What a fair price looks like
Condition on WishThrift is described by the seller against five grades, and nobody inspects it on your behalf — so the description and the photographs are what you are buying on.
| Condition | Typical | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| New with Tags | £900 (~$1,199) | Unused, tags or seals intact |
| Like New | £765 (~$1,019) | Barely used, no visible wear |
| Good | £585 (~$779) | Light signs of use, complete and working |
| Fair | £405 (~$540) | Heavily used, or a described fault or missing part |
| For Parts | £225 (~$300) | Not working or incomplete, sold as seen |
Sterling guide ranges with an approximate US dollar equivalent at £1 ≈ $1.33 (July 2026). Sellers set their own asking price; these are a starting point for judging an offer. All five grades explained.
The checklist before you pay
An account lock is the single biggest one — a device still signed in to an iCloud, Google or Microsoft account cannot be reset and is effectively unusable. After that, battery health and undisclosed third-party repairs.
Run through these before money changes hands — they are the things that decide whether a MacBook is worth what is being asked:
- Intel-era models, which have fallen away as software support narrows
- High cycle counts or a battery already flagged as needing service
- Sticky or unresponsive keys on the butterfly-keyboard years
- Any dent to the lid or base, which buyers read as a drop
And the things worth paying more for, because they hold their value:
- Apple Silicon chips, which hold value far more strongly than the Intel generations
- Battery cycle count under roughly 300, which buyers read as light use
- 16GB or more of memory, since it cannot be upgraded later
- Original charger included — replacements are expensive enough to matter
Common faults and fakes
Outright counterfeits are rare outside accessories, where fake chargers and cables are a genuine fire risk. The commoner problem is a device described as working that has a fault the seller knows about.
Ask the seller to factory reset and remove their account BEFORE you pay, and to send a photograph of the settings screen showing it signed out. Ask for the exact model identifier and, on anything with a battery, the battery health figure.
WishThrift does not authenticate, inspect or grade anything, and no marketplace check replaces your own. If a seller will not answer a direct question about condition or origin, that is the answer.
Questions to ask the seller
These are the three that get asked most often about a MacBook, and the answers tell you most of what you need:
State it exactly. Apple Silicon models are worth substantially more than Intel ones of the same year, and buyers know this well.
It is in System Information under Power. Photograph it. Under 300 cycles is a strong selling point on any MacBook.
Check Apple’s supported-models list for your year and answer honestly. An unsupported Mac still sells, but to a buyer who knows what they are accepting.
Also worth establishing before you commit:
- Hold Option and click the Apple menu > System Information > Power for the cycle count
- Note the exact chip, memory and storage from About This Mac
- Compare against sold listings for the same chip, not just the same screen size
Photographs to ask for
If the listing does not already show these, ask — a seller who has the item will send them in minutes:
- Open and powered on, showing the About This Mac window with model and chip visible
- The lid and base corners, where MacBooks scuff and dent first
- The keyboard and trackpad straight on, plus the screen off-angle to reveal any staining or delamination
- The battery health and cycle count screen
Details to confirm before you commit
- Model year, screen size, and whether it is Intel, M1, M2 or later
- RAM and storage, both of which are soldered and cannot be upgraded later
- Battery cycle count and health status
- Whether the charger is included and whether it is the original Apple one
Live MacBook listings
Nothing matching is listed at the moment. Browse electronics for what is live now, or everything on the site — stock changes daily and new listings are free to post, so it is worth checking back.
When to buy
Sells quickly year round, with a lift each September when students buy and again when Apple announces new models and owners upgrade. Well-described Apple Silicon machines often sell within days.
Prices move against that cycle for a buyer: the cheapest time to buy is when sellers are listing most, not when demand peaks.
Paying and collecting safely
WishThrift does not process payments, hold funds or offer buyer protection — you agree the price and the method with the seller directly, which is what keeps the platform free on both sides. Meet somewhere public where you can, inspect before you pay, and keep the conversation on the site so there is a record of what was agreed. Be wary of any seller who wants to move the conversation elsewhere before you have agreed anything.
Selling one instead?
If you already have a MacBook sitting unused, it is free to list and there is no commission — the price you agree is the amount you keep. Read how to sell MacBook for what to photograph and how to price, or what MacBook is worth at each condition grade.
Frequently asked questions
What should I pay for a used MacBook?
Around £130 to £585 in good condition, more for barely-used examples and less for anything with a described fault. Compare against the seller’s photographs rather than the grade alone.
How do I check a MacBook before buying?
Ask the seller to factory reset and remove their account BEFORE you pay, and to send a photograph of the settings screen showing it signed out. Ask for the exact model identifier and, on anything with a battery, the battery health figure.
Is buying a MacBook second hand safe?
Yes, with the ordinary care any private sale needs. WishThrift does not authenticate, inspect or hold funds, so inspect before you pay where you can, meet somewhere public, and keep the conversation on the site. An account lock is the single biggest one — a device still signed in to an iCloud, Google or Microsoft account cannot be reset and is effectively unusable. After that, battery health and undisclosed third-party repairs.
See also: all buying guides · MacBook value guide · selling MacBook · Electronics · condition grades.