Selling/Buying advice

[pragmatist]

Wow, after years of reading MacRumors, I now need your help.

I am planning to purchase a new MacBook Pro 17" to replace the PowerBook 17" I currently have. I have absolutely loved my Powerbook experience and look forward to much more.

My question is, what is the best way to sell your Apple laptop? I'm a perfectionist and my PowerBook is in mint condition. I have all the extras - added RAM & battery, double size HD, Adobe & Microsoft software, etc. and want to reach the biggest audience to exact the best price.

All recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Kindly,

Pragmatist

 

[heatmiser]

eBay, Craigslist, the forums here. Try all three if you're willing; you'll get the highest price on eBay, but you're also most likely to get ripped off there. It's also the only place that'll charge you for listing, and'll charge you for selling. The last computer I sold was an iBook on CG. Before that, I sold a computer on eBay, and got burned twice by scammers. After that, I stopped selling on eBay. The place is a jungle, and they don't care to clean it up because it makes them money. If a scammer comes into a regular, fine auction at the last minute and bids your gear up to $2000, you suddenly owe >$80 in selling fees at the end, until you convince eBay the bid was a fake. Add this to the fact that you didn't make money from the auction due to its being fake, and the loss you take from your nonrefundable listing fee, and the week you spent waiting for it to sell, and it's a really bad deal. It's a waste of time, and I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[THX1139]

eBay, ...Add this to the fact that you didn't make money from the auction due to its being fake, and the loss you take from your nonrefundable listing fee, and the week you spent waiting for it to sell, and it's a really bad deal. It's a waste of time, and I wouldn't recommend it.

Ebay should revamp and add a mandatory escrow to protect the buyer and seller. If you bid on a product, there should be a minimum charge that is taken from an account or a credit card. If someone is serious about bidding, they shouldn't mind laying their money down. Ebay would hold the money buyer is happy, then release it to the seller. If the deal turned out to be a bad one, they would be ripping off Ebay, not the buyer or seller.

 

[danidoll521]

Craigslist

I would personally try Craigslist. While some people do not recommend, I have never had an issue (my last sale was a Powerbook). There are certainly scammers on Craigslist, so ensure that you deal in cash and meet the buyer in person and you won't have any problems. You will get a good price and will not have to pay the fees eBay charges that are being discussed in this thread.

I would also recommend the Marketplace on this forum, but you will most likely not get as high a selling price. With this forum, however, you will (for the most part) not have to worry about getting scammed.