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Comment by Tepix | Hacker News Reader

Funny anecdote: Apple offers a trade-in when buying a new Macbook. I decided to have a look.

I entered the serial number of my Macbook Air 11" (Late 2010). I confirmed that it boots up, has no defects, has no optical faults and that I will include the power supply.

Apple offered 10€ ($12).

Yay?!

PS: This ancient notebook runs macOS High Sierra with the current 2020-2 security patch and sells for an astonishing 200€ on eBay.

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It probably actually costs them money, when all is done, to take that machine and get rid of it in a reasonably responsible way.

Perhaps, but it reduces the size of the secondary market so consumers have less choice and may opt for a new one instead. This is the real advantage to Apple.

Exactly. Same reason why they offer free engravings.

Is there a secondary market for a ten-year-old MacBook Air?

I use a nine-year-old Air almost daily, but I don't think the vast majority of people would consider it viable, let alone pay for one.

Ebay shows a load being sold for between £70 and £120. Here's one that has actual bids on it. (£106 when I post this comment). https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-MacBook-Air-13-inch-Late-20...

The silver lining of the "Apple Tax" is that machines retain value for an absurdly long time, even those which are verging on "obsolete".

It's certainly to the same type of people who would buy a new product for 5x the price instead.

If it can install latest macOS, it's a good test machine to test the newest OS to see if it sucks or not.

There's no meaningful competition between new Apple products and ten-year-old Apple products.

But if you want to talk about much newer machines, Apple doesn't offer good trade-in prices, so it still doesn't look like they are trying to beat out the secondary market.

I think it's pretty clear the trade-in offers are a convenience they can provide more than anything.

I tried with my 2015 MBP, and was offered £180 by Apple. The average eBay price for the same model seems to be around £450, so the eBay route would be worth the risk for me.

Also, when selling second hand, at least I know it's being reused not just recycled.

The average eBay price for the same model seems to be around £450

Sale price, or asking price?

The average fleaBay asking price for a TRS-80 Model 100 is $1,200. But the actual average selling price is closer to $100.

This was auction listings ending within the next 12 hours that had bids, for the same spec as mine.

I also found CeX (a buy/sell company) are paying £350 for my spec, which is less risky (and no eBay/PayPal fees).

I have the same machine, which served as my ultra-portable unit until say...2018. Now it's gathering dust.

It's just too slow now. Even browing web pages is unbearably slow. I wish it wasn't because I love the 11" form factor. If Apple were to offer something in that size again, I'd buy it.

You’ll always get a better resale value by selling it yourself versus going through Apple.

The difference will be down to convenience for many people and potentially the lower upfront cost of purchase if you haven’t sold the previous device yet.

I got a brand new one evaled for free disposal. That was really generous of Apple.

"You're welcome"

This is my favourite.

Don't we (Canada/Ontario) already pay an e-waste fee on purchase?

Or the condescending "Trade in your computer" text. "First, tell us what brand: Apple? Other?"

If you select "Other", the immediate next text you see is "based on what you told us, your computer is ready for recycling".

Note: Apple is not forced to offer any trade in service, let alone for third party computers. But the above is insulting, if not outright misleading. Doesn't matter what your other computer is, "it's ready for the trash heap (recycling, but still), has no trade-in value".

Like most trade in programs, Apple’s trade in program is for their financial benefit on both ends of the deal, kind of like trading in a car at a dealership.

Most trade-in or authorized reseller values they'll give is 70-80% below what you'd get private party. I usually sell my laptop at a 30-50% discount to a friend, or get a little more value selling it on Craigslist. The nice thing about Macs is even at 5 or 10 years old, there's a market for used Macs.

I bet you can get at least double on eBay!

Jokes aside, for those old computers, selling on eBay is way better than trade-in programs. There are collectors out there that might need this to complete their macbook shrine, and others who that want a mac but can't afford a new one.

The 11" carry a particular premium in the second-hand market because there's almost nothing in that size / weight available anymore.

The HP Dragonfly is the closest new equivalent I can find, and it's super expensive.

Also discontinued, but the 12" MacBook is smaller and lighter than the 11" MBA, with a bigger/higher-res screen.

I will pay you $13 just for the power supply, if not frayed. Throw in the MacBook and I might go up to $18, a 50% premium!

This is silly. I guess the transaction cost is eating up most of the cash.

Pretty sure its mainly just recycling service. It's for people that have no interest in attempting to deal with the hassle of reselling.

And repair parts inventory, I'm sure.

Mid 2012 500gb Macbook Pro 13" (Mojave) here, $90! I think I'll experiment with it more instead of trading it in.

I tried with my current MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018). Apple offered 240€. Well.

I was a regular contributor to a Brazilian Mac magazine. The tradition on the mailing list was that, for any offer of anything Apple for sale, we'd offer $50.

You'll have the same experience with CarMax if you try to trade in a vehicle that is too old, even if it is in perfect condition. It's not worth their time, but they want to be able to say they accept all trade-ins. So they offer you a flat $200 and wholesale the car for parts or scrap.

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