How to sell or trade-in your old Mac and save on a new one

Whether you’re planning to aquire a new Mac or you acquired one as a reward, your contemporary Mac doesn’t want to stop up in a closet. So what accomplish you accomplish with it? When you aren’t planning to give it to a lucky friend or family member, you can trade or sell it to assist pay for that new Mac. Right here’s how to get every last bit of value out of your old Mac.

Apple has a support file that has apt instructions on what you need to accomplish before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac and we also discuss how to prepare an old Mac for sale in a separate article. Nevertheless we have some trip in that department that can assist you get essentially the most out of your trade-in or sale.

Treat your Mac well

Your Mac’s physical condition plays a key role in what you can get in return throughout a trade-in sale. When you have a Mac that you plan to withhold for a while however know that you’re going to eventually trade or sell it once you happen to upgrade, accomplish what you can to take apt care of it.

Desktop Macs adore the Mac mini and iMac are easy to maintain since they won’t transfer from their location very much, if at all. Wipe off the grime that accumulates over time. Filth perform-up can make your Mac work harder to withhold itself frigid, so regular dusting also makes certain your Mac runs effectively. When you have an iMac, make certain your display remains pristine by cleaning your conceal with a comfortable fabric every few weeks. Screen protectors are also available, however they require a great deal of patience and a apt amount of ability to place on effectively.

Laptop Macs are more prone to damage since they’re meant to be introduced with you to work remotely. Consume a apt quality laptop bag, and always bear in thoughts that you’re using a dear funding–we’ve all considered loads of folk at our local espresso shop handle their laptops carelessly. Don’t be that person. Speaking of espresso shops, attempt to withhold beverages and food away from your MacBook in case a spill happens.

Be careful with the way you make train of it. For example, once you happen to’re connecting a USB instrument, attempt now not to blindly promenade it into a port. Feeling around the Mac’s port with a connector can scratch up the case, leaving an terrifying glimpse of wear that can leave a bad impression on someone evaluating your computer.

Maintain the original field (you don’t want the shipping field) and documentation. When you have the original cables and adapters, save those, too. Folks generally upgrade to faster chargers or longer cables, so withhold the originals with the sector. When you don’t have these issues, that’s okay, you’ll smooth be able to trade or sell your Mac. Nevertheless you’ll probably get more with them, especially once you happen to sell it privately.

Wipe your data from the Mac: The steps

Save your data

When you’re ready to trade or sell your old Mac, make certain you back up the data that’s on it. When you haven’t backed up your Mac previously, we indicate getting an external storage instrument.

The easiest way to back up is Apple’s constructed-in Time Machine. The train of Time Machine is ideal because you can train it to perform a data restore on your new Mac, which then pulls over all of your old settings, recordsdata, and apps, so your new Mac will possible be configured true adore your old one. You can also train a third-party backup provider or cloud storage adore iCloud or Dropbox to save important recordsdata, such as your Documents folder, photos, and media recordsdata. You’ll be able to restore those recordsdata to your new Mac, however any apps will want to be downloaded from the App Store or the developer’s web web page. You’ll also want to redo your settings on your new Mac.

Deauthorize your Mac from your Apple ID

Right here is an important step. Apple tracks what devices you make train of, and once you happen to don’t trace out, the new owner of your old Mac may now not be able to place of abode it up. To trace out, train your iPhone, iPad, or another Mac and amble to your Apple ID account at appleid.apple.com, then log in with your username and password. Scramble to the Gadgets section of the webpage, the place you’ll gape a list of devices associated with your Apple ID. Click on the Mac you want to deauthorize and a pop-up appears. Click the Eliminate from account button. A confirmation dialog will appear, and you’ll want to confirm that you want to perform this action.

Once that’s done, on the old Mac, make certain it is logged out of iCloud by checking Plot Preferences/Plot Settings. You’ll also want to make certain it is logged out of Messages, which you can trace within the Messages app. 

Reset the NVRAM on Intel Macs

Intel Macs train NVRAM to fast access certain settings. To reset the NVRAM, flip off your Mac. Then hold down the Option, Command, P, and R keys on the keyboard and vitality on the Mac. Maintain holding down those keys as your Mac boots and then boots again. When you hear the boot sound a second time or you gape the Apple brand appear, disappear, and then reappear, you can let amble of the keys. This isn’t necessary on M1 Macs.

Erase the storage instrument and reinstall macOS

Make certain your data is saved and you’re connected to Wi-Fi before you proceed with erasing the storage and reinstalling macOS using macOS Recovery. Right here’s how to start the route of:

• On an Intel Mac, hold down the Command+R keys while turning on the computer.
• On an M-sequence Macs, press and hold down the vitality button while turning it on.

The macOS Recovery menu will appear. You can then train Disk Utility to wipe your Mac’s pressure. (Apple has detailed instructions on how to accomplish this for Intel and M1 Macs.) When Disk Utility is done, stop the app, and then click on on Reinstall macOS within the Recovery menu to install the operating system.

Okay, now that your old Mac is ready to amble, you wish to decide the place you’re going to sell it. There are several third-party sites that you can amble to, although you may now not get as much as you may probably from selling immediately to someone thru eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist. Nevertheless selling to a reseller can be ideal once you happen to want to avoid the hassle of dealing with other folks. Right here are among the more popular buyback sites and what they offer.

We also discuss the only place to sell a Mac or MacBook in a separate article.

Decluttr

With Decluttr you get an offer for your Mac that’s locked in for 28 days. They mask the shipping prices and will glimpse your merchandise to confirm that it’s in apt condition. If Decluttr changes the offer based on their evaluation, you can search information from that they return the computer to you, and they’ll mask the shipping label. When you accept, you’ll obtain payment thru PayPal or allege deposit.[[Disclaimer: Decluttr is a past sponsor of the Macworld Podcast.]

Indicate that while Decluttr’s web page has a section labeled Sell your MacBook, that section also has areas the place you can sell Mac minis, iMacs, and Mac Professionals.

Gazelle

Gazelle buys (and sells) MacBooks only–its web web page doesn’t appear to allow you to sell them a desktop Mac. After letting them know the condition of your merchandise, they offer a quote that’s apt for 30 days and covers shipping. After receiving your Mac, they’ll examine it and may make you a new offer if the Mac doesn’t match the initial evaluation. When you flip down the new offer, you can get your Mac back however you have to pay for shipping. They pay you with a test, thru PayPal, or an Amazon reward card.

Swappa

Swappa is a marketplace the place you sell immediately to other folks. To make certain transactions are steady, Swappa verifies listings, handles PayPal-only payments, and organizes shipping. The bills Swappa charges are incorporated within the posted prices. When you’re hesitant about posting on eBay or Craigslist, Swappa is a apt alternative.

Trade in your Mac

You may now not get as much as you may probably by selling your Mac to a person or third-party provider, however trade-ins are almost hassle-free and convenient. Trade-ins are also usually available when a Mac isn’t in sellable however working condition. You usually get compensated with a reward card, store credit score, or credit score toward your purchase.

Apple

The trade-in route of with Apple is like a flash and easy. Apple asks a few questions about your machine’s condition (you wish to present the serial number), and then the offer can be applied to a new purchase. Apple will contact you if it needs to revise its offer after inspecting your Mac.

Amazon

Amazon has a Trade-In program, however as of this writing, it doesn’t seem to be inaugurate to Macs of any kind. You can submit iPads, iPhones, or other non-Apple devices, and they pay you with an Amazon reward card. It takes a while to route of your trade-in, and you can get more at other sites, however once you happen to shop at Amazon regularly, it’s an attractive provider.

Handiest Aquire

Handiest Aquire has a trade-in program, however you’ll want to secure your exact model before you can start the route of. You get a Handiest Aquire reward card.

Walmart

Walmart has a program in partnership with CExchange, however it absolutely’s only for Mac laptops. You get a Walmart eGift card.

Author: Roman Loyola, Senior Editor