3. Fair Pricing
We offer fair and negotiable prices based on the amount we expect to sell the laptop for in the future. We’ll assess your laptop carefully and test important components like the battery and memory. Our evaluations factor in variables such as brand, age, condition and the appearance of your computer. We also consider the category of laptop you have before we set a price. For instance, a business-grade laptop with an aluminum chassis will be valued higher than a consumer laptop.
When our appraisal of your laptop is complete, we will make you a fair offer. Because we offer full transparency, we’ll explain exactly why our price is fair. You’re welcome to accept our offer or negotiate with us to land on a more mutually beneficial amount. We want to make sure we are meeting your needs as best we can while also making a profit on our end.
We deal with high-quality items on a regular basis, so you can trust we’ll give you a fair price for your laptop. We’re never pulling a number out of thin air. We have years of experience dealing with similar items, and we stay current with the industry.
4. Trustworthy Service
Since we deal with high-quality items, we understand the value of security and safety precautions. The Vault Jewelry and Loan carries items worth many thousands of dollars, and we have the security measures to keep our valuable items safe. If you’re pawning your laptop with the intention of getting it back at the end of your loan period, you need to choose a pawn shop you can trust with your item. That pawn shop is The Vault Jewelry and Loan.
Tips To Pawn Your Laptop At A Good Price
Different laptops sell for various prices. Aspects like screen size and processing power have a big impact on the value of a used laptop. Newer Apple MacBooks may also have a higher resale value than an older Dell or Acer. Laptops from all brands have the potential to fetch a favorable price from The Vault Jewelry and Loan.
When you’re ready to part with your current laptop, you need to know how to get the highest price possible. You can take some simple steps to increase the value of your laptop on the secondhand market. When you bring us a laptop for pawning or for sale, there are a few things you need to do to get top dollar.
1. Enhance the Laptop’s Condition
As long as the laptop works, that’s all that matters, right? While this may hold true in some cases, you may want to take a different approach when it comes to selling or pawning your laptop. Buyers want their new laptops to look great. For this reason, a laptop may not garner as high of a price if it’s covered in dirt or grime. Solving these cosmetic issues can go a long way in securing a higher payment amount.
You want to present your laptop in the best condition possible, as a dirty laptop is a sign of neglect and a red flag to potential buyers. Remove dust, debris and food crumbs, clean your screen to remove fingerprints and other smudges and check all of your external ports to make sure they aren’t filled with dust or other debris.
Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the outside of your laptop. Wipe the screen with a microfiber cloth and a gentle electronics cleaner. Use canned air and keyboard cleaner to remove dust and particles from on, around and beneath your keyboard. If your laptop is missing any keys, you may be able to find inexpensive replacements online.
Make sure your USB ports are secure and test all keys and buttons for functionality. Does the screen have any dead pixels? Do the speakers work? Little cosmetic and functional issues will decrease the value of your laptop. Clean and test every aspect of your laptop to make sure it looks the best it can and is completely functional.
2. Clear Your Personal Data
Your computer should be ready to be sold and used when you bring it in, so it’s essential that you remove all of your personal data from the device. You should be able to perform a factory reset to ensure that everything has been removed. Just make sure you back up any information you may need before performing the reset.
People want to buy laptops that are like new. They should be clean of prior use, including all files, games, programs and the like. When the new owner boots up the laptop for the first time, it should be like a laptop fresh from the box. This means the hard drive is completely empty except for essential files. The new user has full freedom to shape the software of the laptop as they see fit, without many signs of prior use.
For reasons of personal privacy and resale value, take the time to clear your personal data from the laptop. Save all your files onto an external hard drive or flash drive so you can upload them to your next laptop. Then perform a factory reset on the old laptop, making it feel brand new for the next person to use it.
If you’re planning to sell an Apple computer, you need to sign out of your Apple account with your iCloud password. We won’t be able to buy a Mac computer if you’re still logged in with your Apple ID. Make sure you log out of any accounts that require sensitive information or passwords that could keep the new user from using the laptop to its full potential.
3. Understand Your Laptop’s Specs
The outside of a laptop is important, but the inside is the most important. A laptop could have a beautiful exterior, but if the inside includes parts that are 10 years old and slow, not many people will want to buy it. The laptop will likely also have a low resale value. The best laptops are fast and can handle the most demanding programs.
When you know the specifications of your laptop, you’ll know its resale potential and be better able to negotiate for the best price. Details you should know include RAM memory, series and model number, hard drive size and processor type. Write down all the specifications of your laptop and compare them to the specs of other used laptops on the market.
Consider the following:
- Does your laptop have the latest operating system?
- How big is the hard drive?
- Does the laptop include a solid-state drive?
- How many gigabytes of RAM does the laptop have?
- What processor and graphics card does it use?
- What’s the screen resolution?
You can answer these questions to have a better idea of what your laptop is worth.
When the time comes to sell your laptop, you’ll be able to negotiate the price more since you have a better understanding of what’s inside. If your laptop is a year or two old but has specs that compare to the latest laptops, you may be able to pawn it for a larger sum. If the laptop has outdated specs, you may have to settle for a lower selling price.
4. Provide the Charging Cable and Accessories
You might be able to get a large, cash loan for your laptop if it’s in great shape and has modern specifications. You can get more money if you include all laptop chargers and any extra accessories. A pawn shop is not a PC repair shop, so you should come in with the laptop charger. If we have to get a separate charger for the laptop, it will reduce the price we offer.
A high-quality laptop in a case, with a charging cable and other essential items, can be worth a lot of money. If you have a screen protector, then include that with the laptop. Put a small microfiber screen cloth in the case as an added bonus. Make sure it has the original charging cable, as some consumers may not trust a charging cable from a third-party.
You should also charge your battery before bringing us your laptop. Many people bring their laptops to pawn shops with weak batteries that can still hold a charge. So, to earn a good price on your laptop, you should arrive with a fully charged battery. This allows us to turn on the laptop to inspect the software as well as the hardware. It will also show us that the battery works, instead of plugging it in for a while and waiting to find out.
If your laptop’s battery cannot hold a charge or drains quickly, you may want to invest in a new laptop battery to raise the value of your laptop. Customers will love knowing their laptop has a brand new battery that’s good for hours of use before the next charge. Let us know if your laptop includes a brand-new battery, as this can increase its worth.
5. Include Access to Valuable Software
Like your laptop’s internal specifications, the inclusion of special software can increase your laptop’s value. While hardware includes the tangible aspects of your laptop, any software includes the programs and functions of the laptop. Some software is expensive and sought out. If you can include any valuable software with your laptop, you may be able to get an even higher loan from the pawn shop.
Your laptop might include subscriptions or access to programs that you can transfer to the new user by providing key codes with the laptop. Or, you may own purchased programs that you no longer use. Find out if there is a way to transfer ownership of these programs to the next owner. Both avenues for including software with your laptop can increase the laptop’s value.
Some programs that could raise the value of your laptop include the following:
- Audio programs: Programs like Ableton, Pro Tools and FL Studio can be expensive, but they’re some of the best programs for audio recording and engineering.
- Games: If you include access to video games on your gaming laptop, it could merit a higher resale value for interested gamers.
- Photography and video: Adobe programs cost a lot of money, but they’re the industry standard for photo and video editing.
- Writing, work and education: Microsoft Word and the entire Microsoft Office Suite are essential to professionals, students and full-time writers alike. Include these programs in your laptop to raise its value.
