How Much Is My Old Mac Worth?
The Vintage Mac Museum tends to get several emails per month from people with older model Macinti, looking to sell their systems and wondering how much they're worth. Being familiar with old Macs and visible on the web, I understand why folks are asking me this question. Apple thunderbolt camera. But this can be a tough value to determine, there isn't a blue book or single exchange available for old Macs.
'I am the original owner of the Bondi Blue iMac Net on macbook. Rev C, which is usable and in excellent shape for it's age. The serial number sticker attached to the case shows date of 1/7/1999. Does this mac have collector value?'
'Since I want to give some money to a friend of mine for Christmas, I have decided to sell my Macintosh IIsi computer. Unfortunately, I am not sure what a fair price would be. Can you please give me some advice?'
As of this writing (2011), on average I'd say most old Macs are worth about $100. Many less than that. An original 128k Mac, truly rare items and prototypes can command hundreds to thousands of dollars. For most systems, sentimental values tend to be higher than resale prices.
It would barely run Mac Osx Lion, and could not upgrade the OS any more which meant very limited usability, it wouldn't even run the newest version of Chome. I had to install rEFInd on the mac before I could install from the pop os live USB. It works great, especially for the age of the machine. Once installed, Pop!
Here's how you can determine how much your old Mac is worth:
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Jason Ponic's Apple Computer Market Guide compiles resale prices for various models of vintage Apple equipment. It's a nicely compiled resource, most values seem fairly representative of eBay market rates.
eBay is the largest market and a good resource to help determine Mac prices. There are two types of sellers listing this type of equipment, professional sellers and closet cleaners. The professional seller is going to ask the most, these are good upper bound prices for insurance purposes. The closet cleaner just wants to get rid of his/her old stuff at a fair price, these are the more practical values. Check Completed Listings to see what things have actually sold for (or not), rather than the initial asking values. Heavier items may have lower values unless they're very rare, due to higher shipping costs.
craigslist is the classified ads of the web, broken down by city. Search for your model in your local version as well as those for other major cities (e.g., New York, Boston, San Francisco) You'll quickly get an idea what average prices are and who is still thinking their $1500 computer is still worth $1000 7 years later. Craiglist by design is a local service, so selling your Mac across the country this way is not typically viable.
Mac of All Trades and PowerMax tend to be a good resources for current retail market values. These vendors buy some used systems, usually at one-half to two-thirds of retail value .
Average out the values you find to determine an approximate worth. You also need to factor in the rarity of the particular model, and the relative availability based on your location. Here in the Boston area there is no shortage of old computers, with many colleges, high tech companies, the MIT Flea and a vibrant local craigslist. But if you don't live in a major metro area or are looking for something less common, you can wind up paying multiple times what someone else might for the same item.
Such I suppose, is how the market works.
As of this writing for both the Mac IIsi and the iMac G3 I'd estimate about $50 each, I see these models selling on my local craigslist regularly. A rev A bondi blue iMac might be worth twice that. A G4 Cube or PowerMac G5 can go for $250. If you have an working Mac 128k you can probably get $1000 on eBay. For a Mac Plus in a carry bag, don't expect more than $100. If you have the original packaging that can increase the value.
You can often get more money for old Macs – if they aren't rare models – by breaking them down and selling them for parts. The whole is usually worth less than the sum of its parts when reselling on eBay.
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The Vintage Mac Museum is a private, working collection of the pre-Intel Apple Macintosh and related memorabilia. We provide old Mac file transfer and conversion services, along with research into old Mac technologies for patent searches or academic purposes.
This thread is closed and new comments have been disabled. Thanks for your interest!
I have a very lightly used PowerBook G3/400(Firewire/Pismo) that I would love to sell to a collector. It has a 10 GB HD and an airport card. What's a fair price? Anyone interested? I'm on Cape Cod.
I have a macintosh powerbook duo 2300 with docking station and monitor,original mouse and key board with working printer. Everything works. I wish a computer lover would take it off my hands instead of it going in the trash :(
Hi im a huge apple collector I would love to have it if you still got them i have many vintage mac desktops but no apple laptop and I can always find good homes even for dated computers I am also a big mac collector I also have a rare next station color with cd rom and sound.
I have the original Apple Macintosh Classic. I purchased it in 1983 from University of Pennsylvania, about six months before they were released to the public in January 84. When the 512 upgrade and external Drive came out, it was like heaven.
So it's had another memory upgrade but I don't remember exactly how much. It's it's in my basement. I haven't fired it up in years but I imagine it should work. Are you interested? Since I'm not really a collector, it probably should be in the hands of someone that would appreciate and maybe even use it.Dear stpworld,
In my basement there's still a 1985 128K Macintosh.
In it's company there an Imagewriter, a travelbag and some of the original boxes.
If interested I can send pictures.
I live in the Netherlands so the equipment is for 220V.The equipment has not been used for 15 or 20 years, but was put in storage in working condition. Please contact me at FreddeVet @ koebongerd.nl
Ok I have an old Macintosh Centris 610 floppy drive. Is this even in great working condition worth anything? If you collect then you maybe can tell me if its worth anything and have no use for it so if you want make me an offer. Have alot of floppys and programs for it monitor and everything but no printer
Hi ! I have a 1999 blue and clear G3 with the heavy blue and clear 21″ studio monitor. Any interest in either?
I have a Macintosh Plus 1Mb(model no# 0001a) wondering if its worth anything
I have a 13 year old IMAC that I don't know what to do with. Should I scrap it for the guts.When we switched to an Emac it still worked.Let me know what you think
I have an original Mac which came off the assembly line with the Drexel University 'D' embossed on it. They were ordered in 1983 and delivered in April 1984. It has been updated to 512 and then 1024 (or was it 1 M?) Can you give me an idea of the value and where would be the best place to sell it?
I have a PowerBook 100, I would like to resurrect it but the hard disk is broken, any suggestion on how to replace it?
I am willing to buy an old Macintosh Classic of any sort (9″ screen) whether it is unfunctional or working, as long as there is minimal cosmetic damage, im looking around £20 – £50, just email me at josephross @ me.com if anyone is interested in selling one.
Hi if anyone has a macintosh Classic II or an LC II for sale please reply me I check often but they have to be working and have working sound but I do not need disks or keyboards or even cables I have it all I just wish to have a working one of either also they must be complete on the computer part no missing ram and no missing hd or floppy. stpworld2006 @ hotmail.com
I have a working Mac SE with a 30 gig hard drive, Apple mouse & 2 non Apple keyboards. Also a Macinosh PowerBook G3. All working would they be worth anything?
I have a Mac SE dual floppy in a soft 'carrying case' and a Mac portable with its original case (predates all the notebooks and laptops) and a StyleWriter printer. They were both working last time I used them, but it has been years… Do these have any resale value?
I have an original Macintosh 512k (not 512ke) in practically mint condition (still has Energizer clock battery from 1984). I have all the original documentation (including receipts and service documents) and all the original software. It has an Apple soft case and all the original peripherals. I also have the Apple ImageWriter that was sold with the computer. Does anyone have a guesstimate on value?
I have a MacTV with all the original stuff – is does not start – what is it worth?
We have a Macintosh Performa 640 CD. I use it as a word processor as we have a SCREWY Internet situation and it cannot or will not share the service with the crappy PC my husband prefers. I plan to get myself an iPad and call it MINE!! Is this Mac worth anything to anybody?
Carole
Lots of info about Macintosh. What does anyone know about the value of a Lisa? I have two of them and would like to see them go to a good home. The original cost was more than $10,000 each. One of them has a switch and wiring changes that allow it to 'turn into a MacIntosh with the flip of a switch.
Back to the Performa 640CD question: Is it worth anything? Is it worth bothering to sell on Craigslist? Your input is appreciated.
Thanks, CAROLE
Trying to find info on rarity of a M0420 Classic. Build date August 1990. Here is all I can find at all really. http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_classic/specs/mac_classic.html Any value to anyone? Only numbers on it are under the bar code. E03222ZM0435LL/A
My friend, Todd Boschee, is selling his Apple museum. It is the largest Apple Computer museum in Canada. It is located in Medicine Hat, Alberta. http://www.showmeapple.com
that would be worth much based on what you had describe it. but be cautious when dealing online a lot of scammers would try anything to get that vintage mac of yours. I suggest you search ebay for similar types and do some comparisons.
I have an Apple Performa 550 and I've been wanting to sale it. I know they're not worth a lot, but I was looking at the specs online and I noticed the manufacture date on mine. All of the introduction dates for the Performa I've seen say November 1993. Mine says manufactured in (September) 1993! Does that mean anything? Is it rare?
I have an old Mac 1mb supposedly it is signed on the inside by one of the original creators I'm not sure if that's Steve Jobs or not how can I find out? If it is signed by Steve Jobs how much would the computer be worth then?
I have an original Macintosh with a Drexel University D branded on the face of the case (yes, branded, before they started printing the blue D on them. I was a Drexel Student that bought one when the first Drexel let students buy them in 1984. I still have the original manuals and stickers unopened it the plastic wrap, and all of the original system and word, etc… disks. I also have the original external floppy drive.
Does anyone know how to remove the front cover to see if it is one that has the signatures?
The serial # is f424khnm001 – produced in 1984 @ Fremont, CA – 22564th unit made.
I m also curious how much it is worth.
I'm betting you have a shelf or drawer full of old software that won't work on your computer – and hasn't for YEARS. You've got disks, you've got books, but it's all completely unusable, and has been a long time. What are your options for out-of-date software that will no longer work on any computer or device you have because of a change/upgrade in operating systems, other than throwing it away? And do user agreements mean you have to just throw it away?
First, let me say that this blog is not a legal document and I'm not offering you legal advice. I'm presenting you research I've done and what it means to me. If you are that worried about being sued by a company for reselling software, you should stop reading now – and destroy the software before throwing it away, period.
I'm betting you have a shelf or drawer full of old software that won't work on your computer – and hasn't for YEARS. You've got disks, you've got books, but it's all completely unusable, and has been a long time. What are your options for out-of-date software that will no longer work on any computer or device you have because of a change/upgrade in operating systems, other than throwing it away? And do user agreements mean you have to just throw it away?
First, let me say that this blog is not a legal document and I'm not offering you legal advice. I'm presenting you research I've done and what it means to me. If you are that worried about being sued by a company for reselling software, you should stop reading now – and destroy the software before throwing it away, period.
Old Mac Software For Sale
There is NOT ultimate legal agreement regarding reselling software. There's not even agreement from software companies about reselling software. For instance, Adobe says 'if you upgrade from Adobe Acrobat 6 to Acrobat 7, you cannot sell Acrobat 6 to someone else. If you purchase a new license, rather than upgrade your old software, you are permitted to transfer your old license. That is, as long as you did not purchase the original license with a volume licensing arrangement.' But in the case of Vernor v. Autodesk, the courts said that because Autodesk had said, explicitly, that old software had to be destroyed – that Vernor never owned it, merely licensed it – he was not allowed to resell it. One wonders if Vernor had thrown the software into the trash, and someone had retrieved it and starting using, rather than Vernor trying to sell it on eBay, if Autodesk could have sued Vernor for not truly destroying the software.
So, before you sell old software
Old Mac Software For Sale Amazon
- Search for legal cases concerning that software on Google or Bing. If you see a case where the manufacturer of that software has sued a reseller, destroy the software and then throw the software away.
- Make CERTAIN it is truly vintage, as in version you have is NOT available for purchase from the original software manufacturer, is no longer supported by the company, and is NOT available from BestBuy or other resellers; also, that it does not work with the current Mac or Windows operating systems.
Old Mac Software Free
Once you've met that benchmark:
- Look to see if the version you have is being sold on eBay or Craigslist. If it is being sold by others, you will probably be safe doing it as well.
- Put all the original disks and books together. Old software is of more use when the original documentation is available.
- If there is detailed information online about this vintage software, such as on Wikipedia or a tribute page, link to it on any online information you post, and be detailed about what the software will work on – and what it will NOT work on – in terms of hardware and operating systems.
- Try eBay and Craigslist for reselling.
- I'm uncertain about using social media – I'd hate for you to attract attention for an over-zealous lawyer who doesn't understand that what you are selling is no longer supported by the company and no longer works on modern hardware or operating systems.
- If you want to donate the software, try Craigslist, your social media accounts, any freecycle-type online forum or group in your community, and clubs for vintage computers. Note if you are willing to mail the software and pay those postage costs yourself.
- Take your items to a local swap meet and hope for the best.
- Look for a working vintage computer that the software would work on, buy it and set it up in your house with your vintage software as a conversation piece/play thing.
This web page, EMS Old Software Exchange, says it buys and sells 'the world's largest selection of old/used/out-of-print software for the PC and other microcomputers.' But I can't tell if it's still in operation. And note that it has info on how to find out if your user agreement forbids you reselling a particular software tool.
Here's the wikipedia entry for abandonware.
Also see my page on how I use my lime green clam shell iBook, bought in 2000. It also has advice on using these old Apple laptops that I've found from various sources online. Pdf file viewer software, free download.
What's your advice? And have you ever looked for older versions of software for a vintage computer?
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