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Ebay logic: don't buy, sell!!

P

psymac

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 17, 2002
550
164
Just can't believe the prices for Mac desktops on Ebay, especially the current Mac models. While you can probably get a good deal on a two year or older Mac, the newer ones are selling for ridiculous prices!!

Browse for example the Mac Mini on Ebay, and you'll see the Mini core 2 duo selling for about $500 (average of completed auctions). Then you've got to add Leopard for $90, and now your out $590. For $25 LESS, from Macmall, you can buy the same Mac Mini with Leopard, iLife 08, a free printer, and free Parallels!!!

It just seems to make sense then to sell, not buy, on Ebay!
 
True. Besides that, it's a lot harder to get scammed if you're dealing with a 3rd party reseller (ie, a company) than if you're dealing with an anonymous figure on eBay.
 
in my experience, ebay is a terrible place to buy anything that's new. its good for rare items, collectibles, items that aren't made anymore, that kind of thing, but almost everything else you can find cheaper elsewhere online with much better assurances you won't get ripped off. New items usually go for their regular retail cost, plus usually exorbitant shipping fees. For used items, I have had much better success with craigslist.
 
I once tracked Airport Express auctions for a few weeks on eBay. In the end, once you include shipping, they all sold for just about the refurbished price from Apple. At the same price, I'd rather deal with Apple directly rather than take a chance on some random person on eBay.

Of course, if you are looking for a two year old iMac, you may not have much of a choice unless you are lucky enough to see one on your local Craigslist.
 
I was at a bankruptcy liquidation sale last month, where used Mac equipment was going for waay too much. People were bidding $100 more for 30" ADCs than they cost NEW off the Apple Store, PLUS you'd need to pay a 10% mark-up in auction fees. I wanted to shout "That's more than you pay new, morons!", but I was afraid they'd mistake that for a bid.
 
I've seen white iMacs going for the RRP, completely disregarding the fact for the same price (or cheaper!) you could get you one of the aluminum iMacs

A Mac mini 1.8ghz with 2gb RAM going for £700, although it did include a monitor, still, an iMac is only £100 more...

Various old versions of keyboards going for up too £35

Powermac G5's for around £1400 with terrible specs (64mb graphics cards, 512mb ram etc)

The whole apple section is ridiculously overpriced, iMac G3's can still fetch up to £125! It's stupid
 
Schtumple said:
I've seen white iMacs going for the RRP, completely disregarding the fact for the same price (or cheaper!) you could get you one of the aluminum iMacs

A Mac mini 1.8ghz with 2gb RAM going for £700, although it did include a monitor, still, an iMac is only £100 more...

Various old versions of keyboards going for up too £35

Powermac G5's for around £1400 with terrible specs (64mb graphics cards, 512mb ram etc)

The whole apple section is ridiculously overpriced, iMac G3's can still fetch up to £125! It's stupid
Click to expand...

Collectibility, nostalgia, personal preference, these factors drive the price up. It's not all about specs
 
eBay bidding in general is more testicular and less cranially-based.

I've been bidding on a lot of photographic gear lately, and I see people paying 15%-25% over new retail for used, dinged-up stuff. Canon 50mm 1.8 (plastic, not metal), going for $125-$150, available brand new (street) for $70. Silly, seat-of-the-pants bidding is just ridiculous.

My rule is, if sale price + shipping <= street price new * .75, then I go for it. Over that, screw it, I might as well get it new with warrantee. Also, occasionally I'll bid stupid low on a range of items, occasionally one slips by and I get a steal.
 
psymac said:
Just can't believe the prices for Mac desktops on Ebay, especially the current Mac models. While you can probably get a good deal on a two year or older Mac, the newer ones are selling for ridiculous prices!!

Browse for example the Mac Mini on Ebay, and you'll see the Mini core 2 duo selling for about $500 (average of completed auctions). Then you've got to add Leopard for $90, and now your out $590. For $25 LESS, from Macmall, you can buy the same Mac Mini with Leopard, iLife 08, a free printer, and free Parallels!!!

It just seems to make sense then to sell, not buy, on Ebay!
Click to expand...

uh, add leopard for zero. it should be a drop in by now?
 
I just saw an eight gig iPhone go for 600 dollars... I guess some people haven't heard of the price drop :rolleyes: I think I might buy and sell some at a 200 dollar profit :p
 
eBay right now is especially high (being the week before xmas).

I held on to my 3-yr old iBook G4 (w/ only Panther) for 6 weeks to sell it so that I could post it for last minute xmas shoppers--and got near $600 for it.

To me, the biggest problem with eBay is that so many people sell software without install discs.
Edit/Clarification: Software installed on hardware.
 
This reminds me that I need to get off my butt and sell my G4 Quicksilver PowerMac. I'm probably going to eBay it, but I might try Craigslist first so I don't have to deal with shipping it.
 
Dimwhit said:
This reminds me that I need to get off my butt and sell my G4 Quicksilver PowerMac. I'm probably going to eBay it, but I might try Craigslist first so I don't have to deal with shipping it.
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but if you ebay it you can do like a lot of sellers and charge twice as much for shipping as it actually costs you and make more money that way.
 
jnc said:
Collectibility, nostalgia, personal preference, these factors drive the price up. It's not all about specs
Click to expand...

Actually there are different ways people want to pay more, in addition to those mentioned.
1: they are addicted to bidding and trying to win
2: they do not intend to buy the items
3: they are scammers trying to get some items shipped before they get caught

Ebay and PayPal fees combine = about 7% cost for an item under $1000, so the costs are high.
 
mrkramer said:
but if you ebay it you can do like a lot of sellers and charge twice as much for shipping as it actually costs you and make more money that way.
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When sellers do this I refuse to pay it. Unless they specifically state within the auction a HANDLING fee, it is 90% against ebays selling rules.

They dont take fees from shipping costs, so lots of "businesses" use it as a way to maximize profits.

If you KNOW something will cost X to ship, dont pay more than $5 > X

If you won and they ask for exorbitant shipping fees, dont pay until you work it out. Let em know its against policy to overcharge on shipping, that typically gets em moving.
 
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