Grading info

How our grading works

Confused about grading? We keep it simple. Here is exactly what each grade means, so you can pick the right one for your Mac and get an accurate quote from start to finish.

The four grades

Pick a grade to see what it means

Grades run from excellent, in near-new condition, down to poor. Select a point on the scale to see the full breakdown.

Excellent

Near new

No wear and no permanent marks. The device should look almost new, with only very minimal signs of use, and function perfectly without any faults.

Cosmetics

No wear and no permanent marks. Looks almost new.

Screen

Perfect condition with no marks or blemishes.

Battery

Charges and works under 300 cycle counts.

Working order

Functions perfectly, without any faults.

Good

Light wear

A well looked after item in good condition, fully functional, with a few hairline scratches or edge wear and shiny keys.

Cosmetics

A few hairline scratches or edge wear, and shiny keys.

Screen

No marks on screen, or only very minor marks.

Battery

A good battery under 500 cycle counts.

Working order

Fully functional in day to day use.

Fair

Clearly used

A fully functional item with clear signs of use. This does not include LCDs with physical damage such as being smashed or liquid damaged, and it should have no missing parts.

Cosmetics

Some dents, or heavy wear and scratches. No missing parts.

Screen

Slight defects such as a halo or pressure marks. Not smashed.

Battery

Charges and works under 500 cycle counts.

Working order

Fully functional with no missing parts.

Poor

Screen or major damage

Devices with a screen defect – such as scratches or marks on the display – or a single large cosmetic defect like a big corner dent. The device still works, but the damage means it would be resold rather than refurbished.

Cosmetics

A single major defect, such as a large corner dent, beyond normal wear.

Screen

Visible screen defects such as scratches or marks on the display.

Battery

Poor batteries over 500 cycle counts are acceptable.

Working order

The device still powers on and is fully working.

Good to know

Other things that may influence your quote

A few extra details help us keep your quote accurate. Here is what our team checks alongside the grade.

Battery health

For excellent, good and fair item the battery should work with 500 cycles or less and hold a remaining capacity of at least 80%. If the battery is missing or faulty, the cost of a replacement is deducted from your quote.

No smoke damage

Your item must not be smoke stained or yellowed from cigarettes.

Accessories

Keyboards, mice, trackpads, chargers and cables must be in good working order and good condition for the extra value to be honoured. Poor condition or non-functional items, including rips in cables or dents, will not be paid for.

If the grade does not match

If your item does not match the grade you chose at the quote stage, one of our team will contact you and offer an adjusted price based on our quote value. If the adjusted quote is not acceptable, we will return your unit free of charge.

Bulk sale

Selling in bulk?

We also buy in bulk, and we accept everything. That includes non-working, liquid-damaged or smashed items, which are simply priced as parts. Here is the grading brief we use for bulk lots.

A grade

Very good condition with no permanent marks or scratches on the screen, fully working. The battery should not show a service status such as service now or replace soon.

B grade

Shows light wear, such as hairline scratches, shiny keys or worn keys, is fully working and may have very minor screen marks. The battery should not show a service status.

C grade

Fully functional but clearly used, with dents, heavier wear or minor screen blemishes such as halos or pressure marks, and should be complete. Cracked or liquid-damaged displays are priced as faulty. The battery may show a service now or replace now status.

  • Battery. For A to C items the battery should not be clearly expanded and should hold and take charge. If a battery is missing, we deduct the cost of replacement.
  • Accessories. We pay for keyboards, mice, trackpads, chargers and cables in good working order and good cosmetic condition. Damaged or non-functional items, such as torn cables or dents, are classed as faulty.
  • Grade mismatch. When your declared grade does not match our assessment, we send an adjusted offer based on the same grading rules. A fair and accurate assessment is essential to our business model.
  • Free returns. If you are not happy with the revised quote you do not have to accept it. Reject it and we ship the devices back to you completely free of charge.

Bulk listing template

Download our Excel template. Each cell has a dropdown of the most common, known Mac specifications, so filling it in correctly is quick and easy.

Download the template

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