Good place to buy or resell used Macs(like through classifieds or auctions, not commercial, because they all cost more)?

Post by **obvs** » Fri Apr 10, 2026 4:07 am

I’m looking to buy a used Mac and maybe sell one, too. I checked the old standby places like Small Dog, PowerMax, MacSales, et cetera. It was basically the same price to buy a used Mac from one of those places that it costs to buy a new one from Apple.

Any other ideas?

Looking for a relatively recent Mac from 2024-ish.

ConnertheCat · Post by **ConnertheCat** » Fri Apr 10, 2026 11:32 am

I got a M1 MacBook Air that was only 1-1.5 years old on trade for a set of wheels/tires a few years ago via Facebook Marketplace. It's my mom's main computer at the moment.

Going to throw out the Apple refurb store; pretty good place if you want a nice price on something only 1-2 years old (Plus you get a full warranty). Yeah, I know it's "commercial".

Post by **obvs** » Fri Apr 10, 2026 12:47 pm

The Apple Refurb Store was actually the first place I looked, and they didn’t have any 16 inch MacBook Pros at all. I was shocked.

My goal wasn’t so much to avoid businesses, but to avoid going places that all seemed to think they could justify charging the same price for generations-old Macs that would be charged for new ones. For some reason, companies all seem to think they can get away with charging like $5,000 for M3 Macs.

If I wanted to spend full price for a Mac, I’d buy a new one. :shrug:

Cheezus · Post by **Cheezus** » Fri Apr 10, 2026 12:58 pm

I’ve taken to pawn shops. The good ones test and verify the quality of the equipment. Many will wiggle on the price, and have markdowns based how long it’s been in stock. It may take some time to find what you want, but if you’re friendly they’ll take your contact info and let you know when something comes in.

ConnertheCat · Post by **ConnertheCat** » Fri Apr 10, 2026 5:23 pm

obvs wrote: Fri Apr 10, 2026 12:47 pm
The Apple Refurb Store was actually the first place I looked, and they didn’t have any 16 inch MacBook Pros at all. I was shocked.

My goal wasn’t so much to avoid businesses, but to avoid going places that all seemed to think they could justify charging the same price for generations-old Macs that would be charged for new ones. For some reason, companies all seem to think they can get away with charging like $5,000 for M3 Macs.

If I wanted to spend full price for a Mac, I’d buy a new one. :shrug:

How tight is your timeline? Rotation of stock happens frequently - I remember having set 3rd party alerts in the past to catch what I wanted.