Is it safe to buy a MacBook from ebay?

[iboy38]

I really want a MacBook but I can't afford to buy a brand new one is is it a good idea to buy a used white or black one from Ebay? Has anyone done this before???

[Drewsky87]

I really want a MacBook but I can't afford to buy a brand new one is is it a good idea to buy a used white or black one from Ebay? Has anyone done this before???
It's different with every seller, just be cautious is all anyone can tell you. Have you looked at the referb store? May not be as cheap as ebay but they're good quality and come with the warranty.

[iboy38]

It's different with every seller, just be cautious is all anyone can tell you. Have you looked at the referb store? May not be as cheap as ebay but they're good quality and come with the warranty.

yeah, even the referb store is too expensive for me:( (I'm 16 BTW). You think I'll be able to buy one for about $600?

[pellets007]

Buy from a reputable dealer. Make sure they give you plenty of information and pictures. Make sure that you get the serial number to look up the warranty as well.

[Mintin8]

Just remember to look at the sellers feedback etc. There is a lot of scammers on ebay now.

[AlexStenberg]

I was originally going to get a macbook off of ebay, but I decided to just save up some more and get a new one...best choice I could have made.

16 is old enough to get a job, so go get one and start saving.

[tayloralmond]

Well do you have to have a macbook? You could buy a mac mini, which has the same specs as the new macbooks for around 600 brand new. Just plug up some PC peripherals (monitor, mouse, keyboard, etc.) and you'd be good to go.

[J&JPolangin]

...get a job and ask your parents to loan you the rest of the $$ you need until you can get a few paychecks rolling it to pay them back.

[shoppy]

If you buy from ebay meet up with the seller of pick up in person, I have brought a few in the past and savings can be substantial.

[war eagle]

Just read feedback. 1000+ positives is usually a good thing.

[silverblack]

... not just the # of position feedback, more importantly, a few (3+) positive recently feedback from those that bought Macbooks from this seller.

[hoffmant]

If you do your research and are careful, sure. It's probably always going to be a bit of a gamble, though.

I bought mine from eBay last fall. I watched for a couple of weeks and bought one that looked safe. I got it when MS Live was offering 30% cashback if you used their search and PayPal, too, so I got $200 off the asking price. Turned out to be an incredibly sweet deal--a 1-year old 2.0GHz blackbook for just over $500.

[bobriot]

I scoured ebay for a while and for all the work you would have to put into buying a half decent MB and all the uncertainty you would have as to it's reliability I would advise against purchasing from ebay. Plus it's not actually that cheap, a 5 year old mac for £300 - £450 is not 'cheap'.

I can barley believe I am typing this but consider a cheap (new) laptop with a good distro of linux if you are really that stuck.

The refurb store is still by far the best way to becoming a mac owner on a budget. Two of my machines come from there and they are 'brand' new.


Let us know how you get on.

BR

[ntrigue]

I've only had outstanding experiences. I've bought a MBA, MBP, and a Mini on eBay as well as countess Applecare.

Be smart. Be willing to pay $20 more for someone with 100% feedback and 40+ sales.

[ddeadserious]

I just bought this guy off eBay, been using it for a week.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=250400673707

Don't regret it one bit, the auction was clear on the scratches, and it's otherwise in great shape and works well.

[miles01110]

I scoured ebay for a while and for all the work you would have to put into buying a half decent MB and all the uncertainty you would have as to it's reliability I would advise against purchasing from ebay. Plus it's not actually that cheap, a 5 year old mac for £300 - £450 is not 'cheap'.


The Macbooks aren't quite 3 years old yet...

[dubhe]

I sell all of my used Macs on eBay, and this year that included a MacBook, a Mac mini and also my iPod classic. There are a lot of trustworthy sellers, check the feedback and also the kind of things that seller usually sells (search for completed listings from that seller if not displayed in feedback) if the seller (like me) buys and sells different things and not bulk quantities of the same thing then it should be Ok. By that I mean I would prefer to buy a MacBook from a genuine private seller selling his own laptop than one from a business who 'reconditions' or otherwise turns around computers they have not cherished for the past number of years.

[Darkroom]

i think it's a safer route to buy a refurbished mac from the apple store online. comes with warranty and super fast free shipping too.

[clyde2801]

If you buy off of ebay, make sure you do it through a credit card that has fraud protection-paypal only goes up to $200-$300 in protection.

Give your parents the money, and have them buy it with their card.

Another option is to keep an eye on craigslist if you live anywhere near a large area. For about that price you should be able to pick up a macbook of some type.

[Cassie]

I bought both my iBook and eMac off of eBay. No problems with the iBook after a year. (I've only had the eMac for about a month, but no problems there yet either.)

BTW, an iBook or PowerBook might be something to consider if you're looking for something cheaper, and don't use real intensive apps like Photoshop and the like.

But anyway, you should be safe in buying from eBay as long as you use common sense and be a little cautious.