I need to unload my 2011 iMac. I have tons of experience selling on Craigslist and eBay but not sure which avenue to go through for such a heavy item such as an iMac. I don't want to ship something that weighs 40 lbs with the box and I also don't want to have strangers come to my place to check out the unit.
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Best way to sell an iMac?
- Thread starter Kendo
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I sold my Mac Pro through Amazon, and it worked out very well. If you kept the original packaging, that saves you the hassle of finding a big enough box and all the padding necessary to ship an iMac.
http://services.amazon.com/selling/benefits.htm
http://services.amazon.com/selling/benefits.htm
What is the gross % Amazon charges on a sale? I'd love to find an eBay alternative when selling my Macs.
Unless you live in an extremely rural area without many prospective buyers within easy driving distance, I'd recommend going with Craig's list.
Otherwise, shipping will be a hassle. Cleanest deal will be to have buyer drive to your home or other place of choice, look over the machine, give you cash and take it away. No uncertainty about packing, shipping damage, etc.
I've used this method to sell my old cars and pricey electronics for several years.
Otherwise, shipping will be a hassle. Cleanest deal will be to have buyer drive to your home or other place of choice, look over the machine, give you cash and take it away. No uncertainty about packing, shipping damage, etc.
I've used this method to sell my old cars and pricey electronics for several years.
Amazon's fees ended up at 6.5% of the selling price. To me, it was worth it to not deal with Craigslist.
Better than ebays 10 percent, though I've had nothing but good experience with my relatively extensive use of eBay.
Thanks. That's quite a bargain compared to eBay which after Paypal can easily end up to be 3x that amount. I always keep my box and my machines are always babied. I'll have to give Amazon a try next time. Good info.
I'd vote CraigsList also. Put a fresh install on it, take pictures 360 all the way around while at the desktop with the About This Mac window open, and a screenshot of the About This Mac window. Pictures are worth 1000 words and makes it easier to get a higher profit, plus less reason for a "Can I come see it?" emails and more "When can I pick it up?" emails. Also make sure you post/refresh your posts on Friday afternoons, people coming home after getting their paycheck from work ready to spend it.
The last time I had an iMac I also went with the craigslist route with one tweak…
I absolutely never never never do anything near my house involving craigslist and so we ended up meeting with the iMac at a Starbucks so they could plug it in and try it worked out great!
Selling on Amazon FBA would be a reasonable option since shipping it in will be somewhat reasonable with Amazons discount - and then buyers will be able to prime ship it if they want.
I absolutely never never never do anything near my house involving craigslist and so we ended up meeting with the iMac at a Starbucks so they could plug it in and try it worked out great!
Selling on Amazon FBA would be a reasonable option since shipping it in will be somewhat reasonable with Amazons discount - and then buyers will be able to prime ship it if they want.
@maflynn
@ucfgrad93
I'm naive. If you don't meet at a bank, how do you know their check is any good? Do you really demand cash when you're asking for $800+?
@ucfgrad93
I'm naive. If you don't meet at a bank, how do you know their check is any good? Do you really demand cash when you're asking for $800+?
I've sold phones for close to that with craigslist. You just do cash. If you want to do a check, you definitely meet at a bank and have them verify the check, but that creates more problems than just cash. Of course, you could do a paypal + craigslist thing if you want.
I don't like the whole Craigslist buyers knowing where I live issue.
I did use Craigslist for large items when I was moving so when they came they could see I was one foot out the door (mostly everything was at the new place except the stuff I was trying to sell) and there was no point in coming back to rob the place.
The Starbucks approach is best and I only accept cash. I've never done the PayPal + Craigslist option though I suppose making them gift the funds should in theory prevent a possible "not as described" chargeback.
I did use Craigslist for large items when I was moving so when they came they could see I was one foot out the door (mostly everything was at the new place except the stuff I was trying to sell) and there was no point in coming back to rob the place.
The Starbucks approach is best and I only accept cash. I've never done the PayPal + Craigslist option though I suppose making them gift the funds should in theory prevent a possible "not as described" chargeback.
Sooo... did they come back and kill the people you sold the house to?
Haha, nice! It was my ex-wife taking over the place and it's still vacant; she just didn't want me to have it.
So Craigslisters coming back would satisfy neither monetary or murderous intent.Most people are not going to shell out thousands in cash for a computer without any type of warranty or protection unless you are selling at a significant discount. I see loaded Mac Pros on craigslist all the time selling for a decent price and they just sit there for months and months....
Yeah I was thinking the same. The priciest thing I have used Craigslist to sell was a $550 folding bike, am not sure how possible it is to sell something 2-3 times more expensive than that. Just seems like something could go potentially wrong when you're talking about a $1000+ all cash sale.
Thats why I would recommend paypal payments, but in person delivery if using Craigslist for expensive items.
I have sold two Macbook Airs at $1000 each and rMBP at $850. All cash sales and no problems. You can tell who you are dealing with when you first meet the person.
I put a lot of info in the description and am very honest on describing the stuff I am selling. This helps attract those who really are interested in buying and are not going to play games.
By the way, the best time to sell a Mac is February to April because of the tax returns. It should sell quick and you will get the highest price.
That's impressive, good to know about your experiences. I do agree that Craigslist is actually significantly less shady than what most people regard it as (at least for buying/selling). Most of the inquiries I got from Craigslist when selling my $550 bike were serious, even if they ended up backing out eventually, whereas on the iPhone app Wallapop, people were sending me ridiculous offers (200$, used iPhone 5, etc)
That's all great and dandy until the person goes home and files a claim with paypal several weeks or months later claiming it was defective. You would have to get the person to send the money via a paypal "gift".
They only have 45 days to file a claim but yes gift is the only way to do a PayPal in person transaction. Without proof of shipping there's virtually no seller protection.