When Apple announces new products, it's time to search under those couch cushions for the to afford any of the new Macs and iOS devices. And with the advent of the iPad 2, surely you're fiending, thinking of a way to make some quick cash to obtain one of Apple's next-generation tablets for yourself. If you have some old Macs lying around, you're in luck, because they might be worth some cash. Follow along and we'll walk you through how to prepare your Mac for a resale.
>> An old Mac to sell
>> Mac OS X Install Discs
>> External Hard Drive
>> Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner (free)
Before you sell your machine, it is important that you backup any information that you will need in case you're planning on transitioning over to another macine. If you use Time Machine to back up your system, you can skip this step.
If you’re not using Time Machine and want to ensure that you backup your old system, give Carbon Copy Cloner a try. It is a free application that lets you copy whole directories to another drive (preserving the directory structure in the process). This ensures that you grab all of your files, applications, and other system settings in case you need them when moving to a new system.
Cloning a hard drive doesn’t require any background in biology, just the right software.
Once you download and install Carbon Copy Cloner, open up the application and select your Mac’s hard drive as the Source Disk (usually named “Macintosh HD”). Then, for the Target Disk select your external hard drive. Underneath the cloning options, select Backup everything; or, if you wish to only back up specific files, select Incremental Backup of Selected Items and you will be able to choose which files from the source disk will be copied.
Depending on the amount of data that needs to be copied, this process could take a while. So, relax and get some coffee.
Once you select the appropriate settings and are ready to begin the cloning process, press the Clone button and the transfer will begin. Depending on how much data needs to be copied, this process may take a while; however, once it is finished you will have an identical copy of your Mac’s hard drive, which will allow you to drag and drop only the files you need when the system reinstall is complete.
If you use iTunes on your Mac, then chances are your computer has been added to the one of five possible authorized computers connected to your account. Just because you completely erase the hard drive on your computer, doesn’t mean this link suddenly goes away. In order to un-link your Mac from your iTunes account, you will need to follow a De-authorization process. 
To de-authorize your Mac from your iTunes account, open iTunes, then go to Store > Deauthorize This Computer. 
This will open a new window that will prompt you for your iTunes account credentials. After typing them into the appropriate fields, click the Deauthorize button. A final dialog window will pop open to let you know the system has been properly de-authorized by iTunes. 
When you see this window, you know the de-authorization process has been successfully completed.
You can show the menu bar feature by checking the box for it in System Preferences > Time Machine.
If you use Time Machine as a backup solution for your Mac, then you should ensure that you actually have a recent backup. Click on the Time Machine icon in your menu bar (or go to System Preferences > Time Machine) and ensure that you have a recent backup. If you don’t, click the Back Up Now option in the menu bar. 
If you have a recent backup, you may want to Verify that it's all there. To do this, Option + Click on the menu bar icon for Time Machine and select the newly visible “Verify Backups” option. This will go through your Time Machine backups and ensure that all the data that’s backed up is not damaged and should restore properly when moving to a new machine.
The next step to selling your Mac is to ensure that all of your data is erased securely from the computer. To do this, boot from the Disc that came with your System (or a Mac OS X disc that you may have purchased separately). To boot from a disc, insert the disc into the computer, then hold down the option key while restarting. A new screen will show up with your boot options. Select the Mac OS X Install Disc.
When booted, follow the prompts until you get to the Install screen. Once there, select Utilities > Disk Utility from the menu bar. 
Once Disk Utility opens, select your internal hard drive from the sidebar, and then click on the Erase tab in the main window. This will show your erase options for this drive. In the format drop-down menu, select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled),” then type a name (the default Mac OS X drive name is “Macintosh HD.”
Click the Security Options button to bring up the different security erase options. From this dialog window, you can select to Zero Out Data, 7-Pass Erase, or 35-Pass Erase. A zero out data is a quickest way to erase the data on your drive securely, and will overwrite data on the drive once; a 7-Pass Erase will do the zero out data seven times and is more secure; and a 35-Pass Erase will do a zero out data 35 times, and is the most secure. For most people, a 7-Pass erase will be more than adequate.
Select your erase method, and then click OK. When you’re ready to Erase, click the Erase button in Disk Utility. Depending on the erase method you selected, the process may take some time to complete.
Once you have erased your drive, you may want to reinstall Mac OS X for the purchaser. To do this, exit Disk Utility when booted into the Mac OS X installer disc and the Installer will prompt you to continue. Go through the installation options. When the installer finishes and prompts you to restart, remove the disc and turn off the computer. This will ensure that the person who purchases your Mac will boot into the Mac OS X Setup Assistant and will be able to set up their Mac just as you did when you first purchased it.
To get the most amount of money for your Mac, you will want to ensure that your system is in pristine condition by cleaning it before placing it for sale or sending it to a company for appraisal. For this, we recommend a good screen cleaning solution like Monster’s iClean (which is what Apple uses at the Genius Bar to clean visitor’s screens). This cleaning solution comes with a cloth that will ensure no scratching of the screen.
Another great solution for the white plastic MacBooks that can get a little dirty on the palm rests is to lightly dampen an original Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and wring it out to ensure no water will drip. Then, gently run on the palm rests of the white MacBook. You’ll be surprised at the results.
As for dust bunnies, a can of compressed air will get hard to reach places that contain dust and desk crumbs, such as the keyboard. Remember never to spray compressed air directly inside a computer, or spray the can upside down.
Now that you’ve restored your Mac to pristine, newish condition, it’s time to reap the benefits of selling it. There are a few good companies that you can sell your Mac to, including Apple’s Recycling website or Gazelle. When comparing prices, Gazelle did offer a little more money, but keep in mind that all of these services require you to send in your system first for appraisal.
If you’re adamant about selling your Mac to an actual person (which often reaps the most money), consider placing it on Ebay, Craigslist, listing it in your local newspaper, or even announcing your intent to purchase at a local Mac User Group meeting.
Follow this article's author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.
kylerwalker
March 14, 2011 at 5:07pm
who in the world would want to get rid of their mac book pro air or any thing i would not i would rather buy one
