Buying my work laptop from my employer

[veri745]

My current employer (small company) purchased a 13" Macbook Pro (early 2015) a little over a year ago for me to use in my current role. I am now leaving the company, and my boss asked me to estimate the value of it if I wanted to keep it after I left. I'm interested in keeping the laptop, but I'm not sure what I should offer to pay. It looks like they go for $700-850 on eBay.

Has anyone else bought a laptop from their employer? What should I pay for it?

 

[solidstar]

For that matter, I guess depreciation value counts. To give you an idea on how much is the value of your laptop at the latest is to find and check its cost at any trading company like this one: http://www.trademe.co.nz

 

[manly]

I like deals, so I'd offer at the low end of the eBay listings. Or maybe slightly higher if you've kept it in immaculate condition. The 2015 13" rMBP is a great laptop but considered a bit chunky by today's supermodel thin standards.

More importantly, the RAM and storage configuration would be a huge factor to me. 8 GB RAM is standard, but 16 is preferred. I probably would not even consider buying it with 256 GB storage, although I might for a low ball price. RAM cannot be upgraded, while the PCI-e storage is a small module that is proprietary. So it's sort of upgradeable.

What you should pay for it depends on market value, and what it's worth to you and to your boss.

 

[Gardener]

Good advice from the previous posters. How does your boss usually dispose of used equipment? I doubt they get anywhere near the used retail value of the item.

The question is what can they get for it. Minimally if they sold it on ebay there would be fees, shipping, and the hassle factor. That should shave at least $100 off any comparable listing.

Kudos to your boss asking you to set the price, you are in a better position when they tell you what they are willing to sell it for.

 

[veri745]

Thanks all. I think I'm going to say I am willing to pay $400-500 for the laptop. I can also pitch the advantage of leaving my current development environment in place in case they want to contract out any hours to me in the future.

 

[Red Squirrel]

One good thing about buying it is since you were probably the sole user anyway you know how it's been treated/used. So if you were planing to spend that money on something else anyway, may as well try to get that one.

 

[holden j caufield]

Businesses don't really care too much about the expense of the laptop as Seinfeld would say they write it off or at least the depreciation. Offer $500, $400 if he he really likes you, it's a nice round number that doesn't sound like a complete lowball.

Our company had perfectly useable equipment maybe 5-6 years old and they just put in all on a pallet sans hard drives and off to ewaste. Then they buy new $1300 laptops for accounting and all they do is email, excel and accounts payable/receivable. I told them if they just upgraded to ssd those 6 year old i5 are the same for email and excel as the new ones.