Broken MacBooks - dead or no power
Sell a MacBook That Won't Turn On
The quick answer
Yes, you can sell a MacBook that won't turn on. SellMacBooks buys dead and no-power Apple Silicon MacBooks (M1-generation and newer) at 30-45% of working value. Describe the fault 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 MacBook that won't turn on feels like a write-off. It isn't. The display, aluminium enclosure, keyboard, trackpad, speakers and storage all keep real value to a specialist buyer, and in a fair share of cases the fault is a charging circuit rather than the logic board itself. Some UK buyers, Vendi among them, won't take a MacBook that doesn't power on at all. We quote it from your description - no photos, no diagnosis, no trip to a repair shop.
Two conditions: we buy Apple Silicon Macs only, M1-generation and newer - no Intel - and we can't buy an Activation-Locked machine. If it's yours, the lock comes off from icloud.com even when the Mac won't boot; the steps are 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 that won't turn on
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 that won't turn on 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 dead MacBook is worth
Indicatively, a MacBook that won't turn on fetches 30-45% of the same model's working value. The faulty column in the price table above is the right guide: it shows what a no-power example of each model sells for today. A simple no-charge fault, where the machine springs back to life once the charging circuit is repaired, sits at the top of that band. A confirmed logic-board failure sits at the bottom. Either way, the quote is fixed for 14 days and it's the price we pay.
Why not zero? Because when the board fails, the display assembly, top case with keyboard and trackpad, battery and speakers are all still good - and on M-series machines those parts are in constant demand for repairs. That is what you are being paid for.
An out-of-warranty logic-board repair often costs more than the gap between a dead price and a working price, so paying to fix it first rarely leaves you better off. Our broken MacBook hub sets out the value bands for every fault, and why a dead MacBook is still worth money goes deeper into the maths.
Three checks before you sell
"Dead" MacBooks are sometimes just deeply asleep or fully flat. These three checks take ten minutes, cost nothing, and occasionally turn a 30-45% quote back into a full working price.
1. Charge it for 30 minutes on a known-good charger
A fully flat battery can take 10-20 minutes before the Mac shows any sign of life. Use a charger and cable you know work on another Mac, plug into the wall rather than a hub, and leave it alone for half an hour before trying again.
2. Hold the power button for 10 seconds
On Apple silicon MacBooks a long press of the power button (Touch ID key) forces a shutdown, and a further press starts the machine. If the screen stays black, hold it for 10 seconds again with the charger connected, then release and press once.
3. Try another cable, charger and mains socket
Frayed USB-C cables and worn MagSafe connectors fail quietly. Swap each one, try a different socket, and look for the small amber or green light on the MagSafe connector. No light with two different chargers points to the Mac, not the power supply.
Still nothing - no chime, no fan, no backlight, no MagSafe light? Stop there. Don't open it, don't pay for a diagnostic. Tell us the model and "won't turn on" in the form - that is all we need.
Dead logic board or a no-charge fault? Both are quoted
You don't need to know which one you have. A no-charge fault means the board is fine but power isn't reaching it - a failed charging chip, a damaged port, a battery that has dropped below the voltage the system will accept. A logic-board fault means the board itself has failed. From the outside they look identical: a black screen and silence.
We quote both the same way, from the model and the symptom, and the 30-45% band already covers the range. If you know more - it died after a liquid spill, the fan spins but the screen stays black, it turns on only while plugged in - put it in the notes. A black screen on a machine that otherwise runs is often a display fault, which we quote higher on the cracked or broken screen page. A Mac that shuts down the moment the charger is removed is usually a dead battery, which keeps 60-80% of working value.
If inspection finds something different from your description, we email a revised offer with photos; decline it and the Mac comes back free, fully insured.
Removing Activation Lock when the MacBook won't boot
Activation Lock lives on Apple's servers, not on the Mac, so you can release it without the machine ever turning on. From any phone or computer:
- Go to icloud.com/find and sign in with the Apple ID that was used on the Mac.
- Choose the MacBook from the device list.
- Select Erase Mac and confirm. The erase runs the next time the Mac is online.
- Select Remove from Account. The lock is released immediately.
That is the one thing we need you to do before posting: we cannot buy an Activation-Locked Mac, because nobody can legally erase or resell it. Your data is protected regardless - every Mac we buy is erased to NIST 800-88 before it goes anywhere near resale. The full legal picture is in our iCloud-locked MacBook guide.
Posting a MacBook that won't turn on
Accept your quote and we email a prepaid, fully insured Royal Mail label; drop the box at any Post Office. Royal Mail carries laptops with the lithium battery installed, which is how every MacBook travels, so a dead machine posts exactly like a working one. Use a double-walled box with 5cm of padding on every side - the shipping guide shows the packing step by step.
The exception is a swollen battery. Royal Mail prohibits damaged batteries of any type, and a swollen cell is a damaged cell. If the trackpad has lifted or the bottom case bulges, don't post it on the standard label: tell us in the quote form and we'll confirm the right way to get it to us before you pack anything. The quote itself doesn't change.
Cosmetic condition still counts on a dead machine - the enclosure is part of what we are buying. The criteria are on our grading page.
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 you sell a MacBook that doesn't turn on?
Yes. We buy MacBooks that won't turn on, provided they're Apple Silicon (M1-generation or newer) and not Activation Locked. A dead MacBook typically fetches 30-45% of its working value because the display, enclosure, keyboard and storage keep their value. You get a fixed quote from a description - no photos, no diagnosis.
How much is a MacBook that won't turn on worth?
Indicatively 30-45% of the same model's working value. The faulty column in the price table on this page is the right guide. A simple no-charge fault sits at the top of the band; a confirmed logic-board failure at the bottom. Your emailed quote is the fixed price we pay, locked for 14 days.
Should I try to fix a MacBook that won't turn on before selling?
Try the free checks first: 30 minutes on a known-good charger, a 10-second hold of the power button, then another cable or charger. If it stays dead, don't pay for a diagnosis or a logic-board repair - out-of-warranty board work often costs more than the gap between a dead and a working price.
How do I remove Activation Lock if the MacBook won't boot?
Go to icloud.com/find on any phone or computer, sign in with the Apple ID used on the Mac, pick it from the device list, choose Erase Mac and then Remove from Account. This works with the Mac switched off, because the lock lives on Apple's servers, not the machine. Do it before you post.
Is it safe to post a MacBook that won't turn on?
Yes, as long as the battery isn't swollen or damaged. Royal Mail carries laptops with the battery installed but prohibits damaged batteries. If the bottom case or trackpad is bulging, tell us in the quote form and we'll confirm the right way to get it to us rather than using the standard label.
Does a dead logic board mean the MacBook is worthless?
No. Even with a failed logic board the display assembly, top case, keyboard, trackpad, battery and speakers hold value to a specialist buyer. That's why the band is 30-45% of working value rather than zero. You don't need to know which part failed - 'won't turn on' plus the model is enough for a fixed quote.
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 That Won't Turn On
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