Every so often I check Apple’s trade-in values to see how much I can get for my cache of old hardware. For as long as I’ve been checking, trade-in values have generally gone in one direction: down.
These days, not so much.
Trade-in values at Apple have steadily increased over the last few months amid the AI-induced memory and storage crunch that’s spiked prices for everything from Macs and iPads to Raspberry Pis and PlayStations.
For example, my three-year-old MacBook Pro 14-inch (M3 Max, 16-Core CPU, 40-Core GPU, 64GB memory, 4TB SSD) was fetching $1,585 a few months ago. I’m glad I didn’t trade it in then, because the offer went up to $1,695, then to $2,005. Today, Apple is offering $2,280 if I trade it in for a new Mac—almost 44% higher than the earliest offer—or $2,005 if I get a gift card instead.
(Yes, that’s significantly less than what I might get if I sold it on eBay, where an identical configuration sold last month for $3,250 and 2TB models regularly sell for around $2,600—but an Apple trade-in avoids all the hassle of listing, shipping, seller fees, and, well, eBay buyers.)
Another example: an older MacBook Pro 14-inch (Late 2021, M1 Max 10-Core CPU, 32-Core GPU, 32GB memory, 4TB SSD) went from $750 to $1,065 to $1,315 for a trade-in—75% higher—or $1,065 for the gift card option.
Even an ancient Mac mini from the dawn of the Apple silicon era (Late 2020, M1 8-Core CPU, 8-Core GPU, 8GB memory, 512GB SSD) has more than doubled in value, going from $175 to $355 with trade-in, a whopping 103% increase ($330 gift card).
(Never fear, Apple makes that money back. Those trade-ins might very well get cleaned up and resold on Apple’s Refurbished store, where prices have also increased: a two-year-old MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 Pro (14-Core CPU, 20-Core GPU, 48GB memory, 2TB SSD, with nano-texture display) is currently selling for $3,269—only $80 less than its 2024 MSRP.)
I’ve seen similar—though less dramatic—increases for iPads, too. A 13-inch iPad Pro M4 with 1TB storage went from $670 to $750 for trade-in ($725 gift card). Even my beloved iPad mini A17 Pro with 128GB storage is fetching $340 ($320 gift card), which is very tempting considering I paid $380 for it fifteen months ago.
My suggestion: if you have a slightly older Mac or iPad you’ve been considering replacing (or it’s just gathering dust), now might be a great time to trade it in to capture its increased value. (Or sell it on eBay, if you have the stomach for it.) Even the reduced gift card amounts might be worth it if you’re not ready to buy today—bank it high if you believe trade-in values will tumble in a few months. Either way, consider striking while the memory and storage irons are hot.