Has anyone bought a new MBP on Craigslist?

[SuperSnake2012]

Sorry for the double post on the community board, that post can be deleted. I forgot about this forum

I've seen a lot of people selling new, sealed in box unibody MBPs for way under retail. I've seen a few go from $1500-$1650 and there are pictures of these sealed computers. Has someone bought one from craigslist? It's very tempting because I'd be saving over $500 dollars... I'm concerned about a potential scam. It's interesting because there are many people on eBay selling them for not much more money either. I'd personally prefer this as I wouldn't have to wait for shipping and I can make sure the computer is functional on the spot...

I'm looking at the New York City craigslist sales too:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=macbook+pro+unibody&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max

Obviously the transaction would be made in a public area so I'm not worried about getting scammed. If I open the box and find a fully functional MBP is there anything I should be worried about? The sellers say that these MBPs can be registered for the extended Applecare, so that leads me to believe these aren't stolen. If they were, wouldn't Apple have blacklisted those serials?

 

[theMaccer]

First contact the seller and make sure you dont get those "I'm currently in UK..." crap. Meet in a public place and inspect the computer before handing out the cash, then you should be fine.

 

[SuperSnake2012]

I've dealt with things on Craigslist (I've sold two guitars on there, went extremely smoothly so I know how it works). I know all the scams in the book, but I'm more concerned with being able to register the computer and being able to get Applecare on it.

 

[Robert.E]

99.9% sure it's stolen. Apple does not "blacklist" serial numbers. You could take that stolen MBP into an Apple Store and get it fixed with no problems, even if the computer was stolen from that same exact store.

 

[Consultant]

Might be possible if the person got it with education discount, and a second person bought it using 20% or $200 off discount. But the margin will be so low that it's not worth it. Thus more likely to be scam.

99.9% sure it's stolen. Apple does not "blacklist" serial numbers. You could take that stolen MBP into an Apple Store and get it fixed with no problems, even if the computer was stolen from that same exact store.

Apple would black list a serial only with a police report and proof of purchase. Not sure about what they do with their own things though.

 

[bobjob186]

I buy computers all the time off craigslist, if the deal is seriously unbelievable then it's a scam. Just do your homework and make sure you test it out in front. Apple doesn't really mess with stolen stuff so as long as the computer is there and it works it'll be covered under applecare and you shouldn't worry.

 

[dcl]

My last 2 macs (MB & MBP) were purchased from Craigslist. No problem at all.
Current MBP was ordered for a business project which got canceled - It was completely factory sealed with invoice and a savings of couple hundred from what he had just paid for it.

1st ask them to give you the S/N (If brand new) located on box - Call Apple Support, they will tell you if has ever been registered, if it has they will confirm the owners name and I reported stolen,they will tell you.

2nd have the guy meet you at an apple store for the transaction. Before going make an appointment with an Apple Genius, they have always been more than happy to check the Mac for you - Check for Dead Spots on LCD, confirm S/N, confirm memory and HD are right and system boots correctly. They will even walk you through registering it for you. (FAST, CLEAN, SAFE & SIMPLE way to complete transaction). If there are problems you can leave it for warranty repair.

If seller refuses to do either of the above, I wouldn't buy from them.

Craigslist is great, if you watch out and use some caution.

 

[karatekidk]

2nd have the guy meet you at an apple store for the transaction. Before going make an appointment with an Apple Genius, they have always been more than happy to check the Mac for you - Check for Dead Spots on LCD, confirm S/N, confirm memory and HD are right and system boots correctly. They will even walk you through registering it for you. (FAST, CLEAN, SAFE & SIMPLE way to complete transaction). If there are problems you can leave it for warranty repair.

I like that idea. Can you do it for used macs, too?

 

[dcl]

Yes :d

 

[dmw007]

<<< snip >>>

Excellent advice dcl, this is the way to handle purchasing off of Craigslist if you can SuperSnake2012.