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Apple's Limited-Time Mac Trade-In Offer Has a Disappointing Catch

Smartuser said:
For some reason, the values are always total BS. I recently traded in a MacBook Air to Apple for $920. The "up to" values have ALWAYS been wrong like that.
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You received a better deal than I did on the iMac I traded in on February 5th, although I'm happy. I was given $385 toward an iMac M4, whereas the chart above said I should have received $305.
 
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Jeeve Stubbs said:
Did you check prices on eBay?
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No. I wanted a quick deal. Going through eBay would have involved ordering a box from Amazon ($70+), going to the UPS Store to find out the shipping cost, then going back to actually ship it. With Apple, it sent the box, the packing tape, the shipping label, all I had to do was box it up and take it to UPS. Easy.

Also, had I sold it to someone on eBay I would have felt compelled to include the keyboard, mouse, track pad and power cord. Apple only wanted the iMac, so I was able to keep those items for another iMac I have.
 
I have a 4500€ 27 inch intel iMac of the final generation and Apple would like to give me 315€ for it? LOL. If anything timeouts be eBay.
 
I don’t know what values Apple is using for “up to” because the maximum is clearly higher than what the chart shows. For example, my M3 Max MBP has a trade-in value of $1495 despite the chart showing “up to $860.” Also, I recently traded in my M3 MBA for $540; the chart shows “up to $410.”
 
Saturn007 said:
For sure, but trading into Apple, unless you go in person to an Apple Store, also puts you as risk for being scammed as your trade-in is devalued with all sorts of damage and issues falsely asserted! 🙈 ❌ 👎🏽
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I had a bad experience sending in a trade, so now I only go to the Apple Store. I sent in an iPad Pro. They claimed it was bent and reduced the value to something ridiculous. It was one of the iPad Pro “Bendgate” models (2018); however, if there was a bend it wasn’t significant enough for me to have noticed. I contacted them and sent them articles detailing Bendgate, which they probably should have been familiar with given how many trade-ins they get. They reevaluated it and honored the original value.
 
I ordered a Mac Studio last Monday. My 2019 27” iMac with 64gb RAM and 1tb SSD was worth $415 towards the new Mac, plus another $36 of NYS/NYC sales tax I won’t have to pay on that amount.
 
JUMA55 said:
No. I wanted a quick deal. Going through eBay would have involved ordering a box from Amazon ($70+), going to the UPS Store to find out the shipping cost, then going back to actually ship it. With Apple, it sent the box, the packing tape, the shipping label, all I had to do was box it up and take it to UPS. Easy.

Also, had I sold it to someone on eBay I would have felt compelled to include the keyboard, mouse, track pad and power cord. Apple only wanted the iMac, so I was able to keep those items for another iMac I have.
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I see.
By the way, eBay nowadays is much easier than that. When you list something, eBay automatically calculates the shipping fees based on dimensions, weight, and bidder's address (and shows it to prospective bidders while the auction is active, so they don't bother you with that). You can offer regular mail, UPS, and/or FedEx. If you've kept the iMac box you can just use it as a parcel, otherwise buy a large parcel and foam peanuts or bubble paper at your post office or Staples for about $10. You can ask the carrier to come pick it up for a couple of bucks (sometimes free), or bring it yourself if you prefer.
You can also mention in your auction that this or that isn't included with the item you're selling, and there are actually many buyers who already have their own keyboard, mouse, etc. so they're not interested in getting yours.
 
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nordic_forest said:
What is this news lmao? It is an OFFER. Take it or leave it. "Disappointing catch" my ass...
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Wow are you really complaining that an Apple focused website is giving people a heads up concerning an Apple offer?
These updates to the trade-in prices are a (regular) thing on MacRumors.
We can be happy that they report about Apple critically and that they surface, let’s say oddities, like this.
Did you just come here to complain? Nobody forced you to read this.
 
I think the chart is a little misleading because the actual lookup tool seems to be more generous. I'm not going to trade in my Mac, but entered the serial number, answered the questions and was offered $810 for my M1 14 inch MBP which I consider great for a low effort transaction. My MBP isn't the lowest spec but only one tier up from that. I looked at eBay, and no way would it be worth it to sell it there instead.
 
Jeeve Stubbs said:
I see.
By the way, eBay nowadays is much easier than that. When you list something, eBay automatically calculates the shipping fees based on dimensions, weight, and bidder's address (and shows it to prospective bidders while the auction is active, so they don't bother you with that). You can offer regular mail, UPS, and/or FedEx. If you've kept the iMac box you can just use it as a parcel, otherwise buy a large parcel and foam peanuts or bubble paper at your post office or Staples for about $10. You can ask the carrier to come pick it up for a couple of bucks (sometimes free), or bring it yourself if you prefer.
You can also mention in your auction that this or that isn't included with the item you're selling, and there are actually many buyers who already have their own keyboard, mouse, etc. so they're not interested in getting yours.
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Thank you for the information. I have a copy of the Mobile Fidelity Beatles LP set from the 80s and the Sinatra one too. Both are mint. I've seen the Beatles one go for a grand. Your info will get me off my butt. Thanks.
 
GuyDouche said:
Purchasing a new Apple product these days is like purchasing a new car from the lot. Soon as you open it, it massively depreciates.
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What, you think buying a new Dell won't depreciate once you use it?

Or how about that inexpensive no-name air fryer you just got off Amazon - do you think you're going to get anything more a couple of bucks for it at your next garage sale? Heck, even if you got a name-brand air fryer it's going to depreciate dramatically.
 
Parowdy said:
Did you take a look at what they sell for on the used market?
That’s not a snazzy remark, just curious.
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I had originally purchased it “refurbished” from Best Buy over the summer for $1099, so I had no desire to go through the hassle of trying to resell it when the condition was eh (dinged a bit) and there was no box.
 
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JUMA55 said:
No. I wanted a quick deal. Going through eBay would have involved ordering a box from Amazon ($70+), going to the UPS Store to find out the shipping cost, then going back to actually ship it. With Apple, it sent the box, the packing tape, the shipping label, all I had to do was box it up and take it to UPS. Easy.

Also, had I sold it to someone on eBay I would have felt compelled to include the keyboard, mouse, track pad and power cord. Apple only wanted the iMac, so I was able to keep those items for another iMac I have.
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And about 20% in fees from eBay & shipping plus when you trade you only pay sales tax on the balance plus you don’t have to deal with eBay scammers and no shipping charges
 
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The trade-in value of my base model M1 MBA went up $5 to $315 since last week. Who knows what it will be next week when I actually carry out the transaction.
 
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