HELP! Mac Resale Value & Depreciation Questions!

[kwajo.com]

got my new 15" 1.5GHz Pwerbook last week, so now that everything is transfered over, i need to get on selling my 1GHz 17-inch pbook. the trouble is i don't quite know how to go about it. a friend of my brothers offered 2200 CAD (~$1620 US) but i think i could get more off of ebay. is it worth the risk of puttin up an auction? what are the chances you think i'll be stuck with a bid lower than that? any ebay selling tips either?

i have been following a few on ebay for the past week or two, and in general they seem to sell for more than that offer, but it is very inconsistent.like there might be two of the same specs and one sells for 2700 CAD, the other not at all...

what about spymac auctions, are things like powerbooks selling well on there? i've looked at the auctions a few times, but they always seem pretty sad and/or dodgy


basically I am looking for what kind of value my powerbook has for resale, or maybe stories of your sells/buys and the depreciation values of macs in general.

thanks a lot in advance!

 

[thehuncamunca]

do an ebay search for what you want to sell and see how much it's going for
make sure if you're doing ebay that you have enough feedback to sell a 2000 laptop, if not maybe have a friend do it for you or offer escrow and write the description well those will maximize what you'll get

got my new 15" 1.5GHz Pwerbook last week, so now that everything is transfered over, i need to get on selling my 1GHz 17-inch pbook. the trouble is i don't quite know how to go about it. a friend of my brothers offered 2200 CAD (~$1620 US) but i think i could get more off of ebay. is it worth the risk of puttin up an auction? what are the chances you think i'll be stuck with a bid lower than that? any ebay selling tips either?

i have been following a few on ebay for the past week or two, and in general they seem to sell for more than that offer, but it is very inconsistent.like there might be two of the same specs and one sells for 2700 CAD, the other not at all...

what about spymac auctions, are things like powerbooks selling well on there? i've looked at the auctions a few times, but they always seem pretty sad and/or dodgy


basically I am looking for what kind of value my powerbook has for resale, or maybe stories of your sells/buys and the depreciation values of macs in general.

thanks a lot in advance!

 

[fartheststar]

selling tip: Put in a reserve bid at whatever the LEAST is you'll take.... so if bids are lower than that, you don't have to sell.

You can start off your initial bid lower (which is a good idea), the psychology of being the first person to bid on a high item is bad.... but then with reserve... not sell it unless it goes over $X amount.

Good luck.

 

[Gherkin]

You'll usually get more on eBay if:

1. You have a high feedback rating
2. You look like a genuine seller, and not some guy who is selling 200 17" Powerbooks

You meet one of the criteria.

Maybe you can find a friend who is more familiar with eBay to sell your laptop? The one thing that sucks about selling a high priced item through eBay is that they will take more out of the final price. Plus, if someone pays with PayPal (which is almost a must nowadays), PayPal takes a percentage out. If you are selling something that goes for about $30, those fees are almost negligible. But when it comes to a $2,000 laptop, it might start to sting.

 

[Gherkin]

Reserves and high starting bids discourage bidding. My advice would be to start the bidding at $0.99 with no reserve.

 

[gundamguy]

hmm

I wouldnt list it with no reserve, thats crazy, people will still bid if they have any intention to buy it. Reserves have fees though, the bulk of the bidding takes place in the final day, most people who bid on stuff early usually are just shills (frineds who bid up peoples stuff for them, or bulk bidders who just bid randomly hoping to get somthing cheap) if you dont set a reserve, use a shill (unethical) or set a minimum bid and the laptop goes for alot less than you wanted, you usually cant end the auction without alot of hassle and you can kiss your account goodbye. The fees will add up though, and youll have to be a paypal as a seller(more fees), most people will not buy somthing expensive unless they are protected, bidpay,escrow and other payment options are untrustworthy. Sell it to your friend if you only think it will go for a few hundred more cause the fees will eat up that anyway. Or try a mac forum like ehmac or macmagic.

 

[Sun Baked]

All depends on your risk tolerance.

Sometimes a little less real money selling things locally, is better than the fantasy of a big eBay payday followed by the reality of getting scammed out of everything.

Of course there are very good local con artists working the streets locally, and selling to people you know makes it easier to find.

So if it is the absolute minumum you'd be willing to take, is the lure of more money worth the risk?

 

[LeeTom]

Counter-Offer

Have you tried counter-offering your brother's friend? Tell him that you want $2400 or $2500, or you will sell it on eBay. That way, you get the best deal no matter what.

Lee Tom

 

[furrina]

try craig's list if you're in the US

craigslist.org
--find your city.

You can actually have someone hand you a bank check or cash for it and not have to worry about all the ebay bs. People tend to be trustworthy on it too. Just follow the common sense precautions.

 

[jxyama]

i always prefer giving my machines to someone i know, even at a little discount... esp. with no shipping/insurance/fees and not having to deal with the hassle of locating and sweating about finding a buyer.

see if you can get your friend's bro to fork over a little more... but 500 CAD less than the max. you've seen on eBay is probably pretty good, since after fees and shipping, a lot of that difference would be eaten up.

 

[Abstract]

To get a price estimate, search for your laptop on eBay.ca.

The other alternative is to just look at the prices and features of the current line-up of Macs. The $2200 offered to you by your brother's friend is pretty good, in my opinion. I've never sold a Mac, so it really is just an opinion. A 15" 1.33 GHz laptop will now cost a few hundred over that price. Yes, the 15" is 2 inches smaller than the 17", so its not really comparable, but feature for feature, your 17" PB is 2 generations behind. When it comes to performance, it matters. If you tell your brother's friend that you want to sell for $2500, he may just go and buy a brand new 15" instead. For a similar price, he'll be getting a never used, 1.33 GHz G4 15 inch Powerbook. If he's quite set on getting the 17" and has no intention of getting a 15" laptop any sort, not even if its a better deal for him, then I guess you'll be in a better bargaining position, but otherwise, you'll have to go through the hassle of selling something on eBay with no selling experience. If you can get $2300, go for it. Otherwise, I would break and sell it for $2200.

I'm lazy and hate the hassle of doing things.