iPoint.
BiNew by iPoint • MacBook and laptops

Sell or buy a used MacBook, inspected before anyone pays.

BiNew makes used MacBook and laptop deals safe for both sides, whichever online marketplace the deal starts on. The seller brings the laptop to iPoint in Hackensack, NJ, and we send the buyer a written inspection report. The buyer pays the seller directly. Only then does the laptop leave iPoint, handed over at our office or shipped to any US state.

Selling your MacBook or laptop

Show your confidence in your laptop. Add a free iPoint line to your listing, wherever you post it.

  • Stand out from scammers. Buyers worry about locks they cannot see in a photo. The line says you are ready to have your laptop checked. It costs you nothing.
  • Sell beyond local pickup. Facebook Marketplace caps shipped listings at $500 (Meta Seller Protection Policy), so a MacBook listed above that is local pickup only. Through BiNew a buyer in any US state can buy your Mac, and iPoint ships it.
  • Paid before it leaves iPoint. The laptop is released only after you confirm the buyer's payment arrived. No waiting for delivery, a review window or a payout schedule.
  • No platform fee off your price. Facebook keeps 10% of every shipped order (Meta Help), which is $100 on a $1,000 MacBook, and other marketplaces charge fees of their own. With BiNew the buyer pays for the inspection, and you keep the full price.

Before you list, follow Apple's own steps for signing out, turning off Find My Mac and erasing the Mac.

How BiNew works

  1. The buyer books BiNew and pays the inspection fee up front.
  2. The seller brings the laptop to iPoint by appointment, and it stays with us.
  3. We inspect, test and photograph it and send the buyer a written report.
  4. The buyer pays the seller directly. iPoint never holds the buyer's money.
  5. Handover. Once the seller confirms the payment, we hand the laptop over at our office or ship it, with optional shipping insurance. Unpaid after a week, it goes back to the seller.

Buying a used MacBook: the locks you cannot see

Activation Lock

Apple silicon Macs, and Intel Macs with the T2 chip, can carry Activation Lock. While the seller's Find My Mac is on, you cannot use the Mac (Apple Support). If you later need Apple's help with the lock, it asks for proof of purchase.

Company and school Macs (MDM)

Macs bought by a business or a school are often registered to it in Apple Business or Apple School Manager. On macOS 14 or later, such a Mac shows an enrollment prompt during setup that can be put off once, for eight hours. After that it has to be enrolled in the organization's device management to be used (Apple Platform Deployment).

On September 17, 2023 a buyer posted that a used M1 MacBook Air from Facebook Marketplace showed it was remotely managed by the previous owner's employer, but only after they erased it. The top reply: "No, there is no way to remove it yourself" (Apple Community).

No stolen check for laptops

A MacBook has no IMEI, and the CTIA stolen-phone checker cannot look it up. The serial number, the paperwork and the seller's account status are the evidence you have.

How to check a used MacBook before you buy

  1. Activation Lock. Hold Option, click the Apple menu and open System Information. Under Hardware, Activation Lock Status should read Disabled. If it reads Enabled, the seller turns off Find My Mac in front of you.
  2. Device management. System Settings > General > Device Management should list no profiles. Ask whether the Mac ever belonged to a company or school.
  3. Erase and set up. Watch the seller run Erase All Content and Settings. Setup should reach the desktop with no Remote Management screen and no earlier Apple Account.
  4. Battery cycle count. In System Information, Hardware > Power shows the Cycle Count. A higher count means a more worn battery, so compare it with the Mac's age.
  5. Serial and specs. The serial should match the bottom case, the box and the receipt, and the chip, memory and storage should match the listing.
  6. Keyboard, trackpad and ports. Type every key, click the whole trackpad, and charge from each port.
  7. Screen, camera and sound. A full white and a full black screen show dead pixels. Then try the webcam, speakers and microphones.
  8. Startup passwords. An Intel Mac can carry a firmware password that blocks macOS Recovery. A Windows laptop should start without a BIOS password prompt.

What the BiNew laptop report covers

  • Identity and specs. Model, year, chip, memory, storage and serial number, matched to the listing and the box.
  • Locks and management. Activation Lock, Find My, device and remote management, and firmware passwords on Intel Macs.
  • Battery. Cycle count and battery condition.
  • Function. Display, keyboard, trackpad, Touch ID, ports, charging, webcam, speakers, microphones and wireless.
  • Condition and contents. Photos of every side, visible signs of repair or liquid, and the charger and box compared with the listing.

The report describes the laptop on the day it is inspected, and it stays with iPoint until handover.

What the seller brings

  • The laptop, charged, signed out of iCloud with Find My Mac off, or ready to sign out.
  • Its charger, plus anything else the listing includes.
  • The box and a receipt, if they have them.

Where BiNew works

iPoint is in Hackensack, NJ, in Bergen County, close to North Jersey and New York City. Sellers bring laptops in by appointment, and buyers can be anywhere in the US: see the BiNew service area and directions.

Buying or selling a MacBook? Start here.

Selling?

Add the free iPoint line to your laptop listing and keep the full price.

Thanks. We'll email you your iPoint line and listing code.
Buying?

Read a written report on the laptop before you pay the seller.

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Thanks, you're on the list. We'll reach out with your invitation.