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How to increase resale value of a MacBook?

G

gochi

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 31, 2011
289
1
so i have a stock 2012 15" cMBP. Base model; 500gbd, 4gb ram, 512m 650m.

I would like to sell it, but they don't seem to be garnering enough for me to sell.

what is the number 1 add-on i can manually do to increase resell value?

what about acces.?
 
The only thing that comes to mind is applecare. Even then I'm not sure that the increase in price will be inline with what you pay for applecare.

The computer is not like a house that you can spruce up and paint to get a higher price. It is what it is, and the market dictates the value.
 
gochi said:
so i have a stock 2012 15" cMBP. Base model; 500gbd, 4gb ram, 512m 650m.

I would like to sell it, but they don't seem to be garnering enough for me to sell.

what is the number 1 add-on i can manually do to increase resell value?

what about acces.?
Click to expand...

Upgrading the RAM and Hardrive would help.
 
jmck said:
Selling it now rather than a couple of months from now.
Click to expand...

Selling after the Haswell MBPs hits the streets will definitely lower the market value. Sooner then later is better in this case.
 
Give it a right good clean and then get a hold of that stuff they spray inside cars to make them smell brand new and give it a make over with that and you should see some takers.
 
Sell it as it is. Anything you do to it in regards to a hardware update will cost you more than you will recover. Any programs you leave on it will not increase it either, as you most likely own the license to those programs. And most people are not buying it for programs anyways. Best option is to sell now before new ones come out. If you have the original box and all paperwork, plus all hardware it came with, that would make people maybe consider buying it first before someone who doesn't have it all.
 
Applications

If you load it full of expensive software that could increase the value significantly.... how you get this software is your choice;)
 
Anything you can do would not help you cost wise, but would make the laptop more appealing. Example, buyers love apple care coverage and may also be looking out for high RAM specs and an SSD. If you're having trouble getting offers, then you should do some upgrades. But otherwise, you're stuck as is.
 
firedept said:
Any programs you leave on it will not increase it either, as you most likely own the license to those programs. And most people are not buying it for programs anyways.
Click to expand...

If you give them the license code it is worth something.
 
firedept said:
Still not worth a thing. Why would anyone want a program that they may never use or have no use for. People buy computers because of what is inside them, not what is on them.
Click to expand...

And anyone interested in buying a computer pre-loaded with software they haven't licensed already knows how to get the same software on it. I'm preparing an MBA 11 for resale and I wiped the SSD, and did an internet recovery restore so the new owner will have it as factory fresh as possible. That's how I'd want to buy it if I was on the other side of the transaction.

I will throw in a couple of things, like a shell that's kept it clean and unscratched, but I don't expect to get any money for them. They're just to help me get the full resale value of a pristine MBA
 
firedept said:
Still not worth a thing. Why would anyone want a program that they may never use or have no use for. People buy computers because of what is inside them, not what is on them.
Click to expand...

That's not entirely true. I sold my 2010 last year and one of the reasons I got my asking price is that it had a licensed version of the Adobe suite. I got $1700 for mine:

Samsung 256GB SSD + original 500GB spin drive
8GB RAM
Bose speakers as an added incentive

My upgrades cost me about $400 which I did when I first bought it. That includes the speakers. I think I did quite well for a two year old MacBook Pro. Also I had patience. I had a number of offers that I turned down. I just stuck to my guns and waited for the right customer.

OP good luck whatever you decide to do.
 
rorcknblogger, you did well and kudo's to you. But I would never buy a computer that was not wiped to new. I already have all the programs I require and the licenses to them. And personally I would not buy a program second hand so to speak.

Do not take this personal, but fraud is so prevalent with software, so why take the chance that the program is not legitimate as a buyer. I know too many people who thought they had a legit license till they tried to register it. They could use the license to install, but could not register. And due to no registration, it meant no upgrades to the program.

I just think the OP should clean it up as stated and give everything that came with it, plus wipe the HDD for a fresh start to the new owner. Giving the new owner a clean machine minimizes the chances of the new owner being able to complain about one more thing, example: programs.
 
lepardfam said:
If you load it full of expensive software that could increase the value significantly.... how you get this software is your choice;)
Click to expand...

This is a terrible idea. Adding a bunch of pirated bloatware does not increase the value of a machine. In fact, it is probably one of the biggest red flags for buyers in second hand markets.

It also assumes the buyer is an idiot. Anyone person, that is not up to no-good, will wipe a hard drive they purchase and do a fresh install. In fact, not doing so is an invitation to deal with lots of problems down the line. It's thoroughly idiotic not to do a fresh install of a computer you buy that isn't from the dealer.

Nobody will pay for something that would be immediately erased. Even if they are an unsavory software license pirate, they certainly won't pay extra or a premium for pirated bloatware that they can pirate themselves.

Loading up software on a computer is the red flag for:
A) Undisclosed problems with the machine that the seller is trying to cover up
B) Evidence that the seller is trying to slip in malicious software
C) The machines resale value is nowhere near what the seller wants.
D) Evidence that it's all pirated crap.
 
firedept said:
rorcknblogger, you did well and kudo's to you. But I would never buy a computer that was not wiped to new. I already have all the programs I require and the licenses to them. And personally I would not buy a program second hand so to speak.

Do not take this personal, but fraud is so prevalent with software, so why take the chance that the program is not legitimate as a buyer. I know too many people who thought they had a legit license till they tried to register it. They could use the license to install, but could not register. And due to no registration, it meant no upgrades to the program.

I just think the OP should clean it up as stated and give everything that came with it, plus wipe the HDD for a fresh start to the new owner. Giving the new owner a clean machine minimizes the chances of the new owner being able to complain about one more thing, example: programs.
Click to expand...

I should have mentioned that I transferred ownership of the Adobe suite with Adobe. So he knew that it was legit. I had wiped it clean and gave him all the DVDs. But yeah I agree that I'm not sure I would go out of my way to try and increase the value now. Mine was like that for the two years I had it.
 
Omnius said:
This is a terrible idea. Adding a bunch of pirated bloatware does not increase the value of a machine. In fact, it is probably one of the biggest red flags for buyers in second hand markets.

It also assumes the buyer is an idiot. Anyone person, that is not up to no-good, will wipe a hard drive they purchase and do a fresh install. In fact, not doing so is an invitation to deal with lots of problems down the line. It's thoroughly idiotic not to do a fresh install of a computer you buy that isn't from the dealer.

Nobody will pay for something that would be immediately erased. Even if they are an unsavory software license pirate, they certainly won't pay extra or a premium for pirated bloatware that they can pirate themselves.

Loading up software on a computer is the red flag for:
A) Undisclosed problems with the machine that the seller is trying to cover up
B) Evidence that the seller is trying to slip in malicious software
C) The machines resale value is nowhere near what the seller wants.
D) Evidence that it's all pirated crap.
Click to expand...

Honestly, you are right. I used to think like this. While it is true, it is not a fact.

The thing is, people are stupid. I see packages on eBay with loaded Adobe Suite, Parallels, FC, Office etc go for 2k+

Or auctions that state; will install applications for $50


People actually buy them.
 
gochi said:
Honestly, you are right. I used to think like this. While it is true, it is not a fact.

The thing is, people are stupid. I see packages on eBay with loaded Adobe Suite, Parallels, FC, Office etc go for 2k+

Or auctions that state; will install applications for $50


People actually buy them.
Click to expand...

I see the same crap loaded up with pirate bloatware on craigslist for sale for years. The same mac pros were for sale on craigslist in brooklyn, new york for almost 18 months before the ad changed to just the hardware and the price dropped to going rate of 300ish. They sat for like 2 months and then finally sold.
 
I'd leave it as is and just be patient. I sold my MacBook for a little over market value by just waiting on craigslist for a few weeks. It had some good things going for it... it was a 2006, and this was in 2012, recently had the top case and battery replaced and a fresh install of Snow Leopard, along with the disks.

As far as upgrading, I'd hate to drop $80 on RAM and end up losing a screw or breaking a tab off or something when replacing it. Not worth it.
 
rocknblogger said:
I should have mentioned that I transferred ownership of the Adobe suite with Adobe. So he knew that it was legit. I had wiped it clean and gave him all the DVDs. But yeah I agree that I'm not sure I would go out of my way to try and increase the value now. Mine was like that for the two years I had it.
Click to expand...

I had already assumed that you provided the buyer with the physical program. But with programs heading in the Subscription direction it is going to be impossible to resell programs. That's if it continues in that direction.

I understand your situation and I maybe would have been interested, but you were being legit and provided your buyer with the paperwork & disc to prove it. Plus your buyer could resell the software to recoup some of their cost if they did not need it.

I see computers with software for sale all the time, but most will never come with everything to make it legit. It is always preloaded. It is getting harder all the time to tell what is legit though. Not often seller & buyer know each other. I always buy my software first hand, so having it preloaded would never influence my final buying price.
 
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