Thanks for the tips. Appreciate that. Will definitely keep that in mind the next time I sell my MBP.
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How are people claiming such high MBP resale value?
- Thread starter outsidethebox
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Thanks for the tips. Appreciate that. Will definitely keep that in mind the next time I sell my MBP.
So, to summarize, to get your money back one has these options:
Frankly, none of these options looks even remotely attractive (although I understand that people on tight budget might be forced to do it). In general, it sounds like high resale value argument is not really that compelling. There are other reasons why people might want to buy a MacBook but re-sale price is probably not one of them.
- Buy used Macs
- Buy new Mac but stick with base model. Then take really good care of the laptop for one year. After 9 months start watching Apple rumors and try to guess the date of the refresh, then sell.
Frankly, none of these options looks even remotely attractive (although I understand that people on tight budget might be forced to do it). In general, it sounds like high resale value argument is not really that compelling. There are other reasons why people might want to buy a MacBook but re-sale price is probably not one of them.
Resale value is a big selling point for me. It turns the product from a simple use for a few years and throw away, into an investment (Where I can sell and pay the difference for an updated product.).
When I said I bought third party, it was new from a third party website.
When I said I bought third party, it was new from a third party website.
That's a lost of about $900 for a less than a year old machine, which doesn't look like "good" resale value to me.
At least, the only thing that makes me feel better is that that seller you do business with seems to have similar luck to me when selling Macs. Guess I'm not the only one to experience what I've gone through when selling stuff! 
The "good" resale value comes into play the longer you hold onto it. There's always a steep dropoff in value at first. But for example, I paid $900 for a macbook in 2006. I sold it last week for $450, and could have gotten more, but priced under market so I could sell it faster. That's pretty good for a 4+ year old system that has been heavily used.
Cheaper systems do hold more of their value more than the higher end systems, tho.
Cheaper systems do hold more of their value more than the higher end systems, tho.
Oh crap, that's a great resale value IMHO. For $100 more, your buyer could have bought my 2009 13" MBP with AppleCare & a couple of accessories....
Compared to yours, I'm definitely being "scammed" on my stupid sale.
In the last year I sold my 2.0 Ghz Core Duo Macbook (Mid-2006) with upgrade ram (2gb) and Hard Drive (160gb 7200) for $450 and my mothers (Mid-2006) Core Duo 2006 2.16ghz (upgrade 100gb HD, 2Gb Ram) for $600.. I was shocked at the price my mb fetched, but I think my mothers got more because it had AG (like they all did). I find that ebay gets better prices, but can be nightmarish to deal with with all the fee's and buyer protection.
550 for an 09 mbp with applecare? If you're near me, you have a sale
That was already sold about 2 weeks ago.
The most maddening aspect of all is that it took almost 3 weeks until I could find someone who "genuinely" wanted to buy it from me on my local CL.
There were lots of offers though but almost everyone of them sent me those dreaded super-low ball offers, which I rejected. Of course I regretted that sale. Should have instead listed it in the MacRumors MarketPlace as I get the impression that I would have easily gotten a lot more for my machine. There's no doubt that reading all you guys easily having great success at getting excellent resale values from selling your used Macs is making me feel like a complete idiot.
I'm one of the people who usually do this kind of thing. I'd like to think I'm fairly good at it.
So I have a 2010 i5 15inch MacBook Pro (base model). I purchased it in April 2010 for about 1,788 including the student discount. I kept the box and all the packaging etc. and stored it away for a brighter day. I took extremely good care of the computer and upgraded the ram to 8gb and the hard drive from 320GB to 640GB 7200RPM HDD.
So maybe about a month or so before the 2011 models came out, I was considering selling my MacBook Pro on Craigslist because I was interested in possibly getting a Mac Pro. I listed my MacBook Pro for 1600 and I got many legit offers. The only reason why I finally didn't sell it was because I was having kernel panic issues with the machine and it didn't feel right to sell a troubled Mac to someone for top dollar resale. Anyway, this is how I was able to ask for 1600 (188 dollar loss) for my MBP. I listed the upgrades I made to it making it sound overall like a way better deal than buying new or buying referb from Apple. Secondly, I said I'd include the stock hard drive and stock RAM just for their peace of mind. Lastly, I had all the boxes and what not in perfect shape. Thirdly, the computer was still within the 1 year limited warranty, so if they really wanted to, they could still purchase Apple Care for the machine.
Now that I think about it, I could of upgraded to the 2011 MBP for only a difference of around 100-200ish dollars if I sold my current MBP but I really didn't want to. I assumed the upgrades in the 2011 model wouldn't be worth the trouble. Now that I've broke the "keep for a year then sell before new model comes out" cycle, i would be taking a way larger loss if I tried to sell my MBP. Probably a big enough loss that it wouldn't be worth selling. I'll most likely keep it for as long as possible and save up for a Mac Pro.
So I have a 2010 i5 15inch MacBook Pro (base model). I purchased it in April 2010 for about 1,788 including the student discount. I kept the box and all the packaging etc. and stored it away for a brighter day. I took extremely good care of the computer and upgraded the ram to 8gb and the hard drive from 320GB to 640GB 7200RPM HDD.
So maybe about a month or so before the 2011 models came out, I was considering selling my MacBook Pro on Craigslist because I was interested in possibly getting a Mac Pro. I listed my MacBook Pro for 1600 and I got many legit offers. The only reason why I finally didn't sell it was because I was having kernel panic issues with the machine and it didn't feel right to sell a troubled Mac to someone for top dollar resale. Anyway, this is how I was able to ask for 1600 (188 dollar loss) for my MBP. I listed the upgrades I made to it making it sound overall like a way better deal than buying new or buying referb from Apple. Secondly, I said I'd include the stock hard drive and stock RAM just for their peace of mind. Lastly, I had all the boxes and what not in perfect shape. Thirdly, the computer was still within the 1 year limited warranty, so if they really wanted to, they could still purchase Apple Care for the machine.
Now that I think about it, I could of upgraded to the 2011 MBP for only a difference of around 100-200ish dollars if I sold my current MBP but I really didn't want to. I assumed the upgrades in the 2011 model wouldn't be worth the trouble. Now that I've broke the "keep for a year then sell before new model comes out" cycle, i would be taking a way larger loss if I tried to sell my MBP. Probably a big enough loss that it wouldn't be worth selling. I'll most likely keep it for as long as possible and save up for a Mac Pro.
That was already sold about 2 weeks ago.
The most maddening aspect of all is that it took almost 3 weeks until I could find someone who "genuinely" wanted to buy it from me on my local CL.
There's no doubt that reading all you guys easily having great success at getting excellent resale values from selling your used Macs is making me feel like a complete idiot.
I hear you man. I have never had good luck selling macbooks on CL. I can never find any genuine buyers and everyone lowballs the crap out of me. I always end up biting the bullet and listing on ebay, where I tend to get more than I could have on CL.
Yes. I was shocked too. I actually had the MBP for 1 year & 8months. If you do the math it cost me $300 for the period or $15/month. I did give her a keyboard skin but that cost me $2 from China.
CL
Wow.
Ahh What!? That's really really low. NOt sure what the market price is now but I would think around $800?
I wouldn't recommend selling on FleaBay. For one you are forced to use PayPal which will take away some of the profit. And PayPal is notorious for freezing your account for 6 months or longer for stupid reasons. Instead I have good luck selling on Amazon. And of course Craigs list is the fastest because you are dealing with cash and carry. Just remember to take along that special pen that will tell you if the cash is counterfeit. I've never had any problems on craigs list. I know others have been murdered and raped but for god's sake I never meet them at my home. I find a parking lot somewhere to meet them. Always have had good transactions. Most people in the world are good. You generally only hear about the small percentage of bad guys out there. Don't let the media try to scare you.
Not to hijack this thread, but I am currently thinking about selling my MBP.
It's a 2010 15" Core i7 2.66 Ghz, Hi-Res Anti-glare.
I did these two upgrades:
+8GB ram
+Momentus XT (500GB) in it.
I bought it for roughly 2300, 180 for the ram, and 130 for the Momentus.
I was thinking maybe 2000-2200, so I can use it to get another MBP, but the quad-core 15 i7.
I was wondering if one of you seasoned pros can give me some advice as to what I should be asking for and expecting on it. I was thinking of selling it via CL, but leaning more towards eBay. What do you think? Thanks for the advice!
It's a 2010 15" Core i7 2.66 Ghz, Hi-Res Anti-glare.
I did these two upgrades:
+8GB ram
+Momentus XT (500GB) in it.
I bought it for roughly 2300, 180 for the ram, and 130 for the Momentus.
I was thinking maybe 2000-2200, so I can use it to get another MBP, but the quad-core 15 i7.
I was wondering if one of you seasoned pros can give me some advice as to what I should be asking for and expecting on it. I was thinking of selling it via CL, but leaning more towards eBay. What do you think? Thanks for the advice!
What are Amazons' fees like? I have never sold anything on there but would be willing to give it a shot.
I would like to know more about the Amazon marketplace fees for sellers as well. Thanks in advance.
That's a lost of about $900 for a less than a year old machine, which doesn't look like "good" resale value to me.
just after the release of the new macbook i also picked up another 15" macbook, but it was the lowest tier. BUT it did have an upgraded hard drive (500 gb 7200 rpm) and hi-res screen. for $1500.
Not to hijack this thread, but I am currently thinking about selling my MBP.
It's a 2010 15" Core i7 2.66 Ghz, Hi-Res Anti-glare.
I did these two upgrades:
+8GB ram
+Momentus XT (500GB) in it.
I bought it for roughly 2300, 180 for the ram, and 130 for the Momentus.
I was thinking maybe 2000-2200, so I can use it to get another MBP, but the quad-core 15 i7.
I was wondering if one of you seasoned pros can give me some advice as to what I should be asking for and expecting on it. I was thinking of selling it via CL, but leaning more towards eBay. What do you think? Thanks for the advice!
List it for $1700 and take $1500.
Why would ANYONE pay you more for a used model when they can get a brand new one that is substantially faster for less money than you're asking for? And with a full one year warranty to boot?
The Sandy Bridge models really depress the value of the older models to people who actually know anything about them.
Really? I got it mid September, so it's about 6 months "used". I actually put a silicone keyboard cover so it looks really new. I was thinking of getting AppleCare for it for an up sell. 1500 tho, seriously?
Thanks for the reply by the way.
Really? I got it mid September, so it's about 6 months "used". I actually put a silicone keyboard cover so it looks really new. I was thinking of getting AppleCare for it for an up sell. 1500 tho, seriously?
You're welcome, even though I know it's not what you wanted to hear. You have to ask yourself why someone would choose a used, slower machine over a brand new and much faster one. You wouldn't, would you? The RAM and HD upgrades are nice, but only a computer type will understand them--and those are exactly the people who will know they can get new and faster for less than you're asking.
Don't bother adding Applecare--you won't get enough of it back to warrant the expense.
Really? I got it mid September, so it's about 6 months "used". I actually put a silicone keyboard cover so it looks really new. I was thinking of getting AppleCare for it for an up sell. 1500 tho, seriously?
Yeah I wouldn't bother with applecare either. Let the buyer determine if they want to fork over the money for it.
I guess that's the price of being on the cutting edge. I always by my macbooks used, either the previous gen or two previous gens.
Right now they (Apple) have the same model for $1729 and that will come with a 12 month warranty, not a 6 month. Realistically you would be lucky to get $1600 for it. The HDD and RAM are used, so you have to take that into account. If you are trying to add what you paid for the upgrades, you have to realize not many people want to pay "retail" for a 6 month old HDD and RAM. RAM is cheaper as well now ($65 for 8GB or less if you look around).