Apple again. I plan to post notices on several forums warning others of the pitfalls of doing a trade. The delamination was the only issue and was covered under Apple's warranty. The original trade should have been accepted. If not an accepted trade, allow time for the return of the laptop to the customer and have the customer work directly with Apple to arrange for the covered repair. Then, when the laptop is returned to Phobio, run normal tests and make an offer. If there are no issues - stick with the Original Offer. Do not upset the customer by reducing the amount! And, again, provide the option to accept or deny the offer!!
Click to expand...

Seems like Phobio's handling of delaminated screens is inconsistent. I told them ahead of time that the screen of my 2012 MBP was delaminating and provided the Apple diagnoses of the issue showing it was covered under the recall. No issues, no hassle. I got the same amount of trade-in as if it had a pristine screen (because it effectively would have after the recall repair).
 
3SQ Machine said:
Let us know how it goes. Heck, if the shop you try out gives you a good price/experience, maybe I'll take a long ride. Still can't even GET a trade-in value for my '19 iMac through the traditional sites. I'd consider a trade-in upgrade if the price is right.
Click to expand...

So I went to the Experimax this morning. The staff looked over my MBP, plugged in their diagnostic tool to ensure everything functions, everything checked out great. I got rave compliments regarding the pristine condition of the MBP, the original charger, and the original box. They ended up only wanting to give me $500 for it, I instructed them I can get $520 at Apple, even though it is just $20...The tech then said "I'll be honest with you, if I were you I would sell this privately online as you can get about $1,000 for this, especially in this condition. We do that here, I'll give you $500 but we're going to sell it for $1,000."

At least the tech there was honest with me. So, I'll be taking pics and posting it up for sale on here sometime this weekend. 🤞💁‍♂️
 
This was a given. You said in your original post that you "I do not want to deal with people or shipping"

If you truly don't, then the trade-in option is viable but you're leaving money on the table. Always. Macs, phones, cars, trucks, boats, anything... private sale will always give you a better return than a trade-in to a retailer.
 
AMTYVLE said:
At least the tech there was honest with me. So, I'll be taking pics and posting it up for sale on here sometime this weekend. 🤞💁‍♂️
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update on it, but man sorry it didn't work out. Really bizarre that the local one (it was in NJ) gave me almost $400 for my 2013 iMac like 6 months ago. They were even telling me "sorry, I know this is low but we don't move iMacs quickly." Probably depends on the local shop.

On the other hand, I'm glad to have one as an option as it sounds like Phobio is a freakin' nightmare. Would much rather get the same/similar price with less hassle.
 
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