Even the best Macs eventually are no longer welcomed into your home. Maybe the device no longer has that new Mac sparkle you crave like the 24-inch iMac above. Maybe it's just old and busted. No matter what the reason, it's time to part ways. Here's how to sell your Mac!
How to prepare your Mac for sale
There's more to selling your old Mac than simply putting it in a box and shipping it away.
Physically clean it
Before you sell your Mac, you have to make sure it's ready to sell. Physically, make sure it's in good-looking and sellable condition. Next, clean the screen and the case, keyboard, and trackpad. Use a microfiber cloth and alcohol-free cleanser.
Back it up!
The next step is to back up your data. If you're migrating to a new Mac, now's a good time to make sure you've got a secure copy of everything you need for the transition, so use Time Machine or clone your Mac's hard drive. That way, you won't lose your data once you sell your Mac.
Sign out of Music
If you leave your Apple ID signed in to a Mac you're selling (or any device for that matter), you're gonna have a bad time. So make sure you're signed out!
Launch Music from your Dock or the Finder.
Click Account in the menu bar on the top left of your screen.
Click Authorizations .
Click Deauthorize This Computer .
Enter your Apple ID and password .
Click Deauthorize .
Sign out of iMessage
Yes, you're going to factory reset your Mac, but you can never be too careful. Sign out of Messages before selling your Mac to someone.
Launch Messages from your Dock or the Finder.
Click Messages in the menu bar on the top left of your screen.
Click Preferences .
Click iMessage .
Choose your account on the left.
Select Sign Out .
Click Sign Out again in the prompt.
Sign out of your iCloud account
This is a very important step . You need to sign out of your iCloud account.
Go into System Preferences .
Click Apple ID .
Choose Overview on the left side.
Click Sign Out .
Select Keep Copy and follow the additional directions.
Factory restore it
Next, you'll need to restore your Mac to factory condition. Depending on its age, it may have come with a boot disk. If you have it, that's a bonus for some buyers, so make sure to keep it safe. You can also boot off that disk, reformat your Mac's hard drive, and reinstall.
If you're running Lion or later, your Mac sports a recovery partition that'll let you restore the operating system.
Sell it to a friend or relative
Check around with friends, relatives, and acquaintances to find out if anyone is interested in buying your old Mac. Use social media, like Twitter and Facebook. You never know when you're going to get a hit.
Trade it for an Apple Gift Card
If you're in the United States, Apple has its own Renew and Recycling program that might interest you. Apple will take back any Mac, PC, iPhone or iPad to be reused or recycled. And if your Mac still has value, you can get an Apple Gift Card with the amount tacked onto it.
The service is coordinated through a company called PowerON. PowerON sends you packaging materials with free shipping too.
You can plug in your Mac's information on the site, and it'll tell you how much you'd get back in the form of a gift card. Like trading a used car in to a dealership, you'll likely get significantly less back than if you were to sell it to someone.
The upside, however, is that it's about as ironclad a deal as you can get online. You're dealing with a third party that Apple_ _ authorizes, and you're getting an Apple gift card that'll knock some money off your next Mac purchase. A bird in the hand, as the saying goes.
Buy used, save big
jemjem makes it safe and easy to save money buying gently used technology for home and family.
Someone who knows you is less likely to rip you off and probably won't haggle with you nearly as much as a total stranger. Just go into the transaction with eyes wide open, and make sure you're ready for some post-sales support, especially if they're a new Mac user who's not familiar with how things work.
Also, make sure you're very honest with them about the working condition of your Mac. If there are any peculiarities at all, you're going to want to be upfront about them to avoid hurt feelings and buyer's remorse later.
