UK MacBook buyers compared

musicMagpie vs CeX vs SellMacBooks: Which Suits Your MacBook?

The quick answer

musicMagpie buys MacBooks online by post and pays by bank transfer. CeX buys in its branches, paying by voucher, cash or bank transfer, and also takes orders by post. We buy Apple Silicon MacBooks only, working or faulty, by post, with a fixed quote within 2 working hours and payment within 24 hours of inspection.

All three will take a MacBook off your hands. They differ in where the sale happens, what you are paid in, which machines they accept and what happens when the price changes after checking. Everything said below about musicMagpie and CeX comes from their own websites, checked on 25 September 2026 and linked at the foot of the page. Their prices are left out on purpose: they move constantly, and the only number that matters is the one each buyer offers for your machine today.

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Competitor details checked at source on 25 September 2026. No competitor prices are quoted on this page.

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musicMagpie, CeX and SellMacBooks side by side

Process and policy only. No competitor prices, because a figure copied here would be out of date before you read it.

Compared on	musicMagpie	CeX	SellMacBooks
Where you sell	Online, posted in any box	In a branch, or an online order by post	Online, posted free with an insured label
What you are paid in	Bank transfer	In store: voucher, cash or bank transfer	Bank transfer, within 24 hours of passing inspection
How the price is set	Instant online price from model and condition	Separate voucher and cash prices, confirmed after testing	Fixed quote by email within 2 working hours
MacBooks that won't power on	Its MacBook page promises to accept working machines	Condition affects the price or whether it is bought	Quoted instantly, no photos needed
If the price changes after checking	Revised offer by email with reasons; decline and it comes back free	Booked price is subject to testing; rejected postal items returned free to mainland UK or recycled, your choice	Revised offer with photos; decline and it comes back free and insured
What else they buy	Phones, consoles, games, books, discs and more	Games, phones, electronics, computing and more	Macs only

musicMagpie and CeX details are from their own websites, checked 25 September 2026. Sources are listed below.

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musicMagpie: a generalist that buys by post

musicMagpie buys phones, consoles, books and discs as well as tech, and MacBooks sit inside that wider operation. You find your model on its site using the model number printed on the underside of the MacBook, pick a condition and get an instant price. You box the machine in any box, send it free and are paid by bank transfer. Its MacBook page says the price is locked for a period so you can take your time, and its Tech Price Promise says you either get the first price offered or the MacBook is sent back free.

Two points matter for Mac owners. Its MacBook page says it accepts machines that are working, even with heavy cosmetic damage, which leaves a MacBook that will not power on outside that promise. And like every postal buyer it checks the machine on arrival and revises the offer if the condition differs from what you selected. If that has already happened to you, our page on handling a musicMagpie revised offer walks through the choices.

In musicMagpie's favour: it buys some Intel-era MacBooks, which we do not, and it will take other gadgets in the same box. If your MacBook predates Apple Silicon, it is one of the routes worth pricing, alongside those in our Intel MacBook value guide.

CeX: a high-street exchange that also buys online

CeX is the only one of the three with branches. To sell in store you need a free CeX membership. An exchange membership needs just your name and postcode and lets you sell for a CeX voucher; selling for cash needs a full membership and one piece of original, current ID. In-store sellers can be paid by voucher, cash or bank transfer.

CeX publishes two trade-in figures for each product, one for voucher and one for cash, and on the MacBook listings we looked at the voucher figure was the higher of the two. That makes CeX strongest for someone who wants to spend the value in CeX anyway. Its support pages are also clear that a price quoted at booking is subject to testing and can change with condition and accessories, and that in-store testing time depends on how busy the branch is.

CeX runs online Sell to CeX orders by post as well. When you place one, you choose in advance whether anything it rejects is sent back free to a mainland UK address or recycled. For a MacBook, pick the return: a recycled Mac cannot be recovered if you change your mind. Our CeX MacBook trade-in page covers cash against voucher in more depth.

SellMacBooks: a Mac-only buyer, by post

We buy Macs and nothing else, which is both our whole difference and our main limit. You describe the Mac in the form, including any faults, and a fixed quote arrives by email within 2 working hours. Faulty machines, including MacBooks that will not turn on, are quoted instantly without sending photos. Accept, and we email a free, fully insured prepaid label to use at any Post Office.

We inspect on arrival and pay by bank transfer within 24 hours of the Mac passing inspection. If our inspection finds something the description missed, you get a revised offer with photos; decline it and the Mac comes back free and insured. Our limits are just as plain: Apple Silicon only, M1-generation and newer, no Activation-Locked machines, no shop counter and no voucher option. The fault-by-fault picture is on the broken MacBook hub.

Which one suits which seller?

Match the buyer to the machine and to how you want to be paid, then price the same MacBook at two or three of them on the same day with the same honest description. It takes minutes, and it is the only way to know which route pays most for your machine this week.

You want to spend the value in a shop today: CeX, taking the voucher, in a branch near you.
You want cash in hand and can get to a branch: CeX with a full membership and ID, accepting that the final price is set after testing.
You have a working MacBook and some other gadgets to clear: musicMagpie can take the lot in one box.
Your MacBook is Apple Silicon, working or not, and you want one fixed, emailed price from a Mac specialist: us.
Your MacBook is Intel: musicMagpie or CeX, because we do not buy Intel Macs.

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Price your MacBook with us alongside the others

See an indicative price before you give us any contact details. Apple Silicon only: M1 and newer, including MacBook Neo. Your fixed quote is emailed within 2 working hours and locked for 14 days.

Step 1 of 5 - Your Mac

Free · No obligation · Fixed quote in 2 working hours

We buy Apple Silicon Macs only - M1-generation and newer (2020 onward), including MacBook Neo, working or broken. We do not buy Intel Macs.

Good to know

musicMagpie vs CeX: FAQs

Everything sellers ask us before posting their Mac - answered straight.

Is musicMagpie or CeX better for selling a MacBook?

It depends on how you want to be paid. CeX suits sellers who want a voucher or to sell in a branch, with the price confirmed after testing. musicMagpie suits working MacBooks sent by post for a bank transfer. Price the same machine at both, and with a Mac specialist, on the same day before choosing.

Does CeX pay more in vouchers than cash for a MacBook?

On the MacBook listings we checked on CeX's website on 25 September 2026, the voucher trade-in figure was higher than the cash figure. That only helps if you will spend the voucher at CeX. Selling for cash also needs a full CeX membership and one piece of original, current ID.

Will musicMagpie buy a MacBook that doesn't turn on?

musicMagpie's MacBook page says it accepts working MacBooks, including ones with heavy cosmetic damage. A machine that will not power on falls outside that description, so check with musicMagpie directly. We quote Apple Silicon MacBooks that will not turn on instantly, without photos, and pay by bank transfer within 24 hours of inspection.

Can I sell a MacBook to CeX by post?

Yes. CeX runs online Sell to CeX orders alongside its branches. When you place an order you choose whether any rejected item is returned free to a mainland UK address or recycled. Choose the return option for a MacBook, because a recycled machine cannot be recovered if you change your mind later.

Why doesn't this page list musicMagpie or CeX prices?

Because their prices change often, and a figure quoted here could be wrong by the time you read it. The fair comparison is live: get a price from each for the same MacBook, described the same way, on the same day. Our fixed quote arrives by email within 2 working hours and stays locked for 14 days.

Keep comparing

Got a revised musicMagpie offer?
What a regrade means, what happens if you accept, decline or ignore it, and how to get a second price before you answer.
CeX MacBook trade-in
Cash or voucher, branch or post, the ID CeX asks for, what to bring, and when a Mac specialist is the better fit.

Sources for competitor statements

Each statement about another company on this page comes from that company's own published pages, checked on 25 September 2026. Their terms can change; always read their current page before you sell.

Page reviewed September 2026