The short answer is as soon as you know you are replacing it. A laptop sitting in a drawer loses value every month and gains nothing, and the money is more useful in the next machine.
The longer answer is that laptop values do not fall evenly. They drop around specific events, and a few of those are predictable. If you have some flexibility, selling before them rather than after can make a real difference.
Windows 10 support has ended
Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025. Laptops that cannot officially run Windows 11 no longer receive security updates unless their owners pay for extended updates, and second-hand buyers have become much more cautious about them.
Windows 11 officially supports Intel 8th gen processors and newer. Our own rule for consumer laptops is stricter: we buy Intel 10th gen and newer. That is a business decision based on what second-hand buyers want and how long those laptops will stay useful, rather than a Windows rule. Business ThinkPads and EliteBooks are the exception, and we still price them from 8th gen.
If your laptop is a 10th or 11th gen machine, it is now close to the floor of what buyers want. It will not get more valuable from here.
New processor generations
Every time a new Intel or AMD generation reaches shops, the previous ones move down a step. Business and consumer Windows laptops are valued largely by generation, so each launch pushes older machines further down the line.
The step is not instant. It shows up over the following months, as the new laptops reach shelves and fleets begin refreshing to them.
Apple chip launches
MacBooks hold their value well, but they still drop around Apple's launches. When a new M-series chip arrives in a MacBook Air or Pro, the previous model becomes the older one overnight, and buyers wait to see what happens to prices.
If you are upgrading to a new MacBook anyway, selling the old one in the weeks before a launch rather than after usually works in your favour.
Lease returns and company refreshes
Many companies replace laptops on a cycle of about three years, often matched to lease terms and warranty periods. When a large batch of one model comes back at once, the second-hand market fills with the same machine.
This mostly affects business laptops such as ThinkPads, EliteBooks and Latitudes. If you own a business model that companies have been buying in bulk, selling before a wave of identical lease returns arrives is better than selling in the middle of it.
Back to school and university
In South Africa, the school and university year starts in January and February, and demand for affordable laptops rises in the weeks before. Students and parents shop for value, which suits business laptops, consumer laptops and entry gaming machines.
Selling in late November or December means your laptop is in the market when that demand arrives. Black Friday can have the opposite effect, because new laptop discounts make second-hand ones look less attractive for a few weeks.
When not to wait
Waiting for a better moment only works if the laptop is in use and still in good condition. A battery wears whether the laptop is used or not, hinges and screens do not improve in a drawer, and every month adds to the gap between your laptop and the current generation.
If you know you are replacing it, get a price now. The calculator gives you today's offer in about a minute, and if you go ahead, payment is made within 5 working days of your offer being confirmed.
The short version
Laptops lose value in steps: when new processor generations and Apple chips launch, when lease returns flood the market, and as Windows support moves on. Windows 11 officially supports Intel 8th gen and newer, but our consumer laptop cut-off is 10th gen as a business decision. The best time to sell is usually as soon as you know you are replacing it, and ideally before the next launch.