Is it a bad time for 8GB RAM owners to sell their Airs?

[phoenix-mac-user]

Yeah, I bought a 2017 13" MacBook Air in 2021 off Kijiji, and it was pristine. I could tell by the serial number that it was an Apple refurb, but I didn't care about that since as well all know, Apple refurbs are excellent.

I also bought a 2015 13" MacBook Pro off eBay in 2021 and it was essentially perfect. I opened it up to install a bigger SSD, and it looked brand new inside with zero dust, as did the keyboard and screen. The battery only had 30 cycles too. I think for that one it probably had the battery replaced, which involves replacing the battery, keyboard, and top case, which would explain why all of that looked brand new and the very low battery cycles.

And I bought an M1 Mac mini 16 GB 1 TB off ebay in 2022, and despite having a manufacture date of 2 years prior, it only had 1 week of power on time according to the SSD info, and it also looked brand new. And it still does... Anyone want to buy an M1 Mac mini, since I've upgraded to the M4?

One of my best recently is I bought an Apple Watch Ultra 1 refurbished off eBay in Feb. for $335 which was a steal on its own.

But I was REALLY shocked when I checked and it had TEN YEARS of AppleCare left. I was dumbfounded as to how it could possibly have 10 years since you can only buy 3 years of AppleCare but apparently corporate clients can purchase longer AppleCare warranties. So some company bought it for an employee and I dont know, they got fired? And then sold to someone who sold it refurbished on Amazon and it ended up with me, and I have Applecare for far longer than I will probably ever own the watch.

But when i sell it in 3 years you can bet I will put "has 7 years of AppleCare left!" on the listing.

I feel bad though that we have hijacked DeepSix thread about him getting hosed trying to resell by telling stories of great deals we have gotten buying used.

 

[geta]

I have been tempted to pick up a used M1 or M2 8 GB unit, but keep forcing myself to hold off for a spring M4 16 GB release. However, I'm not sure if I'll buy M3 or M4 at that point. It's for the wife, and truthfully all she needs is M1 8 GB.

The bigger concern for me isn't the RAM, but the age of the machine, not because I'm worried it will break, but because older machines will lose OS updates sooner.

If you plan to keep it long term, 16GB RAM should be the minimum. As for M3 vs M4, it wont be a big difference.

 

[phoenix-mac-user]

If you plan to keep it long term, 16GB RAM should be the minimum. As for M3 vs M4, it wont be a big difference.

I think as something that is solely for surfing the internet and checking email and basic use, it's fine.

My wife has the original base M1 mini I bought at release and she thinks its great. She uses it to track the family budget in excel and make purchases and respond to emails and uses her phone for everything else. I picked up a base M2 Mini with 8GB for her Dad who has similar use case and he raves about how fast it is every time I ask him.

The problem is people want to do more and when you start running multiple apps or anything that has any modest memory requirements, it becomes and problem but there are plenty of people who 8GB is fine, and I think a fair amount who read here that they NEED 16GB when they would really be fine with 8GB.

 

[nburwell]

I think the OP is just going to need to be patient with them selling their M3 MBA. Obviously they’ll get lowball offers, but you just ignore them and as long as the machine is fairly priced, it should eventually sell. I contemplated selling my base M2 MBA, but the computer does everything I ask it to, so I’m holding onto it.

 

[DeepSix]

I think the OP is just going to need to be patient with them selling their M3 MBA. Obviously they’ll get lowball offers, but you just ignore them and as long as the machine is fairly priced, it should eventually sell. I contemplated selling my base M2 MBA, but the computer does everything I ask it to, so I’m holding onto it.

I think I need to be patient too but I have a feeling that Im not going to get what I want for it just because people think this model is worth peanuts now since Apple made 16GB ram as the minimum. I believe that my lowest price I'm willing to go with is more than fair and not willing to go lower because I'd rather just keep it. Will still use it, so not like it will be sitting here collecting dust.

To gauge what it's worth, I checked out eBay and took the average resale price that the last 20 ads with the exact same specs sold at. My price is still much Lower lol. And all these 20 ads was sold "after" Apple made their base models to have 16GB ram. In fact I was shocked how much the 8GB models were selling for on eBay. So all these people who think this 8GB model is now worth $500 are out to lunch.

Im not willing to take a $600 loss on it, that's just money down the toilet. $600 to own and use it for 4 months? That's a tough pill to swallow.

If I have to take that kind of loss just to sell it, I may as well just keep it, use it for a couple years, get my use out of it and then sell it for 30% of what I paid. Then my cost to own it per month will be much lower and I won't see it as money down the toilet because I will be using it during that time. I just hate throwing money away.

 

[DeepSix]

Geez Im having a tough time selling this. I thought it would sell within a day. I've had over 30 people contact me and not one was either serious or had a good offer.

Apple refurb sells my exact same model for $1119CAD plus tax. So obviously mine being used and with less than a 1yr warranty I would get less, which is fair. I would say a bit less, not half the price of a refurb like some think it is. Why would I sell this for $600? Even $700 is a joke of an offer.

I then just ask myself again, is it worth putting $500-600 down the toilet by selling this? Maybe I just keep it. But I really don't want two MacBooks. I mean if I had to I could live with two, would just have to get used to it.

 

[JPack]

Geez Im having a tough time selling this. I thought it would sell within a day. I've had over 30 people contact me and not one was either serious or had a good offer.

Apple refurb sells my exact same model for $1119CAD plus tax. So obviously mine being used and with less than a 1yr warranty I would get less, which is fair. I would say a bit less, not half the price of a refurb like some think it is. Why would I sell this for $600? Even $700 is a joke of an offer.

I then just ask myself again, is it worth putting $500-600 down the toilet by selling this? Maybe I just keep it. But I really don't want two MacBooks. I mean if I had to I could live with two, would just have to get used to it.

Personally, I'd just buy her a new one. Used laptops, you don't know how it's been treated, if it's ever been stepped on and it's got germs on it. Used you get no warranty.

When you sell used, people will assume the worst condition. Factory warranty doesn't mean much if it has spilled liquid or other hidden damage.

Guarantee the $900 offer you received earlier wasn't going to go though in the end. $700 would be average. $800 is nice. $900 not happening.

 

[geta]

Geez Im having a tough time selling this. I thought it would sell within a day. I've had over 30 people contact me and not one was either serious or had a good offer.

Apple refurb sells my exact same model for $1119CAD plus tax. So obviously mine being used and with less than a 1yr warranty I would get less, which is fair. I would say a bit less, not half the price of a refurb like some think it is. Why would I sell this for $600? Even $700 is a joke of an offer.

I then just ask myself again, is it worth putting $500-600 down the toilet by selling this? Maybe I just keep it. But I really don't want two MacBooks. I mean if I had to I could live with two, would just have to get used to it.

I can give you two cheeseburgers for your outdated MBA.

 

[DeepSix]

When you sell used, people will assume the worst condition. Factory warranty doesn't mean much if it has spilled liquid or other hidden damage.

Guarantee the $900 offer you received earlier wasn't going to go though in the end. $700 would be average. $800 is nice. $900 not happening.

Well I do clearly state in my ad that it is 10 for 10 condition. Battery health is 100% with a very low cycle count.
And on top it comes with a laptop bag and a hard case.

Guaranteed this is the best condition second hand air in the marketplace in my area. It's never been sat on it's never been stepped on. And it's never been peed on by people's pets.

When I say $900 you do know that I mean in Canadian right?

 

[EugW]

Well I do clearly state in my ad that it is 10 for 10 condition. Battery health is 100% with a very low cycle count.
And on top it comes with a laptop bag and a hard case.

Guaranteed this is the best condition second hand air in the marketplace in my area. It's never been sat on it's never been stepped on. And it's never been peed on by people's pets.

When I say $900 you do know that I mean in Canadian right?

There is no way I'd pay CA$900 for a used 8 GB 13" Air even with say 512 GB storage. You have the 13.6" M3 Air with 8 GB RAM right? How much storage?

Right now you can buy a brand new 13" M2 Air 16/256 GB for CA$1169 direct from Apple. Furthermore, you can buy a refurb 13" M2 8/256 for CA$989 direct from Apple.

Also, as long as 6 months ago, Best Buy Canada had the 15" M2 Air 8/256 GB for CA$999 open box, and the 13" M2 Air 8/256 for CA$949 open box.

Yes I know M2 is not M3, but most people don't really care as the machines are otherwise really similar.

 

[JPack]

Well I do clearly state in my ad that it is 10 for 10 condition. Battery health is 100% with a very low cycle count.
And on top it comes with a laptop bag and a hard case.

Guaranteed this is the best condition second hand air in the marketplace in my area. It's never been sat on it's never been stepped on. And it's never been peed on by people's pets.

When I say $900 you do know that I mean in Canadian right?

I believe you, but almost everyone claims 9 or 10/10 when selling these. In most cases, buyers don't consider bag and case to be of any value because those need to match the buyer's personal needs and tastes.

 

[DeepSix]

There is no way I'd pay CA$900 for a used 8 GB 13" Air even with say 512 GB storage. You have the 13.6" M3 Air with 8 GB RAM right? How much storage?

Right now you can buy a brand new 13" M2 Air 16/256 GB for CA$1169 direct from Apple. Furthermore, you can buy a refurb 13" M2 8/256 for CA$989 direct from Apple.

Also, as long as 6 months ago, Best Buy Canada had the 15" M2 Air 8/256 GB for CA$999 open box, and the 13" M2 Air 8/256 for CA$949 open box.

Yes I know M2 is not M3, but most people don't really care as the machines are otherwise really similar.

My Air is 8GB / 256GB. $989CAD refurb from Apple? Mine here shows $1119CAD refurb.

If someone is hunting for specs, M3 will be seen as the better one over M2. M3 isn't even a year old.

Just to compare there's many people here asking the same for their used M1 airs. Used and abused for 3 years

 

[DeepSix]

I believe you, but almost everyone claims 9 or 10/10 when selling these. In most cases, buyers don't consider bag and case to be of any value because those need to match the buyer's personal needs and tastes.

Honestly compared to most other ads that I see for used airs here. I can tell that most people don't take care of their laptops very well. Judging from the photos, Some of the units that I've seen are just disgusting.

I know generally stuff like case and bags are personal taste so you won't generally get much. But in general they do make your whole package more appealing since the buyer doesn't have to spend more to get them

 

[EugW]

My Air is 8GB / 256GB. $989CAD refurb from Apple? Mine here shows $1119CAD refurb.

If someone is hunting for specs, M3 will be seen as the better one over M2. M3 isn't even a year old.

$989 is M2. I’d rather buy a refurb M2 than a used M3 for not much less money.

 

[DeepSix]

$989 is M2. I’d rather buy a refurb M2 than a used M3 for not much less money.

Fair enough. So a used one shouldn't be worth too much less right? What's with all the offers that Im getting for $700-750? Half of a brand new M3 in store with 16GB / 256GB. No way my Air is only worth 50% of that. Less than 50% once you include the tax and my bag and case. An out of warranty, more banged up and used Air, sure. But a 4 month old one that is barely used? I mean geez the new owner can still buy Apple care on it if they desire.

 

[DeepSix]

There is no way I'd pay CA$900 for a used 8 GB 13" Air even with say 512 GB storage. You have the 13.6" M3 Air with 8 GB RAM right? How much storage?

Right now you can buy a brand new 13" M2 Air 16/256 GB for CA$1169 direct from Apple. Furthermore, you can buy a refurb 13" M2 8/256 for CA$989 direct from Apple.

Also, as long as 6 months ago, Best Buy Canada had the 15" M2 Air 8/256 GB for CA$999 open box, and the 13" M2 Air 8/256 for CA$949 open box.

Yes I know M2 is not M3, but most people don't really care as the machines are otherwise really similar.

Not sure where you are finding those prices, it must be in USD. I see this when I look up M3 refurbs in Canada.

$1119CAD plus tax. I still think my Air at $900 with a case and bag and 8 months warranty remaining is reasonable.

 

[EugW]

Not sure where you are finding those prices, it must be in USD. I see this when I look up M3 refurbs in Canada.

$1119CAD plus tax. I still think my Air at $900 with a case and bag and 8 months warranty remaining is reasonable.


View attachment 2460533

As mentioned, $989 is M2.



Most people couldn't care less if it comes with a case or not.

I don't think you're being realistic.

As for the 15" M2 for $999, that was Best Buy open box. There were many available for a while until they sold out.

 

[DaveEcc]

Not sure where you are finding those prices, it must be in USD. I see this when I look up M3 refurbs in Canada.

$1119CAD plus tax. I still think my Air at $900 with a case and bag and 8 months warranty remaining is reasonable.

The thing is, YOU know that it's really fairly new, and that it's kept in good condition, that it's not stolen, that it's not enrolled in MDM, it has had no drops, no liquid damage, etc, that you'll release your Find My lock on it. Nobody else KNOWS that.

A buyer has to take your word on it. Any extra effort you put into preemptively proving authenticity on its age will come across poorly. The fact that it's that new and you're looking to unload it looks extra sketchy. You're almost better off NOT mentioning that it's just 3 months old.

Yes, you will have lost the tax. Nobody considers tax when looking at used pricing... that's why Europeans include it, to highlight the actual cost of goods. That tax money is gone.

Yes, you'll need to eat the price drop of 8GB systems. That's a once in a lifetime combination of poor timing. It seems you were right on the cusp of the return window when Apple announced the base RAM increased to 16GB for the same price. If you had any days of return available, you should have returned it in exchange for a 16GB right then. If you were out of the return window, it's just unfortunate timing for you.

Given a choice of a refurb/edu discount machine that I *know* will be in perfect condition straight from Apple, or a used system from some random guy with a sketchy story, the savings have to be worthwhile. Getting to within $220 of Apple's price for what is now a below base spec machine in unknown condition is actually pretty amazing. You may get a better offer, but it may take a while. You may never get a better offer. Waiting could further reduce its value, as I imagine many M3s will hit the market when the M4 Air drops and people want their yearly fix.

 

[neo_cs193p]

If you don't like throwing away cash, you will most likely need to return the M4 Pro and keep the Air until you can sell it for a reasonable amount.
This may take up to a couple of years. Meanwhile you will also adjust what "a reasonable amount" means in the new market context.
The good news is: if you recently bought an 8GB Air, that means it's enough for your current needs, and probably still will be for a while. So the smartest option is to ride out your investment, instead of comparing it to newer gadgets.

 

[jlc1978]

I then just ask myself again, is it worth putting $500-600 down the toilet by selling this?

Speaking as an economist, this is a classic case of loss aversion. The 500-600CAD loss is perceived much worse than the gain by selling it; and thus people focus on the loss rather than the gain.

If you keep the machine, your entire purchase price is gone; so unless the machine has that much value to you the rational choice is to sell it and recoup part of your outlay.

I understand where you are coming from. I purchased an M1 Air when my MBP got damaged andI need a computer while it was being repaired. I then traded the MBP in on a new MBP (the trade in was more than the repair costs) and thus had a spare Air (maybe I should call it HAiry?). In my case, I kept it in case my MBP broke so I could keep working while it gets fixed; and gave it to a family member to use so it doesn't just sit around.

In the end, it's your choice. Will you keep both in sync so one is teh away from desk machine? What could you do ith teh money you get from the sale? Those are the questions I would ask myself in your situation.

 

[DeepSix]

As mentioned, $989 is M2.

View attachment 2460545

Most people couldn't care less if it comes with a case or not.

I don't think you're being realistic.

As for the 15" M2 for $999, that was Best Buy open box. There were many available for a while until they sold out.

The thing is, YOU know that it's really fairly new, and that it's kept in good condition, that it's not stolen, that it's not enrolled in MDM, it has had no drops, no liquid damage, etc, that you'll release your Find My lock on it. Nobody else KNOWS that.

A buyer has to take your word on it. Any extra effort you put into preemptively proving authenticity on its age will come across poorly. The fact that it's that new and you're looking to unload it looks extra sketchy. You're almost better off NOT mentioning that it's just 3 months old.

Yes, you will have lost the tax. Nobody considers tax when looking at used pricing... that's why Europeans include it, to highlight the actual cost of goods. That tax money is gone.

Yes, you'll need to eat the price drop of 8GB systems. That's a once in a lifetime combination of poor timing. It seems you were right on the cusp of the return window when Apple announced the base RAM increased to 16GB for the same price. If you had any days of return available, you should have returned it in exchange for a 16GB right then. If you were out of the return window, it's just unfortunate timing for you.

Given a choice of a refurb/edu discount machine that I *know* will be in perfect condition straight from Apple, or a used system from some random guy with a sketchy story, the savings have to be worthwhile. Getting to within $220 of Apple's price for what is now a below base spec machine in unknown condition is actually pretty amazing. You may get a better offer, but it may take a while. You may never get a better offer. Waiting could further reduce its value, as I imagine many M3s will hit the market when the M4 Air drops and people want their yearly fix.

If you don't like throwing away cash, you will most likely need to return the M4 Pro and keep the Air until you can sell it for a reasonable amount.
This may take up to a couple of years. Meanwhile you will also adjust what "a reasonable amount" means in the new market context.
The good news is: if you recently bought an 8GB Air, that means it's enough for your current needs, and probably still will be for a while. So the smartest option is to ride out your investment, instead of comparing it to newer gadgets.

Speaking as an economist, this is a classic case of loss aversion. The 500-600CAD loss is perceived much worse than the gain by selling it; and thus people focus on the loss rather than the gain.

If you keep the machine, your entire purchase price is gone; so unless the machine has that much value to you the rational choice is to sell it and recoup part of your outlay.

I understand where you are coming from. I purchased an M1 Air when my MBP got damaged andI need a computer while it was being repaired. I then traded the MBP in on a new MBP (the trade in was more than the repair costs) and thus had a spare Air (maybe I should call it HAiry?). In my case, I kept it in case my MBP broke so I could keep working while it gets fixed; and gave it to a family member to use so it doesn't just sit around.

In the end, it's your choice. Will you keep both in sync so one is teh away from desk machine? What could you do ith teh money you get from the sale? Those are the questions I would ask myself in your situation.

It was unfortunately very bad timing on my part. If I found out about the rumoured 16GB base model ram a couples month earlier then I would have returned it or I would have waited until at least Apple's conference where they announced it before buying. And in this case I likely wouldn't have bought the Air to begin with, saving me $500 in the end.

I did consider using one MacBook purely as a desk machine and the other for away from the desk, but with having a desktop and a M4 Mini already, I really couldn't justify it.

I've had both the Pro and the Air for over 2 weeks now and have tried to justify keeping both and I wasn't able to. Really don't need and don't want two MacBooks especially when I clearly prefer one over the other.

Anyways I found a buyer last night, I'm meeting up with him tonight. $850CAD cash. Figured I would take it as I likely won't get a higher offer and like you guys say, the longer I wait, the less I get for it. Could possibly still get more but I would take my chances. Now that one will be gone, I can fully utilize the one.

 

[G5isAlive]

I may not sell it to be honest but I still have my ad up so open to offers. I just love the form factor of the Air and how thin and light it is. It's just in a different league compared to the Pro. Im carrying it around with me a lot more now and just love how portable this thing is.

Each week I keep thinking this will be the last post.. but then you come up with something else! First I recall was the never using the battery of your laptop, carrying a spare one to keep it charged, then the shiny MacBook Air keys and how to keep them clean, was it this MBA? the classic 15" screen is too big, what size did you get on your pro btw? and you liked to carry extra monitors around for larger screen... I forget what the last one was.. but it was good. and now here we are collecting Macs and wondering if you should sell.

I hear you it's a tough pill to swallow, but as others pointed out you will never get more money for your machine. and 8 gb is just over. done. 16 is the new base. you cant compete on price with that regardless of 10/10 condition.

cant wait to see what next weeks post is.

 

[geta]

Well I do clearly state in my ad that it is 10 for 10 condition. Battery health is 100% with a very low cycle count.
And on top it comes with a laptop bag and a hard case.

Guaranteed this is the best condition second hand air in the marketplace in my area. It's never been sat on it's never been stepped on. And it's never been peed on by people's pets.

When I say $900 you do know that I mean in Canadian right?

That's nice and all, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a used MBA with 8GB of RAM and only 256GB of storage.

Fair enough. So a used one shouldn't be worth too much less right? What's with all the offers that Im getting for $700-750? Half of a brand new M3 in store with 16GB / 256GB. No way my Air is only worth 50% of that. Less than 50% once you include the tax and my bag and case. An out of warranty, more banged up and used Air, sure. But a 4 month old one that is barely used? I mean geez the new owner can still buy Apple care on it if they desire.

Sure it's up to you, but with your specs, the offers you get are more than fair.

And now that Apple offers the base MBA with 16GB RAM, yours has lost its value even more...

 

[DeepSix]

That's nice and all, but that doesn't change the fact that this is a used MBA with 8GB of RAM and only 256GB of storage.



Sure it's up to you, but with your specs, the offers you get are more than fair.

And now that Apple offers the base MBA with 16GB RAM, yours has lost its value even more...

That's why I chose to sell it now as opposed to later. I was originally going to keep it but in the end decided not to. When the M4 Air comes out next March, it will only drop the value of 8GB Air even more.

 

[DeepSix]

Buyer backed out. This is why I hate selling stuff online. Too many time wasters. You're going to make me format it, sanitize it, clean it all up nicely for you, pack it up nicely and bring it with me....then you back out. What a joke. That right there deserves a bad rating.