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In my introductory article to this series about switching from desktop to laptop computing, I mentioned that the most important factor was cost. A MacBook at full price simply isn’t in my current budget, so I reluctantly decided to sell my 20” Intel iMac. My traditional route for this has been ebay, with which I’ve never had any trouble. The drawback was that after the sale was made and the money cleared, I had to rush out to get the new computer, transfer the files, wipe out the old hard drive, box up the computer and ship it off before the buyer got antsy and gave me that socially devastating neutral rating.

A few years ago, when looking to do this at my workplace, I stumbled across PowerMax. This Oregon based company allows you to sell your old Mac or to trade it in for a pretty good deal on a new (or used) one. Their selection is great (they almost always have a decent stock of the most recent Macs) and the process is worry-free.

Tell Her About It

First, you contact PowerMax via e-mail or phone to let them know what computer you’d like to trade in, and in what computer(s) you’re interested. When trading in my iMac, I sent PowerMax an e-mail with iMac’s specs (processor, screen size, RAM, video card and hard drive), and pointing out it still has the original mouse and keyboard. I also let them know in which MacBooks (three models) I was interested. A day later (which was an anomaly; I usually hear back that same day if I make the request early enough), I got an e-mail back from a PowerMax rep with my quote. I’d say it was generous, since it was certainly more than I was expecting ($675.00 for a trade-in), but I really shouldn’t be shocked by the resale value of Macs anymore. It’s stunning, really, what you can get for them vs. used PCs. Try trading in a three-year-old Dell for more than 1/3 of its original value and see what happens. People really need to consider this when debating whether to buy a Mac or a PC.

The quote, of course, came with a bunch of extras that PowerMax can provide: Apple Care, RAM installation, external hard drive, etc. I didn’t take her up on any of that, but the upsale was at least relevant to what I was buying, and no different than what an Apple Retail Store employee would offer if you were to buy directly from them.’‘

A Matter of Trust

Once you’ve got the quote, you’ve generally got 10 days to jump. After that, the price/trade-in value could change, so it would have to be re-quoted. Once you agree, you can call with your credit card information to make the purchase, and they’ll ship you your computer. Now, there are of course some stipulations to all of this. It’s a matter of trust, after all, as they’re taking your word on the condition of your computer, and you’re trusting them to honor the quote and evaluate the computer’s condition fairly when it gets to them. They understand this, and I suggest you read their full description of the process and tips on how to make this all work. I’ve gone through the process four times now, and have never once had an issue.

Movin’ Out (iMac’s Song)

When your computer arrives, they give you ample time to get your files transferred and get comfortable on the new machine, and then it’s up to you ship your old system back to them. You cover the cost of shipping, and they wisely recommend a carrier such as UPS or FedEx with insurance, as they’re not responsible for anything that happens to your computer between your place and Oregon. Once it arrives, a technician will begin the evaluation of your system. If everything is as you described, they will credit back your card with the quoted trade-in value (you pay full price for your new computer when you order it). This process takes about four to six weeks, so be prepared for that. If the technician feels your description of the computer’s condition/specs were inaccurate, your trade-in value could be affected.

The Night is Still Young

And that’s pretty much it. No worries about dealing with shady ebayers, no worries about not getting time with both computers, and no worries about not getting a fair trade-in price. And if you’re happy trading in your Mac for another used Mac, PowerMax is stocked. Soon, they’ll have a trusty used 20” iMac ready for you that I can highly recommend. It may even come with a Seattle Seahawks static cling, but I imagine I’ll take that off before I send the computer back. Something like that would only hurt the resale value this year. Figuring out where to put it next will help me kill time while transferring files with the…benefit of…Firewire.

Which I’ll get to next, weeping all the while.

• See next article: Abandoning the iMac for a MacBook
• Learn more about PowerMax