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HiFiGuy528

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 24, 2008
1,874
64
The MBA and MB I bought off Ebay are factory sealed. The only receipt I have is the Ebay/Pay Pal transaction. You guys can't say that when you buy NEW from a seller on Ebay you get a copy of their receipt??? When I took my MB to Apple store for question/service, not once they ask me for a receipt. I registered both Macs on Apple's site without any problems.

What I think the seller is doing is getting together some money to buy a large shipment to get the max. discount from distributor or Apple. The more you buy, the more discount you get and if you pay in cash it's even bigger. Remember, Apple has at least 30% markup on everything. If he sells 10 at actual cost and get deep discount on 100 pieces. He has 90 others to sell at next to retail. It makes business sense and "pre-sale" is a smart way to gather cash.

The Seller's Pay Pal account has over 5000 transactions since 2005. That's more than any other sellers I doubt with.
 

wesrk

macrumors 6502a
Nov 4, 2007
660
1
I think the 30 day waiting period and lack of warranty are even bigger concerns.

lol :D true

As he OP says, maybe the seller is getting a major discount, but then again I wouldn't sell anything until I knew for sure I was getting them.

The seller getting the money first then going on to buy and to ship what he already sold makes little sense, unless this is the first time he's doing something like this, in which case sure, get the money first, then buy, then reinvest part of the earnings into this little loop and keep going.

He has good feedback and apparently good paypal record, so he that could be the real deal. In any case we will have to wait until December 8th for the items to ship. I hope it is legit and the OP gets his moneys worth.
 

miamialley

macrumors 68040
Jul 28, 2008
3,505
979
California, USA
I've got a CRAZY idea!

Somebody ask the seller how/where they acquired these machines. Let's hear the answer. They'll have to provide SOME type of response. :p
 

JBazz

macrumors 6502
Apr 14, 2006
491
2
The MBA and MB I bought off Ebay are factory sealed. The only receipt I have is the Ebay/Pay Pal transaction. You guys can't say that when you buy NEW from a seller on Ebay you get a copy of their receipt??? When I took my MB to Apple store for question/service, not once they ask me for a receipt. I registered both Macs on Apple's site without any problems.

What I think the seller is doing is getting together some money to buy a large shipment to get the max. discount from distributor or Apple. The more you buy, the more discount you get and if you pay in cash it's even bigger. Remember, Apple has at least 30% markup on everything. If he sells 10 at actual cost and get deep discount on 100 pieces. He has 90 others to sell at next to retail. It makes business sense and "pre-sale" is a smart way to gather cash.

The Seller's Pay Pal account has over 5000 transactions since 2005. That's more than any other sellers I doubt with.

I was thinking the seller might have some inside information that the retailers are gonna get a nice price drop and maybe that is why he is preselling?
 

hari-bhari

macrumors regular
Jul 4, 2007
140
0
ill say it once and ill say it again. i bought a new MBP off ebay using the same deal, got it for 1600 after the live.com cashback and discount from paypal. it came immediately and was brand new and sealed in the box. i added applecare also purchased from ebay and it is showing as registered on apple's webpage and i have the receipt to prove it.

resellers obviously get the laptops for cheaper than they are sold in the apple store and then pass the discounts on consumers on ebay, this DOES NOT mean its a scam!

as far as the 30d waiting period, a lot of resellers dont have them in stock yet and are still waiting for inventory from their distributors, but might as well keep the cashflow going. i almost bought one with a 14d waiting period for 50 dollars less, but then decided against it. but i had communicated with the seller and he was a legitimate seller from Florida with a real address and phone number.

people, just because its a good deal does not mean its a scam. anytime i buy on ebay i always use credit card just to be safe, but dont get on the OP because you are pissed that you paid full retail and say that he will go to jail for buying 'stolen goods'. if they were stolen, dont you think apple would have that serial number registered somewhere as stolen anyways. sheeeeesh :rolleyes:
 

miamialley

macrumors 68040
Jul 28, 2008
3,505
979
California, USA
ill say it once and ill say it again. i bought a new MBP off ebay using the same deal, got it for 1600 after the live.com cashback and discount from paypal. it came immediately and was brand new and sealed in the box. i added applecare also purchased from ebay and it is showing as registered on apple's webpage and i have the receipt to prove it.

resellers obviously get the laptops for cheaper than they are sold in the apple store and then pass the discounts on consumers on ebay, this DOES NOT mean its a scam!

as far as the 30d waiting period, a lot of resellers dont have them in stock yet and are still waiting for inventory from their distributors, but might as well keep the cashflow going. i almost bought one with a 14d waiting period for 50 dollars less, but then decided against it. but i had communicated with the seller and he was a legitimate seller from Florida with a real address and phone number.

people, just because its a good deal does not mean its a scam. anytime i buy on ebay i always use credit card just to be safe, but dont get on the OP because you are pissed that you paid full retail and say that he will go to jail for buying 'stolen goods'. if they were stolen, dont you think apple would have that serial number registered somewhere as stolen anyways. sheeeeesh :rolleyes:

Care to explain how the sellers "get them for cheaper than they are sold in Apple stores?"
 

e12a

macrumors 68000
Oct 28, 2006
1,881
0
if they were stolen, dont you think apple would have that serial number registered somewhere as stolen anyways. sheeeeesh :rolleyes:

why yes, by the purchase date, or lack of on their service site. believe it or not, apple has virtually the exact date of purchase of your computer. I was never "on" the OP about his purchase. I'm just advising what could possibly happen if these are grey market. THen people started chiming in about how they use the mfg date to determine AC coverage. WRONG.

that said i got my new high end SR MBP last year for 1.5k flat the legal way. just went through some loop holes.

and grey market is, well, grey. Its not necessarily illegal to own one. You just can't expect to get support from Apple if you need it. as i mentioned earlier i have bought a grey market item as well-a 350 dollar Sony cybershot that i got for 250 as a gift for my mother. The seller isn't going to outright admit it.
 

hari-bhari

macrumors regular
Jul 4, 2007
140
0
Care to explain how the sellers "get them for cheaper than they are sold in Apple stores?"

so i guess that apple sells them for $2,000 in store as well as sells to their resellers for $2,000, thus meaning the reseller would have to sell it to us for even more than that to make a profit? i guess macmall and amazon are selling at a loss, awful nice of them isn't it?
 

joystik

macrumors member
Oct 15, 2005
53
0
Both my brother and i picked up the same notebook off ebay, form two different seller. It came in yesterday. 2.53ghz.. Both machines are flawless never opened.

His:
2095 after live cashback
Mine:
2275 didnt know about live at the time
but i got 3years apple care with mine :D

Ebay is a steal! NO TAX! BTW no defects, both machines were 100% perfect!!!!
 

kmarketing

macrumors 6502
Mar 26, 2004
416
0
people, just because its a good deal does not mean its a scam. anytime i buy on ebay i always use credit card just to be safe, but dont get on the OP because you are pissed that you paid full retail and say that he will go to jail for buying 'stolen goods'. if they were stolen, dont you think apple would have that serial number registered somewhere as stolen anyways. sheeeeesh :rolleyes:

I agree except, most sales don't require a 30 day period. generally someone sells you something they have in hand. that's where this seems a bit strange. Add that to the fact that the op said that he/she plans to buy this to sell and i guess try to make a profit. It can turn out to be more trouble than he/she planned.

Finally, please note that not all credit cards have protection policies that you may be referring to. Some may have unauthorized purchase protection, but not anything else. So if the seller sends you a brick, sorry you are out of luck.

Just things to consider...
 

Sun Baked

macrumors G5
May 19, 2002
14,937
157
Well people don't make a habit of buying a brand new product at $2000 to turn around and sell it for $1500 a few days later. The point is to MAKE money of course. I want to hear what happens with these things.

Works if you are running a credit card ring and are selling off the merchandise quickly to raise cash.

So buying for $2000 with fraudulent credit card accounts and disposing of the merchandise for $1500 is still $1500 profit.

---

We have to remember that eBay has become one of the biggest laundering sites, and the guy who ran the Home Depot theft and laundering ring had excellent feedback until he cratered.
 

Ironic

macrumors 6502a
Oct 6, 2008
652
0
In my MBA!
Both my brother and i picked up the same notebook off ebay, form two different seller. It came in yesterday. 2.53ghz.. Both machines are flawless never opened.

His:
2095 after live cashback
Mine:
2275 didnt know about live at the time
but i got 3years apple care with mine :D

Ebay is a steal! NO TAX! BTW no defects, both machines were 100% perfect!!!!
they could be stolen:(
Buying them on stolen credit cards is my guess:(
 

m1stake

macrumors 68000
Jan 17, 2008
1,518
3
Philly
they could be stolen:(
Buying them on stolen credit cards is my guess:(

Wouldn't be the first time. Why take something to a pawn shop and get 10 cents on the dollar when you can eBay it from your house and make 60-70 cents on the dollar?

Retail fraud is a huge "industry", and eBay is where most of that stuff ends up.

In the US you aren't liable for buying stolen merchandise unless you knew it was stolen, but if it's repossessed by the police, you do NOT get your money back. That's your problem, not theirs.
 

miamialley

macrumors 68040
Jul 28, 2008
3,505
979
California, USA
so i guess that apple sells them for $2,000 in store as well as sells to their resellers for $2,000, thus meaning the reseller would have to sell it to us for even more than that to make a profit? i guess macmall and amazon are selling at a loss, awful nice of them isn't it?

Um, we're not talking about a $50 or even $100 difference here between competitors.
 

tsa1

macrumors 6502
Nov 8, 2008
265
190
Both my brother and i picked up the same notebook off ebay, form two different seller. It came in yesterday. 2.53ghz.. Both machines are flawless never opened.

His:
2095 after live cashback
Mine:
2275 didnt know about live at the time
but i got 3years apple care with mine :D

Ebay is a steal! NO TAX! BTW no defects, both machines were 100% perfect!!!!

that's great to hear, did the seller you purchased from sell apple or related products? Also have you checked the warranty on them?
 

marbles

macrumors 68000
Apr 30, 2008
1,776
1
EU mostly
That's a sign of good seller.

I Ebay messaged him and he relied less than one hour. Seems to be a solid guy so I am keeping my purchase.

I agree , it is a good sign , and I sincerely hope you have a trouble free purchase , that one thing has given me the confidence that you will probably get your machine ......unless he's read this thread ?? ....did the sale cancel early or is that redundant question now ?
cheers 'n good luck
 

miamialley

macrumors 68040
Jul 28, 2008
3,505
979
California, USA
Works if you are running a credit card ring and are selling off the merchandise quickly to raise cash.

So buying for $2000 with fraudulent credit card accounts and disposing of the merchandise for $1500 is still $1500 profit.

---

We have to remember that eBay has become one of the biggest laundering sites, and the guy who ran the Home Depot theft and laundering ring had excellent feedback until he cratered.

Agreed. That would make it a scam which would support my view of these computers. My whole point is it's a scam.

Edit: Let me clarify. I shouldn't say 'scam' because technically you would get the computer. I mean to say (in that scenario) the guy is doing something illegal, which I wouldn't want to be involved in.
 

senorfrog97

macrumors regular
Jan 19, 2008
113
0
Austin
Fact: you can't get a new MBP for $1400.

That's probably true. These are selling for about $1600. The $200 off is the microsoft cashback deal. Any less than $1600 and he wouldn't be breaking even, much less a profit (if he's making one it's not very much)

not if its a grey market item.

i'm just interested to see if indeed these are grey market, the buyers find the OP and demand a refund or worse. Considering how many problems there are with the late 08s.

edit: oh sweet:
"WE DO NOT PROVIDE A RECIEPT WITH WHOLESALE ORDERS! IT IS AT THE MANUFACTURERS DISCRETION TO PROVIDE WARRANTY SERVICE WITHOUT A RECIEPT, PLEASE PURCHASE A WARRANTY THROUGH SQUARETRADE IF YOU FEEL YOU NEED MORE COVERAGE."

no proof of purchase! awesome..


Paypal generates a receipt for every Ebay purchase. I've brought in a macbook for service to Apple and had no problems showing that "receipt"

I don't understand what a "grey market" macbook pro would be. ?

there's only a 10% coupon which expires 11/30.

no live cashback atm.

PM 10% Ebay coupon? :D

The MBA and MB I bought off Ebay are factory sealed. The only receipt I have is the Ebay/Pay Pal transaction. You guys can't say that when you buy NEW from a seller on Ebay you get a copy of their receipt??? When I took my MB to Apple store for question/service, not once they ask me for a receipt. I registered both Macs on Apple's site without any problems.

What I think the seller is doing is getting together some money to buy a large shipment to get the max. discount from distributor or Apple. The more you buy, the more discount you get and if you pay in cash it's even bigger. Remember, Apple has at least 30% markup on everything. If he sells 10 at actual cost and get deep discount on 100 pieces. He has 90 others to sell at next to retail. It makes business sense and "pre-sale" is a smart way to gather cash.

The Seller's Pay Pal account has over 5000 transactions since 2005. That's more than any other sellers I doubt with.

I agree with you. Everything looks fine. Powerseller. Recent feedback. So he's making very small if any profit. Either way I believe Paypal has you covered for the FULL purchase price, so there's really no fear of losing money. Just make sure you file a claim before the deadline if it hasn't come and it becomes sketchy.

ill say it once and ill say it again. i bought a new MBP off ebay using the same deal, got it for 1600 after the live.com cashback and discount from paypal. it came immediately and was brand new and sealed in the box. i added applecare also purchased from ebay and it is showing as registered on apple's webpage and i have the receipt to prove it.

resellers obviously get the laptops for cheaper than they are sold in the apple store and then pass the discounts on consumers on ebay, this DOES NOT mean its a scam!

as far as the 30d waiting period, a lot of resellers dont have them in stock yet and are still waiting for inventory from their distributors, but might as well keep the cashflow going. i almost bought one with a 14d waiting period for 50 dollars less, but then decided against it. but i had communicated with the seller and he was a legitimate seller from Florida with a real address and phone number.

people, just because its a good deal does not mean its a scam. anytime i buy on ebay i always use credit card just to be safe, but dont get on the OP because you are pissed that you paid full retail and say that he will go to jail for buying 'stolen goods'. if they were stolen, dont you think apple would have that serial number registered somewhere as stolen anyways. sheeeeesh :rolleyes:

+1 I got a crazy deal like this a few months ago on a MBP. No problems with anything including warranty and bringing it in for service with the Ebay receipt.

That's a sign of good seller.

I Ebay messaged him and he replied less than one hour. Seems to be a solid guy so I am keeping my purchase.

Some people here might be a little mad/jealous inside when your new computer shows up no problems :eek:

I recently bought a new 2.4ghz macbook pro from a similar deal/seller also doing the wait 30 days kind of thing. Listing: Here
It's $200 more though but still a crazy deal at $1600 after microsoft cashback. Is mine a scam too????! :confused:
 

bcaslis

macrumors 68020
Mar 11, 2008
2,184
237
Some people here might be a little mad/jealous inside when your new computer shows up no problems :eek:

There's no madness or jealousy here. I have a computer and it works great. I just can't believe this guy isn't doing something dishonest for this price and the fact that we won't deliver for 30 days. There's just something funny here. Maybe the machine will get delivered for not. Doesn't affect me. But I just can't believe there isn't something dishonest going on.
 

madmaxmedia

macrumors 68030
Dec 17, 2003
2,932
42
Los Angeles, CA
$1800 isn't too unbelievable of a price, though even then the seller is paying $100 or so just in EBay and Paypal fees.

The cashback sweetens the buyer price, but obviously the seller is not paying for it.

There seem to be a few sellers at around $1800, some of which are shipping immediately rather than 30 days. And they have good feedback.

I can't really afford it, but man does it make a sell-and-upgrade really tempting...
 
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