• Condition: We stress being honest and accurate when selling your laptop online. If you are making a listing for eBay, Amazon, or even locally to sell your laptop yourself, you should mention every scratch or dent the laptop has. If you don't, expect the person who purchases the laptop to complain, or even ask for a return for a full refund. Being accurate in the condition of your laptop removes a lot of stress and uncertainty in selling your laptop online, even if it reduces the value of your quote.

• Windows/OS is activated: Make sure that before you sell a laptop, you ensure that Windows, or any other operating system the laptop uses such as macOS, is properly installed and activated. When someone is looking to buy a laptop, they typically expect it to already have a genuine copy of Windows installed. If it doesn't, this could affect the resale value of your laptop and will need to be mentioned.

• Motherboard issues: When getting an instant quote for your laptop, making sure the device has no motherboard issues is very important. The motherboard is one of the most important parts of your laptop, and having an issue with it could drastically affect your quote. Be sure to check all ports and connections, including the USB and video out ports. Make sure the laptop can connect to WiFi and Bluetooth if it has these capabilities.

• Remove all passwords: When selling your laptop online to places like eBay and Amazon, or locally, make sure you erase all passwords and properly reset the device before shipping. While we do this for you once we receive your laptop, someone else who purchases it may not know how to, and will end up returning the laptop to you. Be sure to check your laptop's BIOS settings to make sure there are no BIOS locks preventing you from changing or updating the BIOS. Many customers will ask about this, and if your BIOS has a password, many will not want to purchase your laptop. You can read HERE about how to access your BIOS.

• Check the display: Before you get an instant quote, or create a listing to sell your laptop online, be sure to check the LCD display for any issues. These issues can include dead/stuck pixels, discolorations like white spots or lines, or blemishes like marks and scratches. Be sure to clean the screen before shipping your laptop to make sure you do not miss any issues. Again, you want to be as accurate as possible in your description, so no one returns the laptop for an issue that wasn't mentioned in the original listing. If you have a screen protector over the display, it may also be a good idea to remove this ahead of time to ensure nothing is hiding underneath.

• Check the battery life: Another important detail people like to know about before buying or selling a laptop online is the laptop's battery life. This can be a great indicator on how long the device was used. There are many free programs on the internet you can quickly download to test this. Also, make sure that the laptop is properly charging when the ac charging adapter is plugged in, and that the dc-jack isn't loose or loses connection when the device is moved around when the charger is plugged in.

• Check the charger: The charger/ ac adapter is often overlooked, but can be a vital deciding factory when selling your laptop online. Be sure your charger has no frayed or exposed wires, and that you have both the adapter and the power cables. Some more expensive laptops, such as gaming laptops, come with very expensive and rare ac adapters, so it is important to include this in your listing or else someone may purchase another listing where one is included.

• Check your hard drive: Hard drives have movable parts, which means they have a much higher chance to fail compared to newer solid state drives. Check to make sure there are no audible noises, like clicking, before you sell a laptop for cash. There are free programs to check this if you do not know how to check if your hard drive is failing. Also make sure to include the hard drive / solid state drives that originally came with the system, or mention in your listing that they were removed.

• Check your memory/RAM: While they do not have movable parts like hard drives, memory can also fail. If you are worried that your memory may be failing, there are free programs to test this, as well as a built in one in Windows you can find by simply searching memory within your start menu. As with hard drives, make sure you include the original amount of memory before selling your laptop online, or mention it was removed in your listing.

• Check everything else: Something else not working right on your laptop? Webcam doesn't work, speakers defective, or sticky keys? Be sure to include this within your listing so that there are no surprises once the buyer receives your laptop. Please note that if you spilled something on your laptop, it may not be a simple issue like sticky keys, and could qualify as liquid damage to your motherboard.

• Always backup your important files before selling your laptop online. Windows has a built in feature to help you accomplish this using the system image backup utility.  Alternatively, simply transfer your important files off the laptop you are looking to sell to a USB or external storage. Always remember to backup your important files before you sell your laptop for cash, as you can't get this information back once your laptop has been reformatted!

• Windows backup:
  • Select the START button, then select CONTROL PANEL > SYSTEM AND MAINTENANCE > BACKUP AND RESTORE.
  • Do one of the following:
    • If you've never used Windows Backup before, or recently upgraded your version of Windows, select SET UP BACKUP, and then follow the steps in the wizard.
    • If you've created a backup before, you can wait for your regularly scheduled back to occur, or you can manually create a new backup by selecting BACK UP NOW.
    • If you've created a backup before, but want to make a new, full backup rather than updating the old one, select CREATE NEW, FULL BACKUP, and then follow the steps in the wizard.
  • Make sure you are not backing up your files to the same laptop and storage device you are selling, as you will no longer have access to these files once you sell the laptop. Always store media used for backups on something like external hard disks, USB flash drives, DVDs, or CDs.
  • Additional information and other ways to backup your information before selling your laptop can be found from Microsoft's website HERE.

• Securely erase everything on your system. If you decide to sell your laptop to us at Sellalaptop, we include this service for free and will factory reset each laptop sent to us. Windows 10/11 also includes a factory reset option built into the operating system. HERE is a quick guide on how to reset your laptop back to factory default settings using Windows 10/11. You can also read about this HERE.

• You’ve created a full backup, saved your personal files, and securely reset your laptop to its factory default settings. Let's find out if we can get you some cash for your laptop. Return to homepage and select the brand of the laptop you are trying to sell to continue to your instant online quote.

Please always sell or recycle your old laptop responsibly. Hopefully, you are already on your way to an instant quote to sell your old laptop. However, if you find yourself in a position where your device is not worth a value or no one wants it, then its time to dispose of it in an environmentally conscious way. In many cases stores around you that sell electronics such as Best Buy will also offer to recycle unwanted devices; you would just need to bring it to the store. Also, you can look into online sources such as Earth911. If you need assistance getting rid of old technology feel free to Contact Us and we will assist you in arranging a responsible disposal of the items.