Best time to buy/sell to upgrade MBP?

[kjos8035]

Hey guys,

I have an early 17" 2011 MBP (2.3ghz i7, 8gb ram, 512gb SSD, 1TB Optibay) and I'm just curious about when and where you guys go to sell/upgrade your MBP's when the time comes. I've decided I want to sell and upgrade when a major new upgrade comes to the MBP's instead of testing to see how long I can make my setup last. What is the most reliable way to sell when the time comes, and how much do you usually end up spending in the difference cost of selling and buying a new setup? I know there's no way to tell the future, but typically new models come in at around the same price as past years.



Thanks for your input!

 

[HabSonic]

Craigslist.

You will lose between 10% and 25% of what you paid. The Macbook Pro doesn't lose much value, but the upgrades are. You might want to keep your SSD for your next MBP.

 

[dlimes13]

I'm one that upgrades every refresh as well. Typically you'll lose 10-20%. Craigslist you might lose more than eBay in the end, depending on the market.

My Early 2011 17" MBP I paid $2025 + $230 for the SSD + $100 for the 1TB + OptiBay + $50 for 8GB RAM, so I put into it $2405. I sold the entire bundle for $2300, ending with around $2150 after 6 months of usage. Keep in mind to compensate for the costs, I do not buy directly from Apple. Usually from a trusted seller on eBay who's selling new/sealed MBP's for hundreds off.

That said, if you had the original HDD, SuperDrive and RAM still, I'd keep your current upgrades for your next MBP. Especially the SSD, that's a pricey piece of equipment.

 

[kjos8035]

Thanks for the responses. Does this value (10-15% less purchase price) typically hold, even after a substantial refresh in the line?

 

[davidmgj]

I'm one that upgrades every refresh as well. Typically you'll lose 10-20%. Craigslist you might lose more than eBay in the end, depending on the market.

My Early 2011 17" MBP I paid $2025 + $230 for the SSD + $100 for the 1TB + OptiBay + $50 for 8GB RAM, so I put into it $2405. I sold the entire bundle for $2300, ending with around $2150 after 6 months of usage. Keep in mind to compensate for the costs, I do not buy directly from Apple. Usually from a trusted seller on eBay who's selling new/sealed MBP's for hundreds off.

That said, if you had the original HDD, SuperDrive and RAM still, I'd keep your current upgrades for your next MBP. Especially the SSD, that's a pricey piece of equipment.

so where did you sell your old ones? on eBay as well?

 

[dlimes13]

Thanks for the responses. Does this value (10-15% less purchase price) typically hold, even after a substantial refresh in the line?

I do not know. I've only been using a Mac full-time for around 10 months. I've sold and changed my MBP about 5 times though, never losing more than 20%.

Yes, I re-sold them on eBay.

 

[Shredder-]

I'm one that upgrades every refresh as well. Typically you'll lose 10-20%. Craigslist you might lose more than eBay in the end, depending on the market.

My Early 2011 17" MBP I paid $2025 + $230 for the SSD + $100 for the 1TB + OptiBay + $50 for 8GB RAM, so I put into it $2405. I sold the entire bundle for $2300, ending with around $2150 after 6 months of usage. Keep in mind to compensate for the costs, I do not buy directly from Apple. Usually from a trusted seller on eBay who's selling new/sealed MBP's for hundreds off.

That said, if you had the original HDD, SuperDrive and RAM still, I'd keep your current upgrades for your next MBP. Especially the SSD, that's a pricey piece of equipment.

Are there any reliable sellers on eBay / amazon that I should be familiar with, that sell legit stuff? I'm interested in an apple keyboard

 

[rockyroad55]

Are there any reliable sellers on eBay / amazon that I should be familiar with, that sell legit stuff? I'm interested in an apple keyboard

You shouldn't have to worry about amazon since they are pretty good with backing customers up.

 

[rockyroad55]

I usually sell on Craigslist about a week before a refresh, sometimes even a month. I do it when the rumors are hot and heavy and a release is about 80% sure. Most of the people I find on Craigslist are not very tech savvy like us and are just trying to find a good deal.