Found an affordable 256GB SSD on Craigslist. How do I test this out?

[petrucci666]

There's a listing for a 256GB SSD for MBA close to where I live, he's offering it for $200.

It's not dirt cheap, but still it's fairly cheap. How do I test this out to see if it's not something faulty or fake?

He also sent me a photo of it and it will fit into the MBA because it apparently came from an MBA.


All my Craigslist dealings have been positive so far, never had trouble.

 

[shenan1982]

There's a listing for a 256GB SSD for MBA close to where I live, he's offering it for $200.

It's not dirt cheap, but still it's fairly cheap. How do I test this out to see if it's not something faulty or fake?

He also sent me a photo of it and it will fit into the MBA because it apparently came from an MBA.


All my Craigslist dealings have been positive so far, never had trouble.

I saw the same thing here in SF ... turned out it was the slower SSD from the first-gen MB Air, and it was pulled from a MB Air, and had no warranty or return policy.

If you have a 128 or 64gb, why don't you just buy the 256gb and then sell the old model? That's what I ended up doing. I got the 1.8ghz brand new on CL for $1200 and sold my 1.6ghz 128gb for $1050, so $150 net upgrade cost. Obviously YMMV but it's possible if you look hard enough, especially end of month when people get desperate to make their rent, lol

 

[Panch0]

You could get a drive enclosure to plug the drive into to verify that it works, but the only one I found was expensive...

Micro SATA Enclosure at OWC

If you already have a SATA enclosure that you can use, there is an adapter:
here

Using such an enclosure would allow you to connect the drive to your own Air via USB and verify the size & that everything is at least in nominally working order.

Or you could just talk to the seller. Probably bought a brand new Air and then dropped in a 480GB replacement drive like this one - although why would you buy the 256GB from Apple if you were planning to do that?

 

[shenan1982]

Or you could just talk to the seller. Probably bought a brand new Air and then dropped in a 480GB replacement drive like this one - although why would you buy the 256GB from Apple if you were planning to do that?

Exactly. I'd bet it was the original slower SSD, or something pulled from a dead (ie water damage) MB Air. There's no logical explanation as to why someone would be selling a current gen 256gb drive

 

[bogatyr]

Exactly. I'd bet it was the original slower SSD, or something pulled from a dead (ie water damage) MB Air. There's no logical explanation as to why someone would be selling a current gen 256gb drive

Maybe they bought a SATA3 480GB drive from OWC and are trying to recoup some of the cost.

 

[hawk1410]

Wait, are you from Atlanta? I think this might be my listing, i can assure you it is real. Lol, what a conincidence

I've been negotiating with over text, might be you, the story surely sounds similar.

EDIT: Asked the guy i was talking to, he's never heard of macrumors, was just a coincidence, or OP is lying to me

 

[petrucci666]

Wait, are you from Atlanta? I think this might be my listing, i can assure you it is real. Lol, what a conincidence

I've been negotiating with over text, might be you, the story surely sounds similar.

EDIT: Asked the guy i was talking to, he's never heard of macrumors, was just a coincidence, or OP is lying to me

Nope, not me. I'm in San Francisco, the guy selling it is in San Jose.

Didn't end up buying it, I can suffice with 128 for now and my external HDD. Once (if ever) the MBA SSDs become cheaper I'll be buying it from a credible source.

Selling a 256GB SSD for that cheap won't really help recoup the cost but it's not out of the question.