Need guidance in finding fair MacBook price

[ltjlily17]

I have late 2006 white MacBook sitting around. It has a 1.83 C2D, and I upgraded the ram to 2gb and hdd to 300gb. The screen was replaced about 4 years ago, and I have replaced the keyboard/topcase- as a result, there are none of the usual chunks of plastic missing from it.

The bezel around the screen and the lid are very scuffed- the original owner cracked the screen and found that by putting a clamp on the side and applying pressure to the lcd, they could see enough of the screen to use it.

The battery does not hold a charge and it does not have a power adapter.

Currently loaded with Tiger, iLife '09, CS3 and MS Office.

I have no idea what a fair price for the laptop is. It works just fine, but has cosmetic issues and a dead battery.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[BR3W]

Have you looked at the website Mac2Sell?

 

[ibuyufo]

Doesn't sound like I would pay more than $100.

 

[ltjlily17]

I went to the Mac2Sell site, but there is no place to notate the missing power adapter or dead battery. It gave me a price of $280.

I've looked on eBay and it looks like similar MacBooks are selling for $75-$100 listed "for parts or not working" so I feel like it's worth a little bit more than that since it works fine as long as it plugged in.

It seemed like Macbooks in good condition with working batteries and power adapters were going for about $350.

I was considering a price of $200-$250. I have purchased a new front bezel for it, so cosmetically, the lid is the only scuffed part.

Honestly, I'm trying to make some money to pay some vet bills, but I don't want to rip anyone off. Any further input would be appreciated.

 

[minifridge1138]

I went to the Mac2Sell site, but there is no place to notate the missing power adapter or dead battery. It gave me a price of $280.

I've looked on eBay and it looks like similar MacBooks are selling for $75-$100 listed "for parts or not working" so I feel like it's worth a little bit more than that since it works fine as long as it plugged in.

It seemed like Macbooks in good condition with working batteries and power adapters were going for about $350.

I was considering a price of $200-$250. I have purchased a new front bezel for it, so cosmetically, the lid is the only scuffed part.

Honestly, I'm trying to make some money to pay some vet bills, but I don't want to rip anyone off. Any further input would be appreciated.

Just to make sure i'm clear, the problems are:
1) Scuffed top lid
2) Dead battery
3) Missing charger

Let's work backwards. Say it is worth $400.
A new battery is $120.
That takes you down to $280.
A new charger is $80.
That takes you down to $200.

If it is worth $280, then that would bring you down to $80. Which is about what I'd pay knowing it needed the battery and charger.

Of course, you could get a used charger and save more...

 

[BR3W]

A new, genuine charger can be had on ebay for $20. Used ones are $10.
New macbook batteries are $30 dollars on ebay.

Either list it for $300 and be willing to take $260ish or buy the accessories yourself and list it for $400 and be willing to take $300-350.

You could buy a used charger and sell it for over $300 on craigslist in less than a day even with the dead battery. Clearly a running macbook is worth more than $80-100 as you've already seen on ebay and can search craigslist. There's no reason to listen to the people in this thread telling you otherwise.

The $280 "value" takes into account the age of the device and that's where the figure is coming from. That's why there is no place to list a "dead" battery--it's long past the assumed lifespan. The missing charger is inconsequential for the reason I gave above.

You're not obligated to sell on Craigslist so that's one way to safely gauge how you're valuing your equipment. If you list it on Craigslist and disclosed all of the information you posted here and asked for $300 you can see how far off you are by how many responses your ad generates. If none, you've over-valued your equipment. If you become flooded with requests to purchase it you know you've under-valued your equipment. Either way, the buyer will only pay what he or she feels the equipment is worth so you can't rip anyone off.

The sooner the better since school just started back up.

 

[minifridge1138]

A new, genuine charger can be had on ebay for $20. Used ones are $10.
New macbook batteries are $30 dollars on ebay.

A new charger is $79. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC461LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDEwMQ

A new batter is $129. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MA561LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDEwMQ

You can find lots of things on ebay described as 'new' but that doesn't mean anything. You can find lots of things on ebay.

You may be able to find used chargers and batteries for the price you mentioned.

I had a co-worker buy a C2D macbook (with a battery and charger) for $200. That's not the average price, but some people get lucky.

You certainly could list it on craigslist for $300 as-is. You might find someone that will pay that much. For your sake, I hope you do.

I wouldn't sell it as-is (because people will be hesitant to pay a lot if they think they'll be throwing parts at it). I think getting a used battery and a used charger is the way to go. I wouldn't get a non-genuine battery because it could hurt the resale value.

 

[ltjlily17]

Thanks for everyones advice. A co-worker is buying the MacBook for $200. He found the price reasonable, and we are both happy.

I decided to price it by taking the $300- $350 I felt I could get out of it and deducting the amount it would cost to replace each damaged or missing item. This was factoring in the $30 each it costs to replace the power adapter and battery if you buy from eBay.

 

[BR3W]

Glad you got it sorted.