Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Trade in
- Thread starter Jerhen
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I to was offered $780 on a MBP 13". Sent it in to apple and got the full $780 quickly from apple (within 3 days of their receipt of the MBP). Was accomplished very late in Dec 2021.
Last edited:
Last week I sent in my pristine 2019 MBP 15 and they emailed me just this morning that "due to the condition" the offer was $250 less. There seems to be no way to find out what the issue is or to contest it, if you know who to contact I would love to hear it.
Hate replying to my own post but I called Apple and they are "escalating my case" and I should hear back in a day or two.
It turns out that when I put in the serial number of my old MBP the Apple website interpreted it as a Late 2019 16" instead of a Mid-2019 15", causing the value difference. I explained that I assumed that Apple's website should be able to choose the proper device based on the S/N (which was accurate). The CSR agreed and we will see if Apple restores my trade-in value or not.
It turns out that when I put in the serial number of my old MBP the Apple website interpreted it as a Late 2019 16" instead of a Mid-2019 15", causing the value difference. I explained that I assumed that Apple's website should be able to choose the proper device based on the S/N (which was accurate). The CSR agreed and we will see if Apple restores my trade-in value or not.
Success! Apple did the right thing and honored the original quote.
This is part of the reason I stick with Apple.
This is part of the reason I stick with Apple.
If it's a working computer I'd rather keep it for that price.
I got more for my 2015 ($470) than they were being purchased for in my area. To top it off, it was a quick and painless procedure. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Sounds about right. I traded-in my 13" Late 2013 Retina 2.6GHz 512GB. In January Apple had offered $240 but by the time I was ready to jump for the 14" M1 Pro in early March the offer had dropped to $180. I did a quick scan of eBay prices and they were all around $200. The $20 hit for me was a cheap way to avoid advertising, packing, shipping and dealing with O/C buyers. I wondered if the trade-in partner would reduce offer because of some small scuffs on the bottom of the enclosure, but the day after they received the unit Apple notified me that they honored the full $180. Since it was ineligible for updating to OS Monterey I assume they sent it straight to materials recycling.
The unit cost around $1800 8+ years ago, so my net out of pocket was ~$1600 or $200/year. I dragged it all over the U.S. and Europe and made multiple trips to the UK. Considering that I got a helluva lot of use out of it and had not a single problem, I think I did pretty well.
I've always had great experiences trading in with Apple, but I do it directly in store and not via their trade in partner Phobio. The reviews for Phobio are absolutely terrible. If you purchase a new device from Apple, you have 14 days to trade in your old device. Just bring the device to the store with the receipt of the new product. I did this last month with my iPad Air and back in November with a Macbook Pro. In and out in under 5 minutes with a receipt verifying the value that I would get.
Thanks a lot for your reply! I’m thankful for your reply as we have/had the same model and configuration. I think it’s a good trade in value for an 8 year old Mac but I’m still wondering what to upgrade too. I was thinking of maybe going with the 16 inch but am worried that it would be too big of a computer. Just kind of wondering also with the 1” of extra screen have you noticed that it is bigger on your new 14”
To me the 14" display is noticeably bigger, but not by much. Unfortunately I didn't compare them side-by-side before I shipped my trade-in. But I really like the contours of the re-designed body, which feels sturdier and more substantial with virtually no increase in weight (1.57 kg vs. 1.6 kg). In my lap the 14" feels identical to my previous unit. My decision was between the Max and Pro chips. I watched a ton of video reviews, focusing not just on general benchmarks but on things that early adopters were doing similar to my own workflow. Ultimately I concluded that the 10/16 Pro chip most closely matched the performance I needed, and it is without a doubt multiple times better than my 2013 MBP. Pretty much whatever I need it to do it does very fast or instantly.
In terms of 14" vs. 16" I guess there are basically 3 questions: Do you need the additional screen real estate for the things you do, will you mind the increased bulk and weight (+.5 kg), are you ok with the extra cost? I've noticed lots of people having a tough time deciding, but I've seen more instances of people exchanging the larger unit for the 14" than the reverse. If you haven't already done, watch some YT vids by folks who faced the same decision. You can always try the 16" and return it for the smaller form factor if it's not what you need.
Whichever model you finally stay with, enjoy it!
Last edited:
Yeah, probably what I would have done if there was an Apple Store closer to me. The nearest is a 360 mile round-trip - not really sensible these days in a pickup that gets 20 mpg. ???
Yeah, that is a fair point. I am spoiled living in SoCal. Although it takes forever to get to an Apple Store; I have a dozen within an hour radius.
I think I’m going to purchase the 14”. The model I’m looking at is on sale at bestbuy right now for $250 off. It’s the base model 14”. I feel like it’s too good of a deal to pass up. If I trade in mine for $175, I could basically say I got $425 off a new one with the sale price and my trade in. It’s only the 8 core model with 512gb of storage but I don’t think it’s worth it to go to the 1tb with the 10 core as it’s $500 more. I have 300gb left of storage on my current Mac so I think 512 should hopefully be enough again. I currently keep my iTunes movies and tv shows saved on an external hard drive that’s 4tb and I will continue to do that. I have 1.6tb of movies and tv shows on that drive. I feel that I should back them up somewhere so I have 2 tv libraries one that has them downloaded on the external drive and another one with no downloads. It would be dumb to get a Mac with a huge internal storage just to store my purchased movies and tv shows on. Just kind of wondering your thoughts since you mentioned you researched the 8 vs 10 core models. Thanks.
I've always had great experiences with the trade-in program - used it recently and traded an iMac and it was very close to eBay market price but worth it to me to avoid the hassle of scheduling/meeting up with someone or listing it on eBay.
Traded within a week 15" MBP11,3 (2014) for 360 and 15" MBP15,1 (2018) for 680. Not sure how can someone get an offer of 720 or more (unless it was traded few months back) for a 2016MBP now? for a 15" MBP11,4 (2015) (Intel only) got an offer 370 (declined).
There is an easy way to compare:
Go on eBay and subtract the shipping fee+ebay+paypal fees plus the hassle of an eventual return from the buyer and you will come up with the current price which is pretty close to the Apple offer.
There is an easy way to compare:
Go on eBay and subtract the shipping fee+ebay+paypal fees plus the hassle of an eventual return from the buyer and you will come up with the current price which is pretty close to the Apple offer.
I traded in the store. This is the fastest way. Get an instant quote and an instant gift card. Plus they don't need the accessories just the MacBook.
I just had a failed trade in experience. I verified my device was wiped with “Erase all Contents and Settings” and when it was received at the depot, I was issued a revised quote of $0 due to the device not being wiped. I elected to have it returned, and of course was greeted with the new user setup. I confirmed that the only thing on the HD was MacOS.
I have no idea what happened here, but it was a pretty negative experience. And of course, now the trade-in value has decreased. I suppose I can try taking it into the store but it’s been more than 14 days since I received my new MBP.
I have no idea what happened here, but it was a pretty negative experience. And of course, now the trade-in value has decreased. I suppose I can try taking it into the store but it’s been more than 14 days since I received my new MBP.
Thanks to you and others for the info!
I've been wondering about AppleCare+ in all this. If I send in a Mac and it gets dinged for blown pixels, scratch (both unlikely from me handling as I rarely use it), I wonder if AppleCare+ would cover repairs?
You would have a third-party evaluation of the product, that is acting primarily in Apple's interests so that would seem to carry more weight than only me blubbering to Apple. So if I decline the offer, could I take the condition report from whatever the firm is that does the inspection and request a repair - and prevail?
" I did this last month with my iPad Air and back in November with a Macbook Pro."
Wait - Apple will take Macs for trade-in at an Apple Store? I thought they stopped doing that.
No, they did not. It is fast and easy. Also, I had some dead pixels which didn't make a difference.