Whether you are planning to buy a new Mac or you have one as a gift, your current Mac doesn’t have to end up in a closet. So what do you do with it? If you do not plan to give it to a lucky friend or family member, you can shop or sell it to help pay for the new Mac. How to get any last value out of your old Mac.
Apple has a support document that has good instructions on what to do before you sell, give away or shop in your Mac, and we also discuss how to prepare an old Mac for sale in a separate article. But we have some experience in the department that can help you get the most out of your inventor or sale.
Treat your mac well
Your Mac’s physical condition plays a key role in what you can get in return during a sale sale. If you have a Mac that you plan to last for a while, but know that you will eventually shop or sell it when you upgrade, do what you can to take good care of it.
Desktop Macs Like the Mac Mini and iMac are easy to maintain as they do not move from their location much if at all. Wipe the dust off that accumulates over time. Dustbuing can make your Mac work harder to stay cool, so regular dusting also ensures that your Mac is running efficiently. If you have an iMac, make sure your screen remains untouched by cleaning your screen with a soft cloth every few weeks. Screen protectors are also available, but they require a great deal of patience and a good amount of skill to put on properly.
Laptop Macs are more likely to damage as they are intended to be brought with you to work externally. Use a good quality laptop bag and always remember that you are using an expensive investment – we have all seen lots of people at our local coffee shop handling their laptops carelessly. Don’t be that person. Speaking of coffee shops, try to keep drinks and food away from your MacBook if a waste happens.
Be careful with how you use it. For example, if you connect a USB device, try not to connect it blindly to a gate. Feeling around Mac’s port with a plug can scratch the case and leave an ugly look of wear that can leave a bad impression on someone who evaluates your computer.
Keep the original box (You don’t need the shipping box) and documentation. If you have the original cables and adapters, save them too. People sometimes upgrade to faster chargers or longer cables, so keep the originals with the box. If you don’t have these items it’s okay you’ll still be able to shop or sell your Mac. But you probably get more with them, especially if you sell it privately.
Wipe your data from Mac: The steps
Save your data
When you are ready to shop or sell your old Mac, make sure you back up the data on it. If you have not backed up your Mac in the past, we recommend getting an external storage device.
The easiest way to back up is Apple’s built -in time machine. Using Time Machine is ideal because you can use it to perform a data recovery on your new Mac, which then pulls over all your old settings, files and apps so your new Mac will be configured just like your old one. You can also use a third-party backup service or cloud storage such as iCloud or Dropbox to save important files such as your documents folder, photos and media files. You can restore these files to your new Mac, but all apps need to be downloaded from the App Store or the developer’s website. You also need to repeat your settings on your new Mac.
DEAUTHORIZE YOUR MAC FROM YOUR APPLE ID
This is an important step. Apple spores which devices you are using and if you do not sign up, the new owner of your old Mac may not be able to configure it. To log out, use your iPhone, iPad or another Mac and go to your Apple ID account at Appleid.apple.com, and then log in with your username and password. Go to the Devices section on the web page where you see a list of devices linked to your Apple ID. Click on the Mac you want to deeauthorize and a pop-up appears. Click Remove it from the account button. A confirmation dialog is displayed and you must confirm that you will perform this action.
Once done on the old Mac, make sure it is logged out of iCloud by checking system preferences/system settings. You will also make sure it is logged out of messages that you can check in the Messages app.
Foundry
Reset NVRAM on Intel Macs
Intel Macs uses NVRAM to quickly access certain settings. To reset NVRAM, turn off your Mac. Then hold the option, command, P and R keys on the keyboard and power on Mac. Continue to hold these keys down like your Mac boots and then start again. If you hear the trunk a second time or you see the Apple logo appear, disappear and then reappear, you can let go of the keys. This is not necessary on the M series Macs.
Delete the storage unit and reinstall makos
Make sure your data is stored and you are connected to Wi-Fi before continuing to delete storage and reinstall macOS using macOS recovery. How to Start the Process:
- On an Intel Mac, keep the command+R keys down while turning on the computer.
- On an M series MACs, press and hold the power button while turning on.
MACOS RECOVERY menu appears. You can then use Disk Utility to dry your Mac’s drive. (Apple has detailed instructions on how to do this for Intel and M-Series Macs.) When the Disk Utility is done, finish the app and then click Reinstall Makos In the recovery menu to install the operating system.
MacOS recovery menu.
Apple
Sell your Mac
Okay, now that your old Mac is ready to go, you have to decide where to sell it. There are several third -party sites that you can go to, even if you may not get as much as you could from selling directly to someone through eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. But selling to a dealer can be ideal if you want to avoid the hassle of dealing with other people. Here are some of the more popular buyback sites and what they offer.
We also discuss the best place to sell a Mac or MacBook in a separate article.
Gazelle
Gazelle only buys (and sells) MacBooks – it doesn’t seem to allow you to sell them a desktop mac. After telling them by your item, they offer an offer that is good for 30 days and covers shipping. After receiving your Mac, they will examine it and can give you a new offer if Mac does not match the initial evaluation. If you reject the new offer, you can get your Mac back but you have to pay for shipping. They pay you with a check via PayPal or an Amazon gift card.
Swappa
Swappa is a marketplace where you sell directly to other people. To ensure transactions are secure, verifies Swappa listings, handles PayPal payments only and organizes shipping. The fees Swappa fees are included in the prices issued. If you are hesitant to send on eBay or Craigslist, Swappa is a good alternative.
Trading in your mac
You may not get as much as you could by selling your Mac to a person or third-party service, but trade-ins is almost trouble-free and practical. History is also often available when a Mac is not in marketable but working condition. You are usually compensated with a gift card, storage credit or credit for your purchase.
Apple
Apple input process is quick and easy. Apple asks a few questions about the state of your machine (you must specify the serial number) and then the offer can be used for a new purchase. Apple will contact you if it has to revise its offer after inspection of your Mac.
Your notice value can be used to buy a new Mac on Apple.com.
Apple
Amazon
Amazon has a trade-in program, but from this writing it does not appear to be open to Macs of any kind. You can submit iPads, iPhones or other devices that are not apple and they pay you with an Amazon gift card. It takes a while to treat your trade-in and you can get more in other places, but if you often shop at Amazon, it’s an attractive service.
Best Buy
Best Buy has a trade-in program, but you will need to find your exact model before you can start the process. You get a best buy gift card.
Walmart
Walmart has a program in partnership with CEXCHANGE, but it’s only for Mac -laptop computers. You get a Walmart Egift card.