Late 2008 MBP 15" 2.53Ghz Value Question

[Atomic Ed]

Hello everyone,

I have a late 2008 MBP 15", 2.53Ghz, 4Gb DR3 with the higher end graphics and a 500GB 7200 RPM HD.

Now this machine was bought brand new by me at the Apple store the week of unibody release and has been 100% flawless in every respect. Never had a single issue with anything and it was one of the ones with the better LG panel which is flawless.

The only things I ever did to upgrade it was install a 7200 rpm 500gb HD to replace the 5400rpm 320gb one it came with as it was much slower in drive access. Now I go this new MBP at a time in my life I had very little time to use it and install Lion as the OS. I also bought a brand new battery for it about 6 months ago from the apple store because the original one was not holding a charge as well from sitting around not being used most of the time.

I was away for the past few years and hardly ever go the chance to use it. I would say I might have used it since I got it, about a few dozen times and thats it. So you can imagine how pristine the machine is, it looks like it is brand new. It is truly a cream puff of a machine and very fast.

Now as I am getting older and my eyesight is not what it used to be in staring at smaller screens, and I do not need the portability of a laptop, I recently purchased a new 27" iMac and I love it but I now no longer need the MBP and was thinking of selling it. Now I know even though it is in mint condition and hardly used since I got it new, it is still only going to be worth what the market bears for it but my problem is I am not sure what to ask for it. I searched online and have seen widely varying amounts being asked for similar machines. One thing I noticed is that most of them are in now way near the condition of mine. It is almost like traveling back in time to buy one and then bringing it back into the future now after a month of use or so.

So anyway, if anyone can offer what they think the machine is worth on the used market and maybe where the best avenue to sell it is, I would appreciate it. I am not really interested in putting it on ebay, I used to use ebay years ago but would rather not now with the way its become there. Craigslist is a crap shoot and there are so many scammers on there I am reluctant to use it but will if it is the best choice.

Thanks for any advice on this....

 

[angrydog]

I have the same machine except for the upgraded CPU and RAM; I've seen this machine fetch between $850-$1000 on fleabay or ~$1050 on my local craigslist.

I would suggest if you decide to sell it, to post it on your local craigslist as fleabay will take a lot of commission/fees.

 

[Atomic Ed]

I have the same machine except for the upgraded CPU and RAM; I've seen this machine fetch between $850-$1000 on fleabay or ~$1050 on my local craigslist.

Thanks for the info. As I would really like to sell it soon rather than just let it sit around.

 

[Mojo1]

I sold my 2.4GHz 15" early 2008 MBP in December via Craigslist for $900. It was in mint condition, I upgraded the RAM to 4GB and the sale price included a like-new Waterfield Designs Sleevecase and a Radtech screen protector.

Just be patient... It took two months before I was contacted by a serious buyer. Any e-mail that reads something like "Is the item still for sale?" is most likely a scam artist; a strange Hotmail or GMail return address is also suspect.

I recommend posting images of the MBP; I get requests for photos when I don't post them.

 

[Atomic Ed]

I sold my 2.4GHz 15" early 2008 MBP in December via Craigslist for $900. It was in mint condition, I upgraded the RAM to 4GB and the sale price included a like-new Waterfield Designs Sleevecase and a Radtech screen protector.

Just be patient... It took two months before I was contacted by a serious buyer. Any e-mail that reads something like "Is the item still for sale?" is most likely a scam artist; a strange Hotmail or GMail return address is also suspect.

I recommend posting images of the MBP; I get requests for photos when I don't post them.

Thanks for the info. On yours, the early 2008 wasn't a unibody design correct?

I know what you mean about being patient thats good advice.

 

[Mojo1]

My MBP was the last non-unibody design.

 

[GGJstudios]

As a starting point, you can check Mac2Sell, eBay, or Amazon for prices of similar models, to get an idea of what you may be able to charge. Then adjust your price to account for condition, configuration, remaining AppleCare coverage (if any), etc.

 

[Atomic Ed]

As a starting point, you can check Mac2Sell, eBay, or Amazon for prices of similar models, to get an idea of what you may be able to charge. Then adjust your price to account for condition, configuration, remaining AppleCare coverage (if any), etc.

Thanks for the info, i have looked at the liks you included and i am still seeing a wide range of pricing on these units. I never knew used macs had such ranges in value. I want to sell mine for a fair price but I'm having a difficult time coming up with an appraisal for it, i see the ones on amazon are listed in order of condition, since i bought mine new and used it approximately a few dozen times, it is in pristine condition without a single flaw of any kind. Has a brand new battery, 500gb 7200 HD and Lion on it. Because of this I am assuming mine would be classified as mint condition or nearly new in terms of usage.

Any idea where you might price this if it were yours and you wanted to sell it?

Thanks for any info on this.