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Buying on Ebay

R

RobLaw

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 1, 2010
2
0
Hello, I am considering buying a new iMac ... or possibly a Mac Pro. I have seen some exceptional deals on Ebay on new macs with AppleCare warranties from resellers with 100% feedback. So, I wanted to know if anyone who has bought a new or even used Mac on Ebay could share their experience.

The way I see it, if you can get a iMac w/ a 2.8 i7, 2TB HD and 16gb of ram for around $3,000 (and even less if you use the bing.com deal) then why wouldn't you buy on Ebay?

Also, I wanted to know if they AppleCare warranty is still recognized by Apple even though the Mac has been resold?
 
I would go with extreme caution, I recently had a very bad experience trying to buy a mac on ebay, the seller turned out to be totally fraudulent, I paid, but never received my computer, luckily, I got a refund, ebay opened a case for me & refunded me through paypal. some things to look out for; make sure the seller has a lot of ratings, I would not consider someone with less than 100 ratings, even if they are 100% positive. Look at their profile, click on it, see what other items they are selling, in my case, & did not realize, when I looked at my sellers profile, the only other things they had were DVD's. That should tip you off, if they are not selling other similar items. You can type in the specific model of mac you are looking for to be sure you look at what you want, look for top rated sellers, US only, etc. Read the seller's descriptions carefully, compare them to the apple store specs, ask the seller questions, like do they have the original receipt, this is better, if you want to get apple care if they do not include it. look carefully at the photos they provide, I think their own personal photos is better than just a small stock photo. you have to be careful, there can be all sorts of schemes going on, another important & critical info is the individual serial number of the computer, you want this, & dont want it tampered with, someone can change it or remove it & put the computer in a different box, someone could selling a stolen computer. "New & sealed, new & unopened" is preferable.

For me, I only going to buy from authorized apple resellers.
 
Yes, be careful. I would only consider sellers with ratings above 99.5%. In addition to the percent and number of ratings, look at how long the seller has been on Ebay. Finally, confirm how the seller will pack the computer, and whether any type of damage insurance will protect you.
 
Usually, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

That being said, I have bought several Macs on eBay with no major issues. Find a good reliable seller selling for a good (but reasonable) price, pay with PayPal and a credit card, and usually everything will be OK.

Oh, and as far as I know, the Bing Cashback deal is no more for eBay. I can't get it to work at all now... if you know what I'm doing wrong, let me know. :)
 
I agree with everyone. You should take extreme caution when purchasing online. I found a couple ridiculously good deals on a mbp when I was shopping for one online. Found out that people never got their computer after they ordered.

I ended purchasing my mbp off of craigslist for a extremely good price. But I got the chance to inspect it in person and turn it on to make sure everything worked.
 
js81 said:
Usually, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

That being said, I have bought several Macs on eBay with no major issues. Find a good reliable seller selling for a good (but reasonable) price, pay with PayPal and a credit card, and usually everything will be OK.

Oh, and as far as I know, the Bing Cashback deal is no more for eBay. I can't get it to work at all now... if you know what I'm doing wrong, let me know. :)
Click to expand...
Bing Cashback is shutting down. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/931987/
 
I got my Unibody Macbook Pro off ebay. It was only a month old and I got the Bing cashback which was awesome. This is not to say that I wasn't scared to death from the moment I paid for it until I received it and booted it up. Make sure you're protected through paypal as well as your credit card if you do end up getting something off ebay.
 
js81 said:
LOL, figures... Bing Cashback was one of the "too good to be true" things in my opinion. 8% off on eBay for NOTHING? Yeah, too good to be true - but at least it was real while it lasted... :eek:
Click to expand...

I guess you didn't get in on the 30%+ offers that were there when it started?
 
I sold my first gen MBA on eBay. Some things I did to make buyers feel more comfortable (and something maybe to look for) was a LOT of pictures, no "buy it now" (things on eBay sell for what they're worth most times due to the number of buyers who up the price if it's too good of a deal) and I posted my email address on there for buyers to contact me directly should they need anything.

Of course, that doesn't always mean success, but many of the other tips in here are very good to follow as well.
 
I thinking getting a Mac on eBay is safe if you use caution and common sense. Look for a seller who was great feedback and who has a history of selling the type of item you want.

Often you see a seller who is fairly new to eBay selling a high end item for really cheap. When you look at their feedback it has a short history and is 100% positive but it is item they have bought ... often private items (such as $.01 pictures or what not use to build feedback). These people are the scammers who give buying on eBay a bad name.

Stick with someone with a history of selling high ticket item especially with 100% positive feedback and you should be ok.
 
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