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Trade in question

The_Joker13

The_Joker13

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 9, 2016
124
196
Florida
Hello all, quick question for everyone. I just ordered a new MacBook Pro(16 in M1 max 32gb 1TB model). It's expected to arrive DEC 1-8. Upon final receipt the trade in instructions are a little vague. Will they be initiating the trade in immediately or am I able to keep my current MacBook Pro until the new one arrives and then send in to get trade in credit? Any guidance would be appreciated! Can't wait to get my new machine!
 
The_Joker13 said:
Hello all, quick question for everyone. I just ordered a new MacBook Pro(16 in M1 max 32gb 1TB model). It's expected to arrive DEC 1-8. Upon final receipt the trade in instructions are a little vague. Will they be initiating the trade in immediately or am I able to keep my current MacBook Pro until the new one arrives and then send in to get trade in credit? Any guidance would be appreciated! Can't wait to get my new machine!
Click to expand...
If I recall correctly, your trade-in will be initiated after your new machine ships. So yes, you will be able to keep your current MacBook Pro until the new one arrives.
 
Coilfah said:
If I recall correctly, your trade-in will be initiated after your new machine ships. So yes, you will be able to keep your current MacBook Pro until the new one arrives.
Click to expand...
Awesome, that’s what I had assumed, just wasn’t sure. Much appreciated!
 
They said 500 for my mid2015 i7 15" 16g 500gb drive. Wondering if that's a good deal.
 
I have the 16" MBP
2.3GHz, 32GB, 1TB, 5500M 8GB
$3299 original price.
Apple is offering me $1400 to trade in. I know I'm leaving money on the table by trading it in. There's no way this is already worth less than half I paid in just 2 years.

I've been watching listings on eBay to see how much they're going for.

I was hoping to sell mine for at least $1800.
 
Personally, I'd just bring it in to the Apple store after you receive your new machine. Quite a few horror stories about the 3rd party who handles the shipment returns.

I just got trade-in credit for a 2016 13" MBP over the weekend. Fairly easy experience w/ my Apple store, took about 30 minutes from walking in (with appointment) to walking out... overall an hour out of my morning.

And for some odd reason that I decided to not question, I got an extra $100 for the trade-in vs. what was quoted online.
 
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Jl006p said:
I have the 16" MBP
2.3GHz, 32GB, 1TB, 5500M 8GB
$3299 original price.
Apple is offering me $1400 to trade in. I know I'm leaving money on the table by trading it in. There's no way this is already worth less than half I paid in just 2 years.

I've been watching listings on eBay to see how much they're going for.

I was hoping to sell mine for at least $1800.
Click to expand...

You're absolutely leaving $$ on the table going w/ Apple, Apple after all is going to recondition and resell the item so they have to make something out of the deal.

eBay has some crazy fees though, if you sold for $1800 you'd net less than $1600. There's a particular service that is preferable to get max $$ for Apple products but the name escapes me.
 
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Beau10 said:
Personally, I'd just bring it in to the Apple store after you receive your new machine. Quite a few horror stories about the 3rd party who handles the shipment returns.

I just got trade-in credit for a 2016 13" MBP over the weekend. Fairly easy experience w/ my Apple store, took about 30 minutes from walking in (with appointment) to walking out... overall an hour out of my morning.

And for some odd reason that I decided to not question, I got an extra $100 for the trade-in vs. what was quoted online.
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The extra money is probably sales tax. They quote you less the sales tax but they add it to the final pay out. I have used the trade in service several times (for MacBooks, iMac and iPhones) and each time I get the quoted price plus local sales tax. Pleasant surprise.
 
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The_Joker13 said:
Hello all, quick question for everyone. I just ordered a new MacBook Pro(16 in M1 max 32gb 1TB model). It's expected to arrive DEC 1-8. Upon final receipt the trade in instructions are a little vague. Will they be initiating the trade in immediately or am I able to keep my current MacBook Pro until the new one arrives and then send in to get trade in credit? Any guidance would be appreciated! Can't wait to get my new machine!
Click to expand...
I believe some one else offered the answer but the trade in packaging is usually shipped to arrive the day of the delivery of the new machine and you then have 14 days to return the trade in machine. However I have noticed that the packaging has arrived a week before the new machine arrived in the last two recent trade ins. I have had less than a week to return the trade in after receipt of the new machine. I suspect this is due to the prolonged delivery times for new equipment and their need for the trade in items. Either way expect a week up to 2 weeks to return the trade in after the receipt of the new machine.
 
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whitby said:
The extra money is sales tax. They quote you less the sales tax but they add it to the final pay out. I have used the trade in service several times (for MacBooks, iMac and iPhones) and each time I get the quoted price plus local sales tax. Pleasant surprise.
Click to expand...

It's not, it's just credit - it's $350 quoted online vs. getting a gift card of $450 in store. Tax will be applied for an actual purchase... how would that work for a trade-in purchase anyway? I don't see how you would essentially get what amounts to a tax break for a trade-in, unless we're talking about reducing the price of the purchase itself, but it would be fairly minor (ie. just under $30 from a $350 reduced final price). But I would *think* it would just be a credit for the purchase and the final price is still the full purchase price.
 
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If it was sales tax, which I highly doubt, it would also be noted on your trade-in receipt. I did a trade-in this morning at an Apple store here in the US for a gift card only, and there was no sales tax included. In fact, I've never seen sales tax as part of the trade-in transaction, only for sales transactions.

Maybe it's a state difference? But again, it would show on the trade-in receipt.
 
For trade ins I am going to have to disagree here. I confirmed with Apple that it is sales tax, at least for trade ins done at the time of the purchase of a new machine. It is quite logical. They give you a trade in refund against the original price less tax and they refund the tax you paid on the refunded amount. The trade in receipt shows the refund against the value of the machine you purchased without tax, so the tax never shows up. In my case the amount refunded to my credit card account was the quoted refunded amount + 8.25% my local sales tax. I have done this 6 or 7 times and the result is always the same. Hope this makes sense.

This of course only occurs when you have paid the full amount for the new machine prior to the refund being applied.
 
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whitby said:
For trade ins I am going to have to disagree here. I confirmed with Apple that is it sales tax, at least for trade ins. It is quite logical. They give you a trade in refund against the original price less tax and they refund the tax you paid on the refunded amount. The trade in receipt shows the refund against the value of the machine you purchased without tax, so the tax never shows up. In my case the amount refunded to my credit card account was the quoted refunded amount + 8.25% my local sales tax. I have done this 6 or 7 times and the result is always the same. Hope this makes sense.

This of course only occurs when you have paid the full amount for the new machine prior to the refund being applied.
Click to expand...

I think it's based on the state's sales tax policy. I know it works that way with auto sales and trade-ins. Not every state taxes the full amount of the car; some will deduct the trade-in value first.
 
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WildSky said:
I think it's based on the state's sales tax policy. I know it works that way with auto sales and trade-ins. Not every state taxes the full amount of the car; some will deduct the trade-in value first.
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Seems very reasonable since Apple do not explicitly state how this works, which is why I called them to verify. I live in Texas so maybe it is a Texas sales tax policy requirement, who knows.
 
whitby said:
For trade ins I am going to have to disagree here. I confirmed with Apple that it is sales tax, at least for trade ins done at the time of the purchase of a new machine. It is quite logical. They give you a trade in refund against the original price less tax and they refund the tax you paid on the refunded amount. The trade in receipt shows the refund against the value of the machine you purchased without tax, so the tax never shows up. In my case the amount refunded to my credit card account was the quoted refunded amount + 8.25% my local sales tax. I have done this 6 or 7 times and the result is always the same. Hope this makes sense.

This of course only occurs when you have paid the full amount for the new machine prior to the refund being applied.
Click to expand...

So it's not a credit, but a reduction in price - which is surprising as it should be a credit (ie. if someone gives you a gift card, it's just another form of payment), but will take your word for it. Again, on my trade-in, it would be less than $30, not $100, off a new purchase. But I did not make a purchase, it was for a gift card to be used on a future purchase. For some reason the Genius put a configuration in the system which netted me an extra $100.
 
Beau10 said:
So it's not a credit, but a reduction in price - which is surprising as it should be a credit (ie. if someone gives you a gift card, it's just another form of payment), but will take your word for it. Again, on my trade-in, it would be less than $30, not $100, off a new purchase. But I did not make a purchase, it was for a gift card to be used on a future purchase. For some reason the Genius put a configuration in the system which netted me an extra $100.
Click to expand...
Yes, your circumstances were different to the scenario I was describing and assumed, probably mistakenly, was the scenario in the original post. Apologies if I confused everyone.

I noted that when Apple purchased one of my machines for a store credit, the gift card was for the exact amount of the offer. The sales tax scenario only occurs when you are getting the credit applied on a machine for which you have already paid including sales tax. In which case they refund the sales tax for amount of the credit applied.

It looks as if, in your case, they may have misquoted in the original on line quote. Whatever the reason it was a nice surprise. $100 is not to be sneezed at.
 
Beau10 said:
Personally, I'd just bring it in to the Apple store after you receive your new machine. Quite a few horror stories about the 3rd party who handles the shipment returns.

I just got trade-in credit for a 2016 13" MBP over the weekend. Fairly easy experience w/ my Apple store, took about 30 minutes from walking in (with appointment) to walking out... overall an hour out of my morning.

And for some odd reason that I decided to not question, I got an extra $100 for the trade-in vs. what was quoted online.
Click to expand...
I did not realize this was an option, I’ll definitely do that. Thanks!
 
Beau10 said:
Personally, I'd just bring it in to the Apple store after you receive your new machine. Quite a few horror stories about the 3rd party who handles the shipment returns.

I just got trade-in credit for a 2016 13" MBP over the weekend. Fairly easy experience w/ my Apple store, took about 30 minutes from walking in (with appointment) to walking out... overall an hour out of my morning.

And for some odd reason that I decided to not question, I got an extra $100 for the trade-in vs. what was quoted online.
Click to expand...
Good to know! I’m still waiting my new MBP to be delivered but I didn’t know that I could do that .. to take the old one to the store even if I did the whole process online and I will be receiving the trade in kit ?

Also, since it’s my first time trading in a MBP I’m not sure if I should send the charger and cable?

I asked at Apple store and the guy said that if they didn’t ask on the website if I’m sending the charger, it would not be necessary but I’m afraid that it will affect the amount they estimated ? At the same time I would like to keep it if it’s not affecting the estimated price ?

Does anyone knows that or has past experiences to share?
 
You don't have to include the charger or cables with an Apple trade-in. Which is great, because you then get to keep the extra charger around as backup.
 
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Last month, I traded the following at the local Apple store, and received an Apple gift card for each:

2017 15" MacBook Pro 3.1GHz w/ Radeon Pro 560, 16 GB RAM, 2TB SSD for $790. Very good condition. "Mac Me an Offer" offered me only $685 for it.

2019 15" MacBook Pro 2.4GHz w/ Vega 20, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD for $1325. Excellent condition.

iPhone 7 32GB for $40.

Given the amount of risk with selling on eBay these days, and the huge cut eBay and PayPal take (they also deduct sales tax now, ridiculous for a private party sale), I thought all of these were very reasonable from Apple. For each transaction it literally took me less than 5 minutes at the Apple store, and no risk waiting for days wondering if a buyer is going to scam me. And I got to keep all the adapters/charging cables.

I spent the gift cards on two M1 MacBook Airs, and I found their performance to be somewhat midway between those two Macs... but I'm still using Intel apps mostly, in Rosetta2.
 
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@thagomizer I hear you that selling "for more" on Ebay has gotten riskier / more costly / less appealing than it did previously. There still may be situations where it makes sense to go the secondary sale route over Apple trade-in, but all things equal, I think the value proposition for a direct Apple trade-in is stronger than ever.

As another alternative to Ebay, I've found Swappa is generally a better marketplace to sell used Apple gear.
 
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