hurricanekate
2007-06-08, 07:35
I am thinking about selling my PowerBook and buying a MacBook and have a few questions.
1. Is there a way to repair cosmetic damage to the PowerBook, or is it not worth it to sink money into something I'm going to be selling anyway? The PB has been dropped (oops!) and as a result the bottom chassis is a little banged up, particularly where the power supply is. The mouse button, space bar and a portion of the palm rest have also developed "pitting" as a result of the dreaded "acidic sweat." Additionally, the hinges to the LCD could use a tightening and there's a 'foot' missing on the bottom. The damage is entirely cosmetic and does not affect the performance of the laptop at all, but I can't help but think that cleaning it up a little bit might help fetch a better price. I'm in NYC, and would prefer someplace local if you have any recommendations if you think this is a good idea.
2. Determining a fair price. I've poked around on craigslist and the completed auctions on eBay and have a pretty good idea of how much two-year old PBs go for, but mine has been upgraded (by me) and has 2 GB RAM and a 160 GB HDD. How much should that boost the price?
3. Warranty info (a two-parter!). The laptop is still under AppleCare for another year or so, which I think would be a plus for the potential buyer. How do I transfer the warranty to them? I know that some manufacturer's warranties apply only to the original buyer, and yet I see a lot of used Macs being advertised as still under AppleCare--so can I even do this?
Part two: I upgraded the RAM and replaced the hard drive myself. I've heard conflicting reports on whether or not this violates the AppleCare warranty. Does it? I read somewhere that it doesn't, but if a problem should arise Apple will make you swap the original drive back in before they do anything. If this is true--should I swap the original hard drive back in (100 GB), assuming that the price gains from including AppleCare outweigh the potential price gains from an additional 60 GB in the hard drive?
Thanks so much for your help. I know this is long, I've never sold anything like a laptop before and just want to make sure I do this right and don't rip anyone off (including myself!)
1. Is there a way to repair cosmetic damage to the PowerBook, or is it not worth it to sink money into something I'm going to be selling anyway? The PB has been dropped (oops!) and as a result the bottom chassis is a little banged up, particularly where the power supply is. The mouse button, space bar and a portion of the palm rest have also developed "pitting" as a result of the dreaded "acidic sweat." Additionally, the hinges to the LCD could use a tightening and there's a 'foot' missing on the bottom. The damage is entirely cosmetic and does not affect the performance of the laptop at all, but I can't help but think that cleaning it up a little bit might help fetch a better price. I'm in NYC, and would prefer someplace local if you have any recommendations if you think this is a good idea.
2. Determining a fair price. I've poked around on craigslist and the completed auctions on eBay and have a pretty good idea of how much two-year old PBs go for, but mine has been upgraded (by me) and has 2 GB RAM and a 160 GB HDD. How much should that boost the price?
3. Warranty info (a two-parter!). The laptop is still under AppleCare for another year or so, which I think would be a plus for the potential buyer. How do I transfer the warranty to them? I know that some manufacturer's warranties apply only to the original buyer, and yet I see a lot of used Macs being advertised as still under AppleCare--so can I even do this?
Part two: I upgraded the RAM and replaced the hard drive myself. I've heard conflicting reports on whether or not this violates the AppleCare warranty. Does it? I read somewhere that it doesn't, but if a problem should arise Apple will make you swap the original drive back in before they do anything. If this is true--should I swap the original hard drive back in (100 GB), assuming that the price gains from including AppleCare outweigh the potential price gains from an additional 60 GB in the hard drive?
Thanks so much for your help. I know this is long, I've never sold anything like a laptop before and just want to make sure I do this right and don't rip anyone off (including myself!)