UK Mac buyback - by post, nationwide
MacBook Trade In - Get Cash, Not Store Credit
The quick answer
Trade in your MacBook for actual cash: we pay by bank transfer within 24 hours of inspection, typically 20-40% more than Apple Trade In's store-credit valuations. Fixed quote in 2 working hours, free insured postage, and we take working and broken Macs alike - UK-wide.
The word 'trade-in' usually means accepting less for convenience. It doesn't have to. The comparison below shows how the three main routes stack up on money, speed, effort and risk - so you can decide with the numbers in front of you. Every quote we send is locked for 14 days.
- Free insured shipping
- Paid within 24h of inspection
- Data wiped to NIST standards
- Free returns if you decline
Select device
Get your quote
See an indicative price before you give us any contact details. Apple Silicon only (M1 and newer). 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
Step 1 of 5: Your Mac
We buy Apple Silicon Macs only - M1-generation and newer (2020 onward), working or broken. We do not buy Intel Macs.
Today's money
Trade-in values - what we pay
Indicative - your emailed quote is the price we pay. Quotes are locked for 14 days.
Prices reviewed
| Model | Good condition | Faulty / broken |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Pro | Sell yours | |
| MacBook Pro 14" M5 | up to £1,300 | up to £600 |
| MacBook Pro 16" M5 Pro | up to £1,700 | up to £770 |
| MacBook Pro 16" M5 Max | up to £1,900 | up to £860 |
| MacBook Pro 16" M5 Max (128GB) | up to £3,000 | up to £1,350 |
| MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max (128GB) | up to £2,600 | up to £1,170 |
| MacBook Pro 14" M4 | up to £1,100 | up to £500 |
| MacBook Pro 16" M4 Pro | up to £1,450 | up to £650 |
| MacBook Pro 16" M4 Max | up to £1,600 | up to £720 |
| MacBook Pro 14" M3 | up to £900 | up to £400 |
| MacBook Pro 16" M3 Pro | up to £1,150 | up to £520 |
| MacBook Pro 13" M2 | up to £550 | up to £250 |
| MacBook Pro 14" M1 Pro | up to £600 | up to £280 |
| MacBook Air | Sell yours | |
| MacBook Air 13" M5 | up to £850 | up to £390 |
| MacBook Air 15" M5 | up to £950 | up to £430 |
| MacBook Air 13" M4 | up to £720 | up to £330 |
| MacBook Air 15" M4 | up to £820 | up to £380 |
| MacBook Air 15" M3 | up to £650 | up to £300 |
| MacBook Air 13" M2 | up to £480 | up to £220 |
| MacBook Air 13" M1 | up to £320 | up to £140 |
| iMac | Sell yours | |
| iMac 24" M4 | up to £850 | up to £380 |
| iMac 24" M3 | up to £680 | up to £300 |
| iMac 24" M1 | up to £450 | up to £200 |
| Mac mini | Sell yours | |
| Mac mini M6 | up to £450 | up to £200 |
| Mac mini M5 Pro | up to £650 | up to £290 |
| Mac mini M4 Pro | up to £550 | up to £250 |
| Mac mini M4 | up to £380 | up to £170 |
| Mac mini M2 | up to £280 | up to £120 |
| Mac mini M1 | up to £180 | up to £80 |
| Mac Studio | Sell yours | |
| Mac Studio M5 Ultra (512GB) | up to £5,000 | up to £2,250 |
| Mac Studio M5 Ultra (256GB) | up to £4,200 | up to £1,900 |
| Mac Studio M5 Ultra (96GB) | up to £2,800 | up to £1,260 |
| Mac Studio M5 Max | up to £1,800 | up to £810 |
| Mac Studio M3 Ultra (512GB) | up to £4,500 | up to £2,050 |
| Mac Studio M3 Ultra (256GB) | up to £3,800 | up to £1,700 |
| Mac Studio M3 Ultra (96GB) | up to £2,500 | up to £1,150 |
| Mac Studio M4 Max | up to £1,500 | up to £680 |
| Mac Studio M2 Max | up to £1,000 | up to £450 |
| Mac Studio M1 Max | up to £700 | up to £320 |
| Mac Pro | Sell yours | |
| Mac Pro M2 Ultra (2023) | up to £2,400 | up to £1,100 |
Different spec or model? It takes two minutes:
Get My Exact QuoteSimple, fast, insured
How it works
Three steps from quote to cash: free insured post, no fees at any point.
Get your quote
Tell us your Mac's model, spec and condition in the two-minute form. We email a fixed quote within 2 working hours, 7 days a week, locked for 14 days.
Post it free
We email a prepaid, fully insured shipping label. Box your Mac, drop it at any Post Office, and we carry the transit risk, not you. Desktops are collected by courier.
Paid within 24 hours
We inspect your Mac on the day it arrives and pay by bank transfer within 24 hours of it passing inspection. Decline a revised quote? We return your Mac free.
Us vs Apple Trade In, eBay, CeX and musicMagpie
| SellMacBooks | Apple Trade In | eBay | CeX | musicMagpie | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | Cash by bank transfer | Apple Store credit only | Cash after fees | Cash, or a higher voucher | Cash by bank transfer |
| Typical payout | Highest for most Macs | 20-40% below cash buyers | Gross high, net cut by ~14% fees | Below online buyers (cash rate) | Often below specialist buyers |
| Speed to payment | 24h after inspection | Credit at purchase / 2-3 weeks | Days-weeks (auction + holds) | Instant, in-store | After inspection (revisions common) |
| Fees | None | None | ~14% + postage | None | None |
| Broken Macs | Instant quotes, real money | Usually £0 - recycled | Possible, high dispute risk | Some, low value | Limited range |
| Effort | One form, one Post Office visit | Simple in-store/online | Photos, listing, messages, disputes | Travel to a store | One form, free post |
| Risk | Insured by us; free returns | Low | Scams, chargebacks, returns | Low (in person) | Quote revised down on arrival |
The honest summary: Apple Trade In wins on zero-effort convenience if you're buying a new Mac at full price anyway and your old one is pristine. eBay can gross the most for rare configurations if you tolerate fees, delays and dispute risk. CeX is fast if you have a store nearby and don't mind a lower cash rate (their voucher pays more than their cash), and musicMagpie is simple but tends to pay below specialist buyers and is the route most likely to revise a quote down once your Mac arrives. For everyone else - and for every broken Mac - a specialist cash buyer nets you more, faster. See the full worked numbers in our Apple Trade In vs cash comparison and our eBay true-costs breakdown.
Before you quote
How condition affects your offer
Functional condition
Fully working machines quote highest. Faulty boards, cracked screens, liquid damage or no-power still sell if the Mac is Apple Silicon. Describe the fault honestly on the form.
Cosmetic condition
Like new, Good and Fair grades are published on our grading page. Light wear rarely moves a quote much; heavy dents or missing keys do.
Good to know
Your questions, answered
Everything sellers ask us before posting their Mac - answered straight.
Is trading in a MacBook better than selling it?
Trade-in is convenient but usually pays least. Apple Trade In gives store credit at conservative valuations; a cash buyback service like ours typically pays 20-40% more, in actual money, within 24 hours of inspection. If you're not buying another Apple product at full price, cash wins.
How much more do you pay than Apple Trade In?
Typically 20-40% more. Apple offers around £315 in credit for a good M2 MacBook Air; our indicative price is £480 in cash. The gap widens for faulty machines, which Apple values at little or nothing while we pay real money for. Compare your Apple offer against our quote - it takes a minute.
How is this different from selling on eBay?
eBay can gross slightly more, but you lose roughly 14% to fees, pay for insured postage, wait days for an auction, and carry the risk of returns, chargebacks and scam buyers. Our price is net: no fees, free insured label, one buyer who can't back out, cash within 24 hours of inspection.
Can I trade in a MacBook that isn't working?
With us, yes - faulty Macs get instant online quotes and typically fetch 40-50% of working value. Apple Trade In usually offers £0 for damaged machines and quietly recycles them. A broken Mac is exactly the machine a specialist buyback service pays best for relative to the alternatives.
Is my quote fixed, or will you drop it after I post the Mac?
Your quote is locked for 14 days and it's the price we pay if your description matches the machine. If inspection finds something undisclosed we'll email a revised offer with photos - and if you decline, we return your Mac free and insured. No fees, no pressure, no return charge of any kind.
About the buyer
What is SellMacBooks?
SellMacBooks is a UK buy-back service for Apple computers only. We have no shops and no drop-in counter: every sale runs by post, anywhere in the country. You describe your Mac, we email a fixed quote within 2 working hours, you post it free on a fully insured label, and payment leaves by bank transfer within 24 hours of the machine passing inspection.
We buy Apple Silicon Macs only - M1-generation and newer (2020 onward), working or broken. We do not buy Intel Macs. Macs are the only thing we handle, so the person pricing yours knows what the model is worth this month rather than reading it off a generic gadget table. See how it works or read about us.
The inspection
Everything we check before quoting a MacBook
Your quote is built from what you tell us, and the bench check on arrival exists to confirm that description rather than renegotiate it. Here is exactly what we look at:
- Power-on and a clean boot to the desktop
- Screen: cracks, dead pixels, backlight and marks
- Chassis and cosmetics: dents, deep scratches, worn palm rests
- Battery health percentage and cycle count
- Keyboard, trackpad, speakers and every port
- Storage size, memory and chip against the spec you quoted
- Find My / Activation Lock signed out (we cannot buy a locked Mac)
- Accessories included, such as the original charger
The quoted price is fixed and locked for 14 days. If the machine differs from your description, you get photos and a plain explanation with a revised offer - accept it, or decline and we return the Mac free and insured. Full detail on the three grades is on our grading page.
Versus the alternatives
How we compare
Selling a Mac in the UK usually comes down to a big trade-in site, a marketplace listing, or a specialist buyer like us. The differences that cost sellers money are these:
- Big trade-in sites can keep you waiting days after delivery. We pay within 24 hours of your Mac passing inspection.
- eBay takes roughly 14% in fees, plus postage, plus return and scam risk. Our quote is the amount that lands in your bank.
- Some buyers put the courier damage risk on you in their small print. Our label is insured at our expense, both ways.
- Return fees for declining a revised offer are common in this market. Ours are always free, both ways, whatever inspection finds.
- Most quotes quietly expire or float with the market. Yours is locked for 14 days.
The longer version, option by option, is in our guide to the best place to sell a MacBook in the UK.
More we buy
Selling another Mac too?
MacBook Pro
M5 through M1 - Apple Silicon only.
Get a quoteMacBook Air
M5 current through M1. Apple Silicon only.
Get a quoteiMac
Free courier collection for desktops - no giant boxes to post.
Get a quoteMac mini
M6 and M5 Pro current. Ships in a shoebox - easiest Mac to sell by post.
Get a quoteMac Studio
Apple's strongest resale values - M5 Ultra and M5 Max lead the range.
Get a quoteMac Pro
M2 Ultra (2023). Free courier collection. Apple Silicon only.
Get a quoteBroken MacBooks
Cracked, water-damaged or dead - any Apple Silicon Mac.
Get a quoteWhy sellers choose us
Guarantees you can check, not vague promises
Buyback trust is process, not slogans. These four commitments sit in every quote email and on our how it works page.
Quote locked 14 days
The emailed price stands while you wipe and pack. No silent expiry.
Paid within 24 hours
Bank transfer after inspection matches what we quoted, if your description was accurate.
Free insured post
We email the label. Transit risk sits with us, not you.
Free returns if you decline
If inspection revises the offer and you say no, the Mac comes home free and insured.
Independent reviews are next: once our Trustpilot profile is live we will embed it here and add the URL to our Organisation schema. Until then we do not invent star ratings.
Guides
Monthly Mac Price Index - July 2026
Indicative July 2026 UK buyback prices for MacBooks, iMacs, Mac minis and Mac Studios - updated every month with what moved, why, and what comes next.
Read guideHigh-RAM Macs for AI: Cost and Resale Values
Indicative 2026 UK resale values for the high-memory Macs that run local AI - MacBook Pro M4/M5 Max at 64GB and 128GB, and the Mac Studio M3 Ultra.
Read guideBest Mac for Local LLMs in 2026 (by Memory)
The best Mac for local LLMs is the one with the most unified memory. See which Mac runs which model size, what it costs, and how much it holds in value.
Read guideSell Your Mac Now or Keep It for Local AI?
Torn between selling your Mac and keeping it for local AI? A balanced 2026 guide to depreciation, timing, and when holding beats cashing out.
Read guideSell the Mac You Used for Local AI (LLMs)
Sold on local AI? Here's how to wipe and prepare a Mac used for LLMs, why AI-used machines still sell high, and the best time to sell around new launches.
Read guideHow Much RAM to Run a 70B Model on a Mac?
Running a 70B model on a Mac needs ~40GB at 4-bit - so 64GB is the floor, 128GB comfortable. The RAM maths, quantisation and which Macs, explained.
Read guideAppleCare+ and Resale Value: Does It Transfer?
AppleCare+ transfers to your MacBook's new owner if it is a fixed-term plan. How to transfer it, what it adds to resale value, and when a refund pays more.
Read guideCan a MacBook Run Llama, DeepSeek and LLMs?
Yes - a MacBook can run Llama, DeepSeek and other LLMs locally. Unified memory decides which sizes: Air runs small models, Pro Max runs 70B.
Read guideHow Storage Size Changes MacBook Resale Value
256GB or 1TB makes an £80-£150 difference to a used MacBook's price. Why soldered storage commands a premium, and how to check what your Mac has.
Read guideUK MacBook Trade-In Prices Compared (2026)
Apple Trade In, network schemes, gadget recyclers, Mac specialists and marketplaces compared on price, payout speed and fees. Who really pays most in 2026?
Read guideWhat Affects MacBook Resale Value? 7 Factors
The seven factors that decide a used MacBook's price in the UK - chip, storage, RAM, condition, battery health, box and timing - with indicative figures.
Read guideMacBook Depreciation: Value Lost Per Year
How much value does a MacBook lose each year? Year-by-year UK depreciation table, the Intel value cliff, and worked examples with indicative 2026 prices.
Read guide