Is AppleCare Worthwhile for Resale?

[MICHAELSD]

Learning from my mistake of keeping my MacBook Pro for four years (I discovered the hard way that I could have upgraded my $2500 Unibody '08 MacBook Pro every year and effectively spent less money in the process. Now, I'd be lucky to get $600-$700 for it. So I plan to upgrade my to-be-purchased-soon Retina MacBook Pro every year.)

The issue I run into with upgrading every year is that if the first upgrade of the year is not significant (Apple has been known to release up to two upgrades in a year) or is not released before the warranty of the brand new system from a seller who decided he doesn't want it I am purchasing expires in July, then I will be stuck with a practically non-serviceable system for a few weeks/month where something could break down even though that is rare - but would still be a costy repair/value hit.

Thus I have to wonder just how much value AppleCare adds. Perhaps more than the cost of it for the fact that the system can't easily be repaired and the buyer won't be able to add it on most resold systems since they'll be out of the initial warranty period. What do you guys think?

 

[Weaselboy]

Applecare definitely adds to the used value, but nowhere close to the actual cost. You might try looking at recently completed eBay auctions for similar machines with and without Applecare to get a feel for what to expect.

 

[Dark Void]

I would try to sell it "as is," I mean as long as it is currently working I am sure it will get some interest.

 

[iaymnu]

Especially for the rMBP I would invest in apple care not only for just the resale value but because everything about it is not user friendly repairable.

 

[thermodynamic]

Applecare definitely adds to the used value, but nowhere close to the actual cost. You might try looking at recently completed eBay auctions for similar machines with and without Applecare to get a feel for what to expect.

I don't know if there's an official document saying which method is proper, but I've always carried the cost by subtracting by number of months used...

currValue= 300 - ($8.33 * monthsUsed)

So if monthsUsed = 12, that's $100 off, rendering the remaining value $200. AppleCare covers the whole kit, regardless if it fails one day into the warranty or the day before it expires...

So if the MBP alone is worth $1000 and has Applecare, and the AppleCare is only a year old, $1200 doesn't seem unfair a price to me... ?

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Especially for the rMBP I would invest in apple care not only for just the resale value but because everything about it is not user friendly repairable.

In which case Apple would chuck out the old one, after finding a way to transfer the data to a new or refurb replacement (if possible)...

 

[MCAsan]

And you can get MBP Apple Care for much less than Apple MSLP. Don't purchase if via Apple.


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/582543-REG/Apple_MC247LL_A_3_Year_AppleCare_for_15.html

 

[mohsy90]

And you can get MBP Apple Care for much less than Apple MSLP. Don't purchase if via Apple.


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/582543-REG/Apple_MC247LL_A_3_Year_AppleCare_for_15.html

It's the same price at Apple for those using student discount.

 

[TxMacAddict]

I wouldn't recommend adding AppleCare for resale purposes.. only if you know you will be keeping it for 3 years. I usually sell mine about a month before the new models come out and have never needed AppleCare to get a sale.

 

[rrm998]

I purchased a one month old rMBP with Apple Care off eBay. I was the only bidder the laptop received. The seller didn't make it clear that Apple Care was a part of the package unless you read down into the details of the ad. So I believe potential buyers passed it by because the starting price seemed too high since they didn't know it had Apple Care.

On the upside for me, I got one of the better deals I've seen on used rMBPs.

My suggestion is that, if you do resell with Apple Care, put it in the title of the listing -- if you run out of space, pay the $.50 for the subtitle.

 

[cfedu]

I would not get AppleCare if you plan in upgrading every year.

As for upgrading every year it may not be a viable option with the rMBP, I think they will have there resale value hit hard like the MacBook airs. If you do decide to go this route buy the base model with no AppleCare.