Help me with the value of my 2020 iMac Retina 27" 5K

[Noctilux.95]

Just ordered a MBP M3 Max this morning to replace my 2020 iMac 27" retina 5K. As of two weeks ago I had no idea this machine still had much value. But after looking at postings on Facebook marketplace and eBay, I'm pleasantly surprised. As stated above this is a 2020 model iMac 27" with a 3.8 GHz 8-core Intel Core i7, AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT 8 GB, 64 GB Ram, and 1-TB SSD in mint condition. Also comes with bluetooth Apple keyboard and mouse. Prices on ebay and FB are all over the place ranging from $900 to $1800. Thanks!

 

[Mr.Fox]

Depending on the condition. If the fly has not sat, no scratches, then 1800 bucks. If the screen is burned out, SSD/ HDD is barely alive, CPU and GPU are fried, they won't take it for nothing. If you're selling, put it at 1500 bucks. It will go fast.

 

[wilberforce]

Your 2020 iMac is very similar to mine (except I have a larger SSD).

The most desirable "unicorn" 2020 iMacs have the 5700XT GPU, which is an awesome GPU, the best of the last Intel iMacs, which therefore can command a higher price for those that want/need an Intel Mac (e.g., for Bootcamp and gaming). These originally cost significantly more, so not as many of them around

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

We have got several local deals of iMac Pro (2017) at 1100$ ish... (8 core CPU, 32GB DDR4, 8GB GPU Vega 56, 1TB SSD)
I would go for the iMac Pro rather than iMac 2020 at the same price tag.

 

[pshufd]

There's an iMac Pro in NYC on Craigslist for $750. 8 core Xeon, 64 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, Vega 56 8 GB GPU. There's a 10-core, 64 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, Vega 56 GPU for $900. The iMac Pros have better microphones and much better cooling. You also get 4 USB-A and 4 USB-C ports and supports four external 4k monitors. I bought my base iMac Pro for $800 two months ago and am very happy with it.

I think that the prices are moderately higher on Ebay for shipping and return costs.

You give up the ability to add RAM on the iMac Pro but it's a better value than M1 desktop Macs because you get the extra RAM and SSD. And the monitor.

 

[bzgnyc2]

There's an iMac Pro in NYC on Craigslist for $750. 8 core Xeon, 64 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, Vega 56 8 GB GPU. There's a 10-core, 64 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, Vega 56 GPU for $900. The iMac Pros have better microphones and much better cooling. You also get 4 USB-A and 4 USB-C ports and supports four external 4k monitors. I bought my base iMac Pro for $800 two months ago and am very happy with it.

I think that the prices are moderately higher on Ebay for shipping and return costs.

You give up the ability to add RAM on the iMac Pro but it's a better value than M1 desktop Macs because you get the extra RAM and SSD. And the monitor.

Note that it should be possible to add RAM to the iMac Pro though it is not easy:

How to Upgrade iMac Pro RAM (Replace Memory): EveryMac.com

How to instructions and video to replace or upgrade the RAM in the iMac Pro models (A1862). Actual max iMac Pro RAM, too.

everymac.com

Both the iMac 2020 and the iMac Pro 2017 have a lot going for them. The iMac Pro 2017 higher end for it's time so includes a lot of nice "pro" features like ECC RAM. The iMac 2020 3 years newer so its CPU are of a newer architeture and slightly faster even though relatively lower end.

It will be interesting to see if macOS keeps support for one over the other in coming updates. From an engineering perspective there doesn't appear to be any benefit to dropping support for the 2017 iMac Pro before the 2020 iMac. In the meantime, I suspect the iMac 2020 is commanding a premium over the iMac 2017 Pro due to the vintage and uncertainty around support even though the latter should perform +/- similarly.


Back to the original question, if I was a seller I would probably start at the $1500 that Mr. Fox threw out and see where it goes from there. Two limitations of checking ebay for market prices -- by default it shows the prices of things that haven't sold (whereas e.g. Bringatrailer has a historical price page) so it is biased towards higher prices at which the items may never clear (as opposed to lower prices that came and cleared). Also as sellers we tend to look for the highest prices we might get for our favorite things. As buyers we're more likely to sort prices low-to-high and perhaps even comprimise on some of the specs looking for that deal. Alternatively buyer might pick a few models that seem closest to our item from an eBay buyer's perspective and follow those specific sales through to the end to see at which price they clear and how long it takes.

P.S.Established sellers with a reputation also command a premium for the typical Ebay buyer so would also consider that as well as inclusion of original packaging and other non-functional specs.

 

[pshufd]

Note that it should be possible to add RAM to the iMac Pro though it is not easy:

How to Upgrade iMac Pro RAM (Replace Memory): EveryMac.com

How to instructions and video to replace or upgrade the RAM in the iMac Pro models (A1862). Actual max iMac Pro RAM, too.

everymac.com

Both the iMac 2020 and the iMac Pro 2017 have a lot going for them. The iMac Pro 2017 higher end for it's time so includes a lot of nice "pro" features like ECC RAM. The iMac 2020 3 years newer so its CPU are of a newer architeture and slightly faster even though relatively lower end.

It will be interesting to see if macOS keeps support for one over the other in coming updates. From an engineering perspective there doesn't appear to be any benefit to dropping support for the 2017 iMac Pro before the 2020 iMac. In the meantime, I suspect the iMac 2020 is commanding a premium over the iMac 2017 Pro due to the vintage and uncertainty around support even though the latter should perform +/- similarly.


Back to the original question, if I was a seller I would probably start at the $1500 that Mr. Fox threw out and see where it goes from there. Two limitations of checking ebay for market prices -- by default it shows the prices of things that haven't sold (whereas e.g. Bringatrailer has a historical price page) so it is biased towards higher prices at which the items may never clear (as opposed to lower prices that came and cleared). Also as sellers we tend to look for the highest prices we might get for our favorite things. As buyers we're more likely to sort prices low-to-high and perhaps even comprimise on some of the specs looking for that deal. Alternatively buyer might pick a few models that seem closest to our item from an eBay buyer's perspective and follow those specific sales through to the end to see at which price they clear and how long it takes.

P.S.Established sellers with a reputation also command a premium for the typical Ebay buyer so would also consider that as well as inclusion of original packaging and other non-functional specs.

There's a 2020 i7, 72 GB RAM, 5800xt 8GB, 2 TB SSD for $900 in NYC on Craigslist right now. I generally see 2020s clearing from $600 - $1,100 on Craigslist in my region, depending on specs of course. OWC would ask about $1,600 for your system and they would sell at that price but you get return policy and warranty from OWC. I did look at a 2020 i7 for $600 a few months ago. The seller blew me off - I was in the area working on our other house and he was supposed to call to confirm a meetup and didn't call but sent an email later that night indicating that he had been busy. I declined to continue. The system was gone from Craigslist a few weeks later as I was sure that it would sell at that price.

I was shopping for a 2019 or 2020 to replace my 2015 but an iMac Pro came up and I responded immediately and was the first person in line. I looked at the system for 30 seconds and agreed to buy it - it was more the seller than the system.

 

[Adora]

This is a refurbished with 30 days return window and 12 months warranty and you can buy up to 30 months in addition for cheap. Without sales tax it's about €1760 what is converted about $1950. Just for oriantion.