Good time to buy a used MacBook?

[g35]

I don’t have a lot of money to spend on a laptop. My Macs have been: (all prices USD though I live in Canada)

- 2011 MBA purchased used in 2013 for $465, sold for $285 in 2018
- 2012 rMBP purchased used in 2018 for $350

In recent years used Macbook prices have been really high in my area. Like $720+ for a 2016+ MBP, or $650+ for a 2018+ MBA. The only recent ones that are decently lower are the 2015 12” MacBooks.

I’m wondering if the new release of Magic Keyboard models, and Butterfly keyboard stigma, will cause recent model used ones to drop in price, like the sub-$600 range. And hopefully with the 4-year keyboard repair program, buying a 2018-2019 model isn’t too risky.

Anyone who buys used macs have any opinions on this? Thanks

 

[jpn]

I don’t have a lot of money to spend on a laptop. My Macs have been: (all prices USD though I live in Canada)

- 2011 MBA purchased used in 2013 for $465, sold for $285 in 2018
- 2012 rMBP purchased used in 2018 for $350

In recent years used Macbook prices have been really high in my area. Like $720+ for a 2016+ MBP, or $650+ for a 2018+ MBA. The only recent ones that are decently lower are the 2015 12” MacBooks.

I’m wondering if the new release of Magic Keyboard models, and Butterfly keyboard stigma, will cause recent model used ones to drop in price, like the sub-$600 range. And hopefully with the 4-year keyboard repair program, buying a 2018-2019 model isn’t too risky.

Anyone who buys used macs have any opinions on this? Thanks

i think the lower end configurations for either a 2018 or 2019 MacBook Air is a good choice.
the keyboards on these models were tweaked and i haven't found a single keyboard issue on these models, with the 2018 model now in use for years. search the web and there doesnt seem to be users with keyboard issues on either of these machines.
once the 2020 Air came out, i think the prices for the 2018/19 models dropped over 40%.

 

[Audit13]

I'm not sure where you are located. I'm in Toronto and prices are all over the place. If anything, it is rare to find something at a decent price unless it has problems, either cosmetically or functionally. The only MacBooks I buy are 2015 to 2017 Airs and 2013 to 2015 Pros.

Haven't noticed lower prices due to keyboard issues. Probably because Apple has an extended warranty for certain models.

 

[g35]

i think the lower end configurations for either a 2018 or 2019 MacBook Air is a good choice.
the keyboards on these models were tweaked and i haven't found a single keyboard issue on these models, with the 2018 model now in use for years. search the web and there doesnt seem to be users with keyboard issues on either of these machines.
once the 2020 Air came out, i think the prices for the 2018/19 models dropped over 40%.

well I’m glad to hear the price dropped. Which market place is this on - ebay, swappa, elsewhere?
[automerge]1589136832[/automerge]

I'm not sure where you are located. I'm in Toronto and prices are all over the place. If anything, it is rare to find something at a decent price unless it has problems, either cosmetically or functionally. The only MacBooks I buy are 2015 to 2017 Airs and 2013 to 2015 Pros.

Haven't noticed lower prices due to keyboard issues. Probably because Apple has an extended warranty for certain models.

I’m in Vancouver and I agree prices are everywhere. Do you mainly look on kijiji, ebay, or which other sites to find these?

I would be totally up for a 2013-2015 Pro, especially the 15” in good shape but like you said prices can be quite high

 

[Audit13]

I’m in Vancouver and I agree prices are everywhere. Do you mainly look on kijiji, ebay, or which other sites to find these?

I would be totally up for a 2013-2015 Pro, especially the 15” in good shape but like you said prices can be quite high

I use Kijiji or Letgo to buy non-functioning MacBooks so I can piece them together to come up with a functioning unit. I like to spend $200 max on a damaged/non-functional unit.

All parts for the 2013 to 2017 Air are completely interchangeable.

Parts to the 2013 to 2015 Pro are completely interchangeable except:

1. a 2015 logic board will only work properly with a 2015 screen; and
2. 2013 and 2014 logic board will work with a 2013 or 2014 screen.

 

[g35]

I use Kijiji or Letgo to buy non-functioning MacBooks so I can piece them together to come up with a functioning unit. I like to spend $200 max on a damaged/non-functional unit.

All parts for the 2013 to 2017 Air are completely interchangeable.

Parts to the 2013 to 2015 Pro are completely interchangeable except:

1. a 2015 logic board will only work properly with a 2015 screen; and
2. 2013 and 2014 logic board will work with a 2013 or 2014 screen.

That’s helpful info, thanks for sharing

 

[KPOM]

That’s helpful info, thanks for sharing

The 2016 12” MacBooks may be a good buy. They are all past warranty, so prices are likely quite a bit lower. The 2016s were considerably better than the 2015s, particularly the i5 model. If you find a 2017, the m3 is the sweet spot there.

 

[StockDC2]

I'd highly recommend scoping out Craigslist/Offerup. I've purchased all of my Macbooks for a fraction of the market price. To prevent dealing with stolen Macbooks, I'd recommend meeting at the Apple Store or police station.

 

[haaalp]

Just curious, how does meeting at a police station help?

You'd definitely want a photo of their driver's license in case they did pull some ****. At least then you could sue them.

 

[Audit13]

Would I sell my MacBook to someone who wants a copy of my driver's license? I would not do that. Too many horror stories about identity theft.

Meeting at an Apple store? If the MacBook has not been reported stolen to Apple, not sure how this would help the buyer other than having Apple run Apple Service Diagnostics (ASD). From my person experience running ASD a few times a mid-2014 15" and mid-2014 13", the unit could pass the ASD and still have something wrong with the hardware.

Buyer should always check for an EFI password.

 

[haaalp]

Would I sell my MacBook to someone who wants a copy of my driver's license? I would not do that. Too many horror stories about identity theft.

Sure, don't. I take a pic of the seller's DL for any big purchase. They are fine with it. If they weren't, I wouldn't buy it from them.

 

[Audit13]

Sure, don't. I take a pic of the seller's DL for any big purchase. They are fine with it. If they weren't, I wouldn't buy it from them.

How much do you consider a big purchase?

If a seller let's you take a picture, the seller must be very trusting.

If you let someone take a picture of your ID, you are also very trusting.

 

[haaalp]

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think it stems from buying / selling power tools or bikes because those are the kind of thing that is often stolen.

I buy camera equipment, and if it's over $1000, I ask for ID. Not so much that I'm worried about a camera lens being tracked, but rather to gauge trustworthiness. I don't want to support someone that is stealing camera equipment, even if I get a better a deal.

 

[Audit13]

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think it stems from buying / selling power tools or bikes because those are the kind of thing that is often stolen.

I buy camera equipment, and if it's over $1000, I ask for ID. Not so much that I'm worried about a camera lens being tracked, but rather to gauge trustworthiness. I don't want to support someone that is stealing camera equipment, even if I get a better a deal.

That makes sense but I have never purchased or sold anything over $400.

 

[bhodinut]

When I sell any old Apple stuff I supply the receipt. Even out of warranty it helps prove that it wasn't stolen.

 

[g35]

The 2016 12” MacBooks may be a good buy. They are all past warranty, so prices are likely quite a bit lower. The 2016s were considerably better than the 2015s, particularly the i5 model. If you find a 2017, the m3 is the sweet spot there.

Thanks!! I see a lot of 12” MacBooks for low prices, but I worried they’d be a downgrade.

Do you know which model of 12” MacBook would have surpassed my 2012 rMBP in terms of speed for web browsing, YouTube, Google Maps, Office performance? My computer has an i5-3210m and HD 4000 graphics.

when I look at Passmark scores, the 2015 for example ranks quite a bit lower than my computer but I don’t know how well it correlates to my usage

 

[KPOM]

Thanks!! I see a lot of 12” MacBooks for low prices, but I worried they’d be a downgrade.

Do you know which model of 12” MacBook would have surpassed my 2012 rMBP in terms of speed for web browsing, YouTube, Google Maps, Office performance? My computer has an i5-3210m and HD 4000 graphics.

when I look at Passmark scores, the 2015 for example ranks quite a bit lower than my computer but I don’t know how well it correlates to my usage

I’m not sure about surpassing, but my 2017 i5 MacBook is just fine for what you have mentioned. The 2017 m3s are pretty good (in 2016, the m5 is the sweet spot).

 

[StockDC2]

Just curious, how does meeting at a police station help?

You'd definitely want a photo of their driver's license in case they did pull some ****. At least then you could sue them.

It helps because even if the police aren't there to facilitate the trade, most thieves are not going to walk into a police station.

I don't think asking for a photo of their driver's license is reasonable. If you do your due diligence, you should be able to avoid buying stolen goods. For instance, how does the seller carry himself/herself? How are they dressed, how do they talk, and what is their grammar like? Call it profiling but if someone is trying to sell me a $2000 Macbook in tattered clothes writing "you" as "u", that's a hard pass for me.

 

[russell_314]

Sure, don't. I take a pic of the seller's DL for any big purchase. They are fine with it. If they weren't, I wouldn't buy it from them.

Sorry I wouldn't give a strager a copy of my DL and would advise anyone not to do it. That would be extremely foolish and asking for identity theft or so much worse! Full name, date of birth, DL number, home address, did I mention home address?

 

[Audit13]

Even if the seller produced a driver's license, there is no way I could verify the correctness of the information. Also, fake IDs are not always easy to spot.

I don't bring a wallet with my credit cards and ID to conduct a transaction even if we're meeting in a public place.

 

[throAU]

I’m wondering if the new release of Magic Keyboard models, and Butterfly keyboard stigma, will cause recent model used ones to drop in price, like the sub-$600 range. And hopefully with the 4-year keyboard repair program, buying a 2018-2019 model isn’t too risky.

• Yes, prices will no doubt crater both due to the keyboard feel and the reliability issues
• A keyboard repair program doesn't provide you a machine while yours is in for repair. It depends if you NEED this machine to do your job. If it's a personal machine and you can stand the butterfly keyboard - go nuts. If you're using the machine to make money, it just needs 1 week of not having it because it is in for repair to wipe out any savings you may get buying secondhand due to lost productivity. This is why it is such a big issue to some people and others don't seem overly worried because of the repair program.

 

[russell_314]

Even if the seller produced a driver's license, there is no way I could verify the correctness of the information. Also, fake IDs are not always easy to spot.

I don't bring a wallet with my credit cards and ID to conduct a transaction even if we're meeting in a public place.

Just buy from trusted sellers on eBay or Amazon. You'll pay a little more but you have a bit of safety.

 

[Audit13]

Just buy from trusted sellers on eBay or Amazon. You'll pay a little more but you have a bit of safety.

I don't normally buy working machines. When I need a working machine, I stick with Apple refurbished units.