Broken MacBooks - partial faults
Sell a MacBook With a Dead Battery, Faulty Keyboard or Trackpad
The quick answer
Yes, you can sell a MacBook with a dead battery, faulty keyboard or broken trackpad. SellMacBooks buys partially faulty Apple Silicon MacBooks (M1-generation and newer) at 60-80% of working value. Describe the fault, get a fixed quote within 2 working hours, post it free and insured, and you're paid within 24 hours of inspection.
Partial faults are the cheapest faults to sell with. A battery that won't hold charge, a keyboard with a few dead keys or a trackpad that no longer clicks leaves the expensive parts - display, logic board, storage - untouched, which is why the deduction is small compared with a cracked screen or a machine that won't turn on. It is also why paying for a repair before you sell almost never pays back.
We buy Apple Silicon Macs only, M1-generation and newer: no Intel. And we can't buy an Activation-Locked Mac, so sign out of iCloud and remove the machine from Find My before you post it.
- 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 dead battery or keyboard fault
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 battery or keyboard fault 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.
Partial faults keep 60-80% of working value
Our value bands are simple. A cracked screen leaves 45-55% of working value, liquid damage or a machine that won't turn on 30-45%, and a partial fault - battery, keyboard, trackpad, keys, speakers - 60-80%. So a MacBook with a dead battery is quoted at 60-80% of what the same model fetches fully working. The price table above shows the working figure for each model; the faulty column is what a machine with a serious fault gets, and a partial fault sits well above it.
| Fault | How we quote it |
|---|---|
| Battery won't hold charge / 'Service Recommended' | Quoted at the top of the 60-80% band - the machine works on mains. |
| Swollen battery | Still a partial fault for pricing. Special handling for transport - see below. |
| Sticky, dead or missing keys | Say which keys. A single dead key and a full row are quoted differently. |
| Trackpad won't click or track | Quoted as a partial fault whether it's the click mechanism or the sensor. |
| Crackling or silent speakers | Rarely moves the quote much on its own. |
| Ports or Touch ID not working | Partial fault. Mention which port; a single dead USB-C port is common. |
Two faults together - say a worn battery and a dead key - are still a partial fault, just nearer the bottom of the band. The whole picture of every fault we buy is on the broken MacBook hub.
Repair cost vs deduction: don't repair before selling
Apple charges £159-£249 for an official battery replacement on a MacBook, depending on the model. The deduction we make for a worn or dead battery is smaller than that on almost every M-series machine - it is a partial fault, priced at 60-80% of working value. Replace the battery first and you spend £159-£249 to recover less than that in the sale price. The same applies to keyboard and trackpad work, which on modern MacBooks means replacing the whole top case.
The rule of thumb: if a repair costs more than roughly a fifth of the working value, sell as-is. Our guide to selling a MacBook with a dead battery or faulty keys works through the numbers model by model, and MacBook Air battery health and resale covers the thresholds buyers actually price against.
The exception is a machine still under AppleCare+: a covered battery service before you sell moves it from a partial fault to fully working at no cost.
Swollen battery: what to do
A swollen battery pushes the trackpad up, stops it clicking, or bows the bottom case so the Mac rocks on a desk. For pricing it is a partial fault like any other. For transport it is different: Royal Mail carries laptops with the battery installed, but prohibits damaged batteries of any type, and a swollen cell counts as damaged. So a swollen-battery MacBook must not go on the standard prepaid label.
- Stop charging it and stop using it. Don't press the trackpad down to "flatten" it.
- Keep it somewhere cool, dry and away from anything flammable. Don't put it in a bag or drawer.
- Tell us it's swollen in the quote form. We'll confirm the right way to get it to us before you pack anything.
Don't open the machine to remove the cell yourself - a punctured swollen battery is a fire risk. We pay for the whole unit; leave it in.
Faulty keyboard, missing keys and trackpad problems
Every MacBook we buy - Apple Silicon, M1 and newer - uses Apple's scissor-mechanism Magic Keyboard. The butterfly keyboard behind years of sticky-key complaints was fitted to 2015-2019 Intel MacBooks, which are outside our buy window - if that is what you have, we can't buy it. On Magic Keyboards the common problems are a key that stops registering, a keycap that has come off, or a row that fails after a spill.
In the form, say exactly which keys or gestures fail: "E and R keys dead" or "trackpad tracks but won't click" is perfect. A single missing keycap and a keyboard with a dead row are both partial faults, quoted at different points in the 60-80% band. A trackpad that neither tracks nor clicks after a spill is more likely liquid damage, which we quote on its own page; a keyboard that has stopped working because the Mac itself won't start belongs on the won't-turn-on page.
Cosmetics still count alongside the fault; the criteria are on our grading page.
Battery health and cycle count: what to tell us
Two numbers describe a MacBook battery. Maximum capacity is the percentage of the original charge it can still hold; Apple shows "Service Recommended" at roughly 80%. Cycle count is how many full charges it has been through; Apple rates current MacBook batteries for 1,000 cycles. Find the first under System Settings, Battery, Battery Health, and the second under System Information, Power (hold Option and click the Apple menu).
Put both in the form's notes. Above 80% capacity, the battery isn't a fault at all and the machine is quoted as working - choose Good or Fair instead. Below 80%, or if the Mac shuts down under load or won't hold charge, choose "Faulty / broken" and mention the battery. If the Mac won't start so you can't read the figures, just say so.
Then post it: prepaid insured label, any Post Office, 5cm of padding. The shipping guide covers packing and the battery rules in full. Payment by bank transfer within 24 hours of the Mac passing inspection.
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.
Can I trade in a MacBook with a dead battery?
Yes. A dead or worn battery is a partial fault, so the machine keeps 60-80% of its working value with us - the rest of the Mac still works. Select 'Faulty / broken' in the form, mention the battery, and your fixed quote arrives within 2 working hours. Apple Silicon only (M1 and newer).
Should I replace the battery before selling my MacBook?
No. Apple charges £159-£249 for an official battery replacement, and the deduction for a worn battery is smaller than that on almost every model. Sell it as-is, describe the battery honestly, and keep the difference. The same maths applies to keyboards and trackpads: repairing before selling rarely pays back.
Can I post a MacBook with a swollen battery?
Not on the standard label. Royal Mail prohibits damaged batteries, and a swollen cell counts as damaged. Stop charging it, keep it somewhere cool, and tell us it's swollen in the quote form - we'll confirm the right way to get it to us before you pack anything. It's still quoted as a partial fault.
Does a faulty keyboard or trackpad reduce the price much?
Less than most sellers expect. Sticky or dead keys, a missing keycap or an unresponsive trackpad sit in the same 60-80% band as a worn battery, because the display, logic board and storage are untouched. Say which keys or gestures fail in the form and the quote already accounts for it.
What battery health counts as 'dead'?
Apple shows 'Service Recommended' at roughly 80% maximum capacity or about 1,000 cycles. Below 80%, or if the Mac shuts down under load or won't hold charge, tell us. Battery health is under System Settings, Battery; the cycle count is in System Information, Power. Put both figures in the form's notes.
Do you buy MacBooks with a butterfly keyboard fault?
Butterfly keyboards were fitted to 2015-2019 Intel MacBooks, which sit outside our buy window - we buy Apple Silicon only, M1-generation and newer. Every Apple Silicon MacBook uses the scissor-mechanism Magic Keyboard; if keys on one of those stick or fail, it's a normal partial fault quoted at 60-80% of working value.
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 Dead Battery
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?
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M6 and M5 Pro current. Ships in a shoebox - easiest Mac to sell by post.
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M2 Ultra (2023). Free courier collection. Apple Silicon only.
Get a quoteBroken MacBooks
Cracked, water-damaged or dead - any Apple Silicon Mac.
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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