Question about selling an imac.

[chibamac]

Okay,

I see a lot of people mentioning resale value and selling their imacs when new ones come out. I'm toying with the idea of doing this but after unsuccessfully listing it on Craigs list, I'm trying to figure out where to sell it and how much..

It's the last generation BTO 24inch 3.06 Ghz with 4 gig ram 1 terabyte HD, wireless keybord and the Radeon 4850

The main reason I want to upgrade is the screen real estate of the 27 inch imac for developing photos

I was also thinking about keeping my 24 inch around but already have a macbook pro and a windows machine. It's probably overkill and would be crowded in my office.
Can those of you who have had some success please point me in the right direction?

 

[mscriv]

I've had success selling computers and similar stuff on Craigslist, Ebay, and through the Marketplace here on MR. You will be able to ask a higher price on Craigslist, knowing that people will expect bargaining and negotiation. Ebay is sometimes a gamble unless you set a reserve price. You have to have a 250 post count to be able to participate in the Marketplace here and our community is educated regarding the value of Apple products.

There's no secret to selling, just post a descriptive add with pictures, state your goals for price and selling and be both consistent and patient. Think about it this way if it takes you a couple of months to sell yours then by that time the new ones will be available in the Refurb Store.

 

[chibamac]

I've had success selling computers and similar stuff on Craigslist, Ebay, and through the Marketplace here on MR. You will be able to ask a higher price on Craigslist, knowing that people will expect bargaining and negotiation. Ebay is sometimes a gamble unless you set a reserve price. You have to have a 250 post count to be able to participate in the Marketplace here and our community is educated regarding the value of Apple products.

There's no secret to selling, just post a descriptive add with pictures, state your goals for price and selling and be both consistent and patient. Think about it this way if it takes you a couple of months to sell yours then by that time the new ones will be available in the Refurb Store.

Good advice, I had no idea there was a marketplace on here. I have nowhere near 250 posts though. What do u think I should be asking for my iMac? I payed over 2k Canadian for it so I figured 1750 but no one emailed...

 

[GadgetAddicted]

Good advice, I had no idea there was a marketplace on here. I have nowhere near 250 posts though. What do u think I should be asking for my iMac? I payed over 2k Canadian for it so I figured 1750 but no one emailed...

I actually got quite lucky and managed to sell my 2.8 ghz 24" iMac for $1700. I had multiple buyers set to buy it for $1850 but as soon as the new ones came out...a confirmed buyer asked to renegotiate price so i dropped $150...still a great deal. Core i5 27" on the way .

I realize that you might be losing money but people would compare the going price of an iMac to what you are selling. To them, a refurb would be a better option not only because of the price ($1449 lol i mean cmon) but also for the security that only apple has gotten their hands on that machine and they have probably treated it well in the interest of selling it.

I usually have a LOT of success on selling stuff on kijiji and craigslist. There IS a secret to it...by somehow managing to make it sound like a better deal than it really is. By that I mean, possibly bundle a few softwares with the package, if you added ram, advertise that, the fact that you have a 3.06...compare it to the new 27" and write in your ad the problems people have been having with the new base 27 inchers.

Also, be sure to include detailed pictures of your iMac itself...that is VERY important. People like to see what they might potentially buy. List the price at $1685 and you should start getting replies. Keep us posted!

 

[nj-mac-user]

I would sell it on ebay as soon as possible. There are likely still many potential buyers who don't even realize a new model just came out. To be honest your setup is still pretty valuable for the simple fact that it has the 4850. With craigslist and similar sites you're greatly limiting your amount of potential buyers for the simple fact that you'd only be selling to buyers in your area whereas millions of people use ebay to make purchases everyday. I've had great success selling macs (I upgrade to the latest imac every refresh) on ebay throughout the years by simply being detailed in the description and including alot of photos.

 

[rgarjr]

You will lose out a lot of money if you sell your machine on eBay or CL. The last iMac i've seen on ebay with your same configurations sold for about 1500 bucks. That's not counting how much paypal and Ebay charges. On Craigslist either you get a lot of low ballers, scammers, or no responses.

So if you don't mind losing out then go ahead and try and sell.

 

[panzer06]

snip

Also, be sure to include detailed pictures of your iMac itself...that is VERY important. People like to see what they might potentially buy. List the price at $1685 and you should start getting replies. Keep us posted!

I would sell it on ebay as soon as possible. There are likely still many potential buyers who don't even realize a new model just came out. To be honest your setup is still pretty valuable for the simple fact that it has the 4850. With craigslist and similar sites you're greatly limiting your amount of potential buyers for the simple fact that you'd only be selling to buyers in your area whereas millions of people use ebay to make purchases everyday. I've had great success selling macs (I upgrade to the latest imac every refresh) on ebay throughout the years by simply being detailed in the description and including alot of photos.

I too sell a lot of Mac as new systems come out, however, many times I do lose a few hundred dollars. The only time I made money was on a white Macbook that I bought new for $700 and sold 4 months later for $780; but that is rare.

Do you feel the ATI4850 is so much better than the Nvidia 8800 that it's worth paying $500 more for a used 24" vs. the refurb 24" @ $1149?

You would need to find a less informed person or someone who just must have the 4850. Best of luck if you really must have the latest. You already have a great machine!

Cheers,

 

[DDave]

I too sell a lot of Mac as new systems come out, however, many times I do lose a few hundred dollars. The only time I made money was on a white Macbook that I bought new for $700 and sold 4 months later for $780; but that is rare.

Do you feel the ATI4850 is so much better than the Nvidia 8800 that it's worth paying $500 more for a used 24" vs. the refurb 24" @ $1149?

You would need to find a less informed person or someone who just must have the 4850. Best of luck if you really must have the latest. You already have a great machine!

Cheers,

I agree, you better move quick, before people learn of the new systems. I've already seen the prices for used iMacs here in the DFW area drop on CL. Ebay is always a long shot, but who knows.

 

[chibamac]

I too sell a lot of Mac as new systems come out, however, many times I do lose a few hundred dollars. The only time I made money was on a white Macbook that I bought new for $700 and sold 4 months later for $780; but that is rare.

Do you feel the ATI4850 is so much better than the Nvidia 8800 that it's worth paying $500 more for a used 24" vs. the refurb 24" @ $1149?

You would need to find a less informed person or someone who just must have the 4850. Best of luck if you really must have the latest. You already have a great machine!

Cheers,

Good point.. The problem if i sell now is I'll be stuck developing on my 13'' macbook pro or even worse, my windows machine until the quad cores start delivering.. Gah no fun! for 1500 bucks maybe I should just keep it around as an extra. It is an amazing machine.. Apple is genius at making people like me want to upgrade. Who would have guessed a 27 inch LED @ such a reasonable price point..

When i was on only PC's I would have one built and use it until something like the motherboard went.

Bravo Apple!

 

[avihappy]

Good point.. The problem if i sell now is I'll be stuck developing on my 13'' macbook pro or even worse, my windows machine until the quad cores start delivering.. Gah no fun! for 1500 bucks maybe I should just keep it around as an extra. It is an amazing machine.. Apple is genius at making people like me want to upgrade. Who would have guessed a 27 inch LED @ such a reasonable price point..

When i was on only PC's I would have one built and use it until something like the motherboard went.

Bravo Apple!

Also, if you don't want to go through the potential headaches of selling online, some mac retailers offer trade up programs. Here are a few:

http://www.smalldog.com/tradein
http://www.powermax.com/resources/trade_in/
http://www.themacstore.com/trades
http://www.expercom.com/pages/tradein

But you might not get as good a price as selling to someone online. Also, I think most of these programs only give you store credit, so if you trade with them you will have to buy your new iMac with them as well.

 

[sfroom]

Macs USED to retain their resale value SO well. Recently, Apple has been pricing their refurbs REALLY agressively.

However, the OP is somewhat in luck.

The 8800 GS is for some completely unexplainable reason still listed at $1899 on the Canadian refurb store. The GT130 with identical specs to the OP's, minus the video card, is $1349. In ontario we get charged 13% in sales tax, so after tax that $1349 GT130 is worth $1524.37

The video card should be worth at least the difference between refurb and used, since the computer is still under warranty, as long as it's been well cared for.

My suggestion is this, list for $1600, and negotiate $50-$80 dollars off if the buyer asks.

It sucks that a machine that cost $2600 up hear has lost $1000 of value so quickly, but the refurb prices have been so competitive lately, which is good for buyers, but bad for sellers.

We also got dinged pretty hard, because the Canadian dollar was at about $0.82 at the last imac refresh (so the top spec cost $2499) vs. $0.94 for this refresh (and they've dropped the price to $2099), that's $400 of the depreciation right there.

 

[chibamac]

Macs USED to retain their resale value SO well. Recently, Apple has been pricing their refurbs REALLY agressively.

However, the OP is somewhat in luck.

The 8800 GS is for some completely unexplainable reason still listed at $1899 on the Canadian refurb store. The GT130 with identical specs to the OP's, minus the video card, is $1349. In ontario we get charged 13% in sales tax, so after tax that $1349 GT130 is worth $1524.37

The video card should be worth at least the difference between refurb and used, since the computer is still under warranty, as long as it's been well cared for.

My suggestion is this, list for $1600, and negotiate $50-$80 dollars off if the buyer asks.

It sucks that a machine that cost $2600 up hear has lost $1000 of value so quickly, but the refurb prices have been so competitive lately, which is good for buyers, but bad for sellers.

We also got dinged pretty hard, because the Canadian dollar was at about $0.82 at the last imac refresh (so the top spec cost $2499) vs. $0.94 for this refresh (and they've dropped the price to $2099), that's $400 of the depreciation right there.

I'll try this and see if it works. Are there any Ontario Mac retailers that offer trades / upgrades?

Chiba

 

[cfitz7111]

You need to price it smartly. What I mean by that is compare it new models and refurbs. If your machine is within a hundred dollars or so, many will pass on your machine, buy new to get the warranty and the option of AppleCare. You will never get what you feel the machine is worth, there are people who do not know and may pay a high price, but in general people who are buying used Macs know what they are looking for and what it should cost.

I agree the fees for eBay and PayPal have gotten way too high, so you will take a hit on that. I would go on eBay search your model and look at the completed auctions, this will give you a really good idea what you can expect to sell the iMac for.

Ill start the bidding at $10.