I need to sell my laptop! Maybe I am planning to buy the latest laptop on the market and get rid of the old one. Maybe a loved one who knows about my love of gadgets like laptops surprised me with a super fast, sleek and powerful laptop on my birthday. So now that I have a better laptop, I need to sell my old laptop or give it away.
I could donate it to a recycling center, but if it’s in good condition, I think I’d like to at least earn a few bucks from it. So if I have decided to sell my laptop, there are several ways to sell it, but there is one thing I need to do before I try to sell it.
Things to take care of before selling
Evaluation
Realistically I need to assess the condition of my old laptop. Is it broken in some way or is there a major problem like a broken/cracked screen or a faulty screen? Are some of the keys missing or not working? Do you have charging problems?
I need to approach the sale as if I were buying my laptop. If I were buying my laptop, I wouldn’t want it to have problems that I would have to fix unless the asking price supports the repairs. Most buyers don’t want to spend time and money on a laptop they just bought.
If my laptop has problems, I might be able to fix them to make the laptop more valuable. If I’m not handy, I’ll have to pay a computer expert to do the repairs. Either way, fixing the issues may not be worth it if I have to spend more to fix the laptop than you expect to get from selling it.
Sell, Donate or Recycle
If my laptop is too worn out to sell easily, you may want to consider donating it to charity or recycling it. At least I don’t want to throw it away. All used laptops have value to someone.
Prepare your laptop for sale
Your buyer will also expect my laptop to come to him/her in a certain way: it should be clean, free of my personal data (back it up), and not have any missing accessories like its charger, instruction manual, etc.
When I announce it, I should be able to give potential buyers all the specifications of the laptop and be sure to highlight any important benefits, like special software or additional hardware that I’m going to include in the sale.
Needless to say, but my laptop must also be virus or malware free.
Petition
I also need to consider the demand for my laptop in the market. Is there a newer, better and more affordable version of the laptop available on the market today? Is the laptop running on outdated technology? Is the device popular? Also consider the product life cycle: If the company that made my laptop is likely to release a new model soon, it may not attract many buyers.
Gaming laptops are very popular. If I have a gaming laptop to sell, I can expect higher demand. Touch screen laptops are also in demand. If I have a touch screen laptop, it will have a higher price.
Sell your Laptop Today
I need to sell my laptop today. There are a number of effective options for me to explore.
Inform friends and family
I need my friends and family to know right away that I am looking for a buyer for my laptop. My family members will be happy to help me find buyers and I may not have to spend more in the whole process.
Use social media
These are the times when social media accounts come in handy. I need to mention the sale on my social media accounts, letting everyone know about the make, model, and specs of the laptop. I also need to add a photo of the laptop (make sure it’s a current photo). It is also suggested to mention the approximate price of the laptop.
eBay and Craigslist
I have eBay and Craigslist accounts and have sold many items on these websites before. This improves my credibility and is likely to get more buyers due to the ‘credibility factor’. Still, you may have to schedule a few meetings before you make a deal. In my experience, a lot of people sell laptops on both eBay and Craigslist.
Trade or sell online
Another option is to change my laptop. This involves selling the laptop to a trade-in website for a relatively lower cost than my expected price. The advantage is that it is fast and saves me the whole process of making a sale myself.
Some sites like Amazon Trade-In may offer me Amazon gift cards or coupons instead of cash. The same goes for Apple. If my laptop is a MacBook, for example, Apple will offer me a gift card based on what they consider to be the current value of my device.
Popular websites for selling used laptops (other than those listed above) include Gazelle, Nextworth, and Best Buy Trade-In.
Finally, before I ship my laptop, I need to make sure I’m aware of the website’s policies. If I plan to meet the buyer in person, for example, from a sale on Craigslist, I should follow Craigslist’s recommendations and not give up the laptop unless I get the full sale price that was negotiated.
If you have a plan and use the information in this article, you should be able to sell your laptop quickly. I needed to sell my laptop fast and used this information to help me.
