I’m in the market for a secondhand Mac Mini (for a family member). Looking for a model that can run a fairly recent version of macOS. Which is basically the case for the 2014 and 2018 models.
When looking around I notice how overrated these machines are. I mean, no matter what, but a 2014 Intel Mac Mini may be able to run current tasks, it is and stays a 8 year old machine with an architecture that has been abandoned by Apple. And I’m saying this a someone who uses his Mac’s for quite some time before replacing them.
Still, prices in the range of €/$350-500 are not at all unusual. At least not in this part of the world. More often than not machines with HDD’s, low-specced CPU’s and max 8GB of RAM. And it seems these are machines that have been heavily used in offices. While a brand new M1 Mini can be bought for €799/$699 or less.
I think Mac users need to get a bit more realistic about the resale value of the old machines.
After taking a look at the second hand offerings listed in my area, I decided to just take Apple’s offer on the trade-in value for my 2017 iMac i7 with 1TB of SSD. They are paying around €500/- for it. Much less than what the second hand market is asking, but again, so many old listings and “recently reduced price” listings that I decided not to bother with it.
Old tech is old tech - kinda low monetary value. However, setting it up as a second computer or handing it off to a family member with lighter computing needs might still be a good option for many of us.
That’s what I usually do. However, the Macs that I currently own are either too old (i.e. not a good replacement) or in current use and needed by myself.
That’s not what some Mac users seem to subscribe to. And don’t get me wrong, a 2014 or 2018 Mac Mini is still useful to some people. But that doesn’t mean it’s still valuable.
As always, something is only worth what someone else will pay for it.
If people try to overcharge, they will not sell.
Having said that, Macs are supported for a long time by Apple and don’t tend to break. The transition to Apple Silicon will accelerate the depreciation for older Macs though.
Low end Macs’ used prices have a floor because there are always people who want to get their first Mac at the lowest price possible, so they’ll buy anything that will work.