Broken MacBooks - display faults
Sell a MacBook With a Cracked or Broken Screen
The quick answer
Yes, you can sell a MacBook with a cracked or broken screen. SellMacBooks buys cracked-screen Apple Silicon MacBooks (M1-generation and newer) at 45-55% of working value. Describe the damage in the quote form, get a fixed quote within 2 working hours, post it free and insured, and you're paid within 24 hours of inspection.
A cracked screen is the most common fault we buy and the least damaging to your price, because the logic board, storage, battery, keyboard and enclosure are all untouched. It is also the fault where sellers most often lose money by repairing first: Apple charges £300-£600 for a display replacement, and that money is rarely recovered in the sale. Sell it as it is.
We buy Apple Silicon Macs only, M1-generation and newer - no Intel. We can't buy an Activation-Locked Mac; if you can't see the screen to sign out, the lock comes off from icloud.com on any other device. Steps below.
- Free insured shipping
- Paid within 24h of inspection
- Data wiped to NIST standards
- Free returns if you decline
Select device
Get your quote for a MacBook with a cracked screen
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
What a MacBook with a cracked screen fetches - by model
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 |
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.
What a cracked-screen MacBook is worth
Indicatively 45-55% of the same model's working value. The price table above lists working prices by model; the faulty column is a fair guide to a cracked-screen example, and lighter damage sits above it. Your emailed quote is fixed for 14 days and is the price we pay if the machine matches your description.
The reason the band is generous is that a display is one part. On an M-series MacBook the display assembly is expensive but everything else - the logic board with its unified memory and SSD, the battery, the top case with keyboard and trackpad - is exactly as valuable as it was the day before the drop. Replace the panel and you have a fully working Mac; we can do that at a cost that no individual seller can match.
The same maths applies across the broken MacBook hub: partial faults such as a dead battery or faulty keyboard keep 60-80%, a screen keeps 45-55%, and liquid damage or a machine that won't turn on keeps 30-45%.
Apple display replacement (£300-£600) vs selling as-is
Here is the break-even. Take a model worth £900 working. Cracked, it fetches roughly £400-£500 with us. An Apple display replacement costs £300-£600 depending on the model, after which you have a working machine worth £900 - minus the repair, leaving £300-£600 net. In the best case you break even; in the typical case you are £50-£150 worse off than selling it cracked, and you have spent a week without the machine.
Third-party repairs are cheaper but change the machine: a non-genuine panel can lose True Tone, and a buyer will price it as a repaired unit rather than an original one. The case for repairing before selling only holds if AppleCare+ covers the screen - then it is a fixed accidental-damage fee and the Mac comes back fully working. Otherwise, sell it as-is. Our post on repairing or selling a cracked MacBook screen runs the numbers model by model.
Cracked, lines, black screen, backlight: all quoted
"Broken screen" covers more than cracked glass. All of these are quoted as display faults in the same band - tell us which one in the form:
| What the screen does | How we quote it |
|---|---|
| Cracked glass, image still visible | Top of the 45-55% band. Everything behind the glass works. |
| Cracked with black patches or ink blots | Panel damage - still quoted in band, nearer the middle. |
| Vertical or horizontal lines | Panel or flex-cable fault. Quoted as a display fault. |
| Black screen, Mac runs (fan, chime, external display works) | Display fault, not a dead Mac - quoted here, not at 30-45%. |
| Dim, flickering or dead backlight | Display fault. Say whether an external monitor works. |
| 'Stage light' glow along the bottom edge | Backlight flex fault. Quoted as a display fault. |
The useful test for a black screen: plug in an external monitor or listen for the start-up chime and fan. If the Mac is running, it's a display fault and belongs here. If it's silent and dark with a known-good charger, it belongs on the MacBook won't turn on page.
Can't see the screen to sign out of iCloud?
You don't need the screen. Activation Lock is controlled from Apple's servers, so you can release it from any phone, tablet or computer:
- Go to icloud.com/find and sign in with the Apple ID used on the MacBook.
- Select the MacBook from the device list.
- Choose Erase Mac, then Remove from Account.
That releases the lock and starts the erase. Whatever state the machine arrives in, every Mac we buy is erased to NIST 800-88 before resale, so your data doesn't depend on what you could or couldn't do on a broken display. What we can't do is buy an Activation-Locked Mac at all - see the iCloud-locked MacBook guide for why.
Packing a cracked screen safely
A cracked panel travels fine if it can't flex or grind. Lay a sheet of thin card or foam over the keyboard before closing the lid so the glass isn't pressed onto the keys; if glass is loose, tape a sheet of paper over the display first so nothing migrates in transit. Wrap the closed machine in bubble wrap, then put it in a double-walled box with at least 5cm of padding on every side so it can't move.
Accept your quote and we email a prepaid, fully insured Royal Mail label; drop it at any Post Office. Royal Mail carries laptops with the battery installed, so a cracked screen makes no difference to posting - only a swollen battery does, and if yours is bulging, say so in the form and we'll arrange the right way to get it to us. The shipping guide has photos of a properly packed box.
Cosmetic wear on the rest of the machine is graded normally - the criteria are on our grading page - and a clean body lifts a cracked-screen quote towards the top of its band.
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 it worth repairing a cracked MacBook screen before selling?
Almost never. Apple charges £300-£600 for an out-of-warranty display replacement, while a cracked-screen MacBook sells for 45-55% of working value as it is. The repair rarely adds more to the sale price than it costs, so you'd be paying to hand value to the next owner. Sell it as-is and keep the money.
How much is a MacBook with a cracked screen worth?
Indicatively 45-55% of the working value of the same model - the faulty column in our price table is a fair guide. A cracked screen is the least damaging common fault because everything behind the glass usually still works. Your emailed quote is fixed for 14 days and is the price we pay.
Do you buy MacBooks with lines on the screen or a black display?
Yes. Vertical or horizontal lines, a black screen with the machine still running, flickering, a dead backlight and the 'stage light' effect along the bottom edge are all quoted as display faults in the same 45-55% band. Describe what the screen does in the form; we don't need photos.
How do I sign out of iCloud if I can't see the screen?
You don't need the screen. From any phone or computer go to icloud.com/find, sign in with the Mac's Apple ID, select the MacBook, choose Erase Mac and then Remove from Account. That releases Activation Lock remotely. We erase every Mac to NIST 800-88 on arrival regardless, so your data is covered.
How do I post a MacBook with a cracked screen?
Close the lid on a sheet of card or thin foam so the glass can't grind on the keys, wrap the whole machine in bubble wrap, and use a double-walled box with 5cm of padding on every side. Loose glass? Tape a sheet of paper over it first. Our free label is insured for the full quoted value.
Will you refuse a MacBook if the glass is completely shattered?
No, as long as the Mac is Apple Silicon (M1-generation or newer) and not Activation Locked. Heavier damage - shattered glass, a bent lid, a cracked hinge - moves the quote towards the bottom of the 45-55% band rather than excluding it. Describe it plainly in the form and the quote accounts for it.
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 With a Cracked Screen
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 and our MacBook trade-in comparison.
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 quoteMacBook Trade In
See how cash compares with Apple Trade In and eBay.
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
iCloud-Locked MacBook: What You Can Sell
No legitimate UK buyer can purchase an Activation Locked Mac. How to remove the lock if it's yours, and the law around locked machines.
Read guideSell MacBook with Dead Battery or Faulty Keys
Dead battery or sticky keys? See UK battery service costs vs value added, butterfly keyboard context, and what your faulty MacBook sells for.
Read guideMacBook Won't Turn On? Still Worth Money
A dead MacBook is still worth 30-45% of its working value. Try these quick revival checks first, then see what UK buyers pay and why.
Read guideSell a Water-Damaged MacBook: What Buyers Pay
Spilled on your MacBook? Liquid-damaged Macs still sell for real money - but corrosion eats value daily. Safety steps and honest UK price ranges.
Read guideMacBook Cracked Screen: Repair or Sell As-Is?
Apple charges £300-£600 to replace a MacBook display. We run the break-even maths so you know when fixing pays and when selling as-is leaves you better off.
Read guideCan You Sell a Broken MacBook? What It's Worth
Broken MacBooks keep 30-80% of their working value, depending on the fault. See indicative UK prices, what buyers salvage, and how to get a quote.
Read guide