Are you not supposed to hand out serial numbers to potential buyers?

[ramram55]

There is no way you could find out if its stolen item or not maybe later on cops show up. Honest ebay sellers always posted a receipt. If i were seller, i would post receipt and grab a pic of apple store online checkout with specs. I would not give out serial# if i were you.

if someone does not want and unwilling to show the receipt on Ebay and willing to disclose serial number. Still not an honest seller ? One safeguard is get the serial number and will clear all the doubts.
We can debate this issue till the cows come home, I had bad experience with a seller who sold me a mbp, got the serial # and end up different serial # on the item, what a day light robbery that was.

 

[wrinkster22]

IMO an honest seller would give it. If it was stolen it could have been reported.

 

[ramram55]

IMO an honest seller would give it. If it was stolen it could have been reported.

definitely, it is the rules of buying an item that you got to protect yourself.

 

[hollowplayer]

if someone does not want and unwilling to show the receipt on Ebay and willing to disclose serial number. Still not an honest seller ? One safeguard is get the serial number and will clear all the doubts.
We can debate this issue till the cows come home, I had bad experience with a seller who sold me a mbp, got the serial # and end up different serial # on the item, what a day light robbery that was.

Not logical, serial# could be easily obtained. Receipt is not. Honest sellers give out receipt not serial#, IMO serial# is useless.

 

[Astroboy907]

Not logical, serial# could be easily obtained. Receipt is not. Honest sellers give out receipt not serial#, IMO serial# is useless.

Quite true, but in many cases a serial is better than nothing. If the owner is the single, original owner always ask for a receipt. But once that laptop has been resold once, the receipt is likely not going with it.