So, I like to peruse the older, used MBP sales on Ebay and it looks as if the prices of such systems have gotten out of hand. Even a used, parts only MBP (or 2011 / 2012 vintage) have asking prices of > $150 with missing parts, no charger, obviously non-working (at least according to the seller). It seems completely unreasonable that a non-working, missing parts (mass storage, RAM, batter, etc.) system could command such "premium" prices. Is it just me?
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Are Used MBP Prices Out of Hand?
- Thread starter djjeff
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eBay is out of touch with pricing. And I suspect most of the bidding is manipulated to help a lot of sellers get higher prices. I would look elsewhere for a good used Mac. If you have at least 250 posts, this forum has a good marketplace forum.
It's all over the place in my area. I've seen one MP that started at $599 and is now asking $349 right now. The pandemic has increased the demand for laptops but it's also decreased the overall amount of money that people can spend on them or it has created situations where people desperately need cash. The market is just a huge mash of all that. I look but I'm inclined to update with something new. The shiniest coin right now is the MBP 13 with Intel 10th. But I don't need it.
I wouldn't think for parts / repair systems which are typically not useable to this market.
That's a possibility. IMO the prices are out of line. People asking > $150 for systems which have all types of issues, missing parts, don't power on, etc. I can't see paying $175 for a 2012 system which lacks a memory, HD, battery, and all the mounting hardware used to keep it in place.
On the other hand, you can still find some deals if you come across people that don't know the value of what they have and are using Covid to clear out. By far my top 2 finds, all in the last couple of months:
2011 21.5 i5 iMac with busted GPU, £70
2008 Mac Pro 2x3.2Ghz + 20" Apple Cinema Display with dead hard drive, £50
More than likely they're purchased by people tearing them apart to sell the parts. It can be quite profitable considered those parts are hard to source for people who don't want or can afford a new machine.
The systems I've mentioned already had the common (RAM, battery, and HD) parts removed.
A lot are being sold with screen that are cracked, damaged, are showing signs of display issues. I can understand there may be some people who may be interested in these parts but, IMO not enough to significantly drive up prices.
If a machine is selling for $150, any *one* of those can sell for more. You're asking why older problem machines are selling for this amount, this is why.
After recently purchasing one I can say the prices are a bit much, but at the same time this is what the Air is for and rumours of just a "MacBook" make more sense now more than ever. Apple needs a cheaper Mac that can have similar performance to the Pro and smokes a default Air at the same time.
I mean after Covid I don't think people are in a rush to drop thousands on a new MacBook Pro
I mean after Covid I don't think people are in a rush to drop thousands on a new MacBook Pro