Buying MacBooks on Facebook Marketplace

MacBooks are high-value items, which means scammers put more effort into their schemes. But properly vetted deals can save you $500-1000 compared to Apple refurbished. Here’s how to buy with confidence.

Apple Silicon vs Intel: This is the big one

This single factor affects value more than anything else right now.

Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4):

• Dramatically faster, incredible battery life, runs cool and quiet
• Full support for current and future macOS
• Worth paying more for

Intel (2020 and earlier):

• Still functional for basic tasks
• May lose macOS support in coming years
• Significantly cheaper—can be solid value if you know the limitations

How to check: Apple menu (top left) → About This Mac → Chip

Shows “Intel Core i5/i7/i9”? It’s Intel. Shows “Apple M1/M2/M3/M4”? It’s Apple Silicon.

Our take: Unless you’re on a tight budget for basic tasks, go Apple Silicon. The performance and battery life difference is substantial.

The butterfly keyboard problem

MacBook Pro 2016-2019 and MacBook 12” used the “butterfly keyboard”—and it’s notorious for:

• Sticky or unresponsive keys
• Keys that repeat or don’t register
• Repairs costing $300-700

Test it thoroughly:

1. Open TextEdit or Notes
2. Type every key multiple times
3. Pay special attention to spacebar, E, R, T keys (most common failures)
4. Listen for any keys that sound different or feel sticky

If you’re buying a butterfly keyboard model, the price should reflect the risk. Or look for ones that had the keyboard replaced under Apple’s free program (ask for proof).

Battery health: Check the cycle count

MacBook batteries are rated for 1000 cycles before hitting 80% capacity.

How to check:

1. Apple menu → About This Mac → More Info → System Report
2. Click “Power” in the left sidebar
3. Find “Cycle Count” under Battery Information

Cycle Count	What it means
Under 100	Excellent—basically new battery
100-300	Very good
300-500	Good—plenty of life left
500-800	Fair—budget for replacement in 1-2 years
800-1000+	Battery likely degraded, factor in $199 replacement

Also check “Condition”—should say “Normal” not “Service Recommended.”

Verify the specs yourself

Sellers misrepresent specs constantly. Always verify in person.

Apple menu → About This Mac shows:

• Model year and name
• Chip (M1, M2, Intel i7, etc.)
• Memory (RAM)
• Startup disk (SSD size)

If the listing says “16GB RAM, 512GB SSD” but About This Mac shows 8GB/256GB, you’re being scammed. This happens more than you’d think.

Common misrepresentations we see:

• Listing storage as RAM (“16GB” when they mean storage)
• “MacBook Pro 2020” when it’s actually 2019
• “1TB” drive that’s actually 512GB + they’re including an external

Run Apple Diagnostics

This built-in tool checks for hardware issues. Takes 2-3 minutes.

How to run it:

1. Shut down the MacBook
2. Turn it on and immediately hold the D key
3. Wait for diagnostics to complete
4. Note any error codes

What the codes mean:

• ADP000: No issues found—good to go
• PPF/PPR codes: Power or battery issues
• VDC/VDH codes: Display problems
• NDC/NDD codes: Camera issues

Any error code means potential repair costs. Look up the specific code before deciding.

Display issues to watch for

Flexgate (2016-2018 Pro): The display cable wears out over time, causing:

• Bright spots at the bottom of the screen (“stage lighting”)
• Display flickering when opening/closing the lid
• Eventually, complete display failure

Open and close the laptop several times while watching the screen carefully.

Staingate (anti-reflective coating): The screen coating can wear off, leaving blotchy patches. Common on 2013-2018 models. It’s cosmetic but annoying if you’re picky.

Dead pixels: Open pure white and pure black images. Look for pixels that stay the wrong color.

Activation Lock

MacBooks with T2 chip (2018+) and all Apple Silicon Macs support Activation Lock.

Check it:

1. System Settings → Apple ID
2. If signed into someone else’s account, they need to sign out
3. After signout: Erase All Content and Settings
4. Verify no Activation Lock appears during setup

For older Macs: Check System Settings → Apple ID → iCloud → Find My Mac. If enabled, they need to disable it before selling.

What’s a fair price?

Early 2026 Marketplace prices for good condition:

Model	Good Condition
MacBook Air 15” (M3)	$1100-1300
MacBook Air 13” (M3)	$900-1050
MacBook Air 13” (M2)	$700-850
MacBook Air 13” (M1)	$550-700
MacBook Pro 16” (M3 Pro)	$1800-2200
MacBook Pro 14” (M3 Pro)	$1400-1700
MacBook Pro 14” (M3)	$1200-1400
MacBook Pro 14” (M1 Pro)	$1000-1200
Intel MacBook Pro 16”	$600-900
Intel MacBook Air	$300-500

Prices for base configs. Add $100-200 for RAM/storage upgrades.

The sweet spot: M1 MacBook Air. Still excellent performance in 2026, and prices have come down nicely.

Your meeting checklist

Bring:

• Your own charger (verify charging works)
• A USB-C device to test ports
• Headphones to test audio jack
• WiFi network to connect to (or hotspot)

Test:

• About This Mac matches the listing
• Battery cycle count
• Every keyboard key
• Trackpad (all areas respond, Force Touch works)
• Display (dead pixels, flexgate, coating wear)
• All ports
• Speakers and headphone jack
• WiFi connectivity
• Apple Diagnostics (no errors)
• Activation Lock is disabled

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Analyzing a MacBook listing? Spottable AI for Chrome verifies pricing for the actual specs, flags suspicious sellers, and spots scam patterns—before you make the trip.