Buying used laptops and computers works simply with us: you bring the device to one of our three shops or a courier picks it up, we inspect it, tell you what it’s worth, and if we agree, you get paid on the spot. No waiting for a buyer to “get in touch,” no haggling with strangers through classified ads, and no risk of someone not paying you. In this article I’ll walk through the whole process, along with the questions people ask us most — whether they should even sell, or repair instead.
First, an honest question: sell or repair?
We’ve been doing computer repairs for years, so every day someone brings in a laptop to sell and we tell them not to. It sounds strange for a repair shop to talk people out of selling, but there’s no point in us buying a machine that would serve its owner for another three or four years with a small repair.
When repair is worth it
- The laptop is slow, but the hardware is healthy. If the machine has a decent processor but is struggling because of an old drive or too little memory, swapping the drive for an SSD and adding RAM often brings it back to life. That’s the most common situation we see — someone thinks their laptop is “no good for anything anymore,” but the problem is the drive.
- There’s one specific fault. A cracked screen, a worn-out battery, a keyboard after spilled coffee, a charger with a loose connection — these are all repairs that cost a fraction of the device’s value, not the whole value. You can see what each service costs on our price list.
- You’re used to the machine and everything works for you. If your laptop covers everything you do, a new device mostly brings you cost, not improvement.
When selling is worth it
- The repair would cost close to the device’s value. On older machines, a motherboard or graphics fault can be the point past which investing makes no sense. In that case it’s more honest to sell it for parts or as used, and put that money toward something newer.
- The device has outgrown your needs — or the other way around. You bought a more powerful laptop, the old one sits in a drawer and loses value every month. Used electronics don’t age like wine; the longer you wait, the less it’s worth.
- A company is upgrading its equipment. With businesses this is the most common scenario: ten or fifteen computers are being replaced, and the old ones take up storage space. Buying up a larger quantity at once solves both the space and the paperwork.
If you’re not sure which group you’re in, bring the device by or give us a call — the inspection and valuation don’t commit you to anything. We’ll tell you openly what we’d do if it were ours.
How a laptop or computer is valued
There’s no secret formula, but there are clear criteria. When a device lands on our bench, we look at three things.
1. Configuration
The processor is the first and most important factor — the processor’s generation and class practically determine which “tier” the device falls into. After that we look at the amount and type of memory, whether the drive is an SSD or a classic one, what the graphics are like, and the screen resolution. Two laptops from the same year of manufacture can differ in value several times over just because of their configuration.
2. Condition
Here we don’t just mean scratches. We test the battery (how much capacity is left compared to factory), the screen (dead pixels, spots, hinges), the keyboard, and the ports. We open the device and check whether it has been exposed to liquid, whether someone tinkered with it before us, and what condition the cooling is in. A clean, serviced laptop with a well-preserved battery always does better than the same model that ran clogged with dust on a blanket for years.
3. Age and demand
The year of manufacture alone doesn’t mean much — what matters more is how sought-after the model is. Business lines from well-known manufacturers hold their value longer because they’re easy to resell and parts are easy to find. Exotic models or devices whose support ran out long ago are worth less, no matter how good they look.
I’m deliberately not putting figures here: the price depends on the combination of all three factors and shifts with the market, so any number in this text would be wrong within a month. You get a concrete offer only once we see the device — and that offer stands, with no lowering the price afterward.
What buyback with us looks like, step by step
- Get in touch or drop by. We have three shops in Belgrade — two in New Belgrade (near the Arena and near the Piramida) and one near the Botanical Garden. You can bring the device directly, and if coming by doesn’t suit you, we arrange a courier to pick up the laptop or computer at your address. Contact details are on the contact page.
- Inspection and valuation. A technician tests the device — configuration, battery, screen, drives, ports. When you bring it into the shop, the valuation is usually done by the time you finish your coffee; for a larger number of devices or more complicated machines, we get back to you the same or next day.
- The offer. We tell you a concrete amount and explain how we arrived at it. If it doesn’t suit you — no problem, the device is waiting for you and we return it in the condition it arrived in.
- Payout. If we agree, payment goes out immediately, along with a buyback receipt. For businesses we also handle bulk equipment buyback with all the accompanying documentation.
We buy laptops, desktop computers, and often individual components too — monitors, graphics cards, memory. The device doesn’t have to be working: faulty machines have value through parts too, the amount is just different.
Essential before handover: save and wipe your data
This is the part people most often skip, and they shouldn’t. On your laptop’s drive there are years of photos, documents, saved passwords, and tax returns. Before you hand the device over to anyone — us, a buyer from a classified ad, a relative — do two things:
- Backup. Move everything that matters to you onto an external drive or to the cloud. Also check the folders you easily forget: Desktop, Downloads, saved emails, files from your invoicing software. Once the device changes owners, it’s too late for “oh no, I left something on there.”
- Data wiping. Simply deleting files and emptying the recycle bin usually isn’t enough — data can be recovered from the drive with recovery tools. We do this ourselves, so we know how much “deleted” material can be pulled back; we’ve written more about it on our page about data recovery. For secure wiping you need to do a full system reinstall with formatting or a secure overwrite of the drive.
If you don’t know how, it’s not a problem — before the buyback we can move your data onto an external drive together and securely wipe the drive in front of you. It matters to us that the device moves on clean, both for your sake and for the next owner’s.
Why sell to a repair shop rather than through classified ads?
Through classified ads you might squeeze out a bit more money — it’s fair to say that. But factor in the other side too: weeks of waiting, messaging with people who are “definitely coming tomorrow,” haggling down to half the agreed price once they show up, and the risk of a buyer asking for their money back three days later because “something doesn’t work.” With us the transaction is done in a single day, the device has been professionally inspected so there are no later complaints against you, and it’s clear exactly what you handed over and what you received.
Frequently asked questions
Do you buy faulty laptops too?
Yes. A faulty device is worth less, but it’s worth something — through parts or a repair with us. Bring it in or send it by courier; the valuation costs nothing.
How long does the valuation take and when do I get the money?
For a single device brought into the shop, the valuation is usually done on the spot, with payment immediately once we agree. For multiple devices or shipping by courier, we get back to you with an offer the same or next business day.
What if the offer doesn’t suit me?
Nothing — we return the device to you at no cost or obligation. The valuation is informational and doesn’t commit you to selling.
Do you have to wipe my data or do I do it myself?
You can do it yourself, and we can too: before the buyback we move your files onto an external drive and securely wipe the drive. For details on why simple deletion isn’t enough, see our page about data recovery.
Have a laptop or computer to sell? Get in touch — tell us the model and condition, and we’ll arrange whether you bring it into the shop or we send a courier. The valuation is free, the offer is concrete, and the payout is immediate.