As the title says, I'm wanting to buy a new MacBook Pro and I recently saw that Amazon sells them. Is there any added benefit to buying it on Amazon vs Apple directly? I have Prime if that makes any difference.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is it a good idea to buy a MacBook Pro from Amazon rather than Apple?
- Thread starter Swampbaby985
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Pay attention to return policies and ensure you understand any differences. I've not looked at them for Amazon so can't say what they are, just a thought though.
Also make sure you know who is the seller - remember that Amazon hosts third party sellers.
Finally - if you've been to college somewhere, check with your old campus store. Some of them will sell Apple products to alumni at the EDU pricing.
Also make sure you know who is the seller - remember that Amazon hosts third party sellers.
Finally - if you've been to college somewhere, check with your old campus store. Some of them will sell Apple products to alumni at the EDU pricing.
Yes, I bought my Mac mini through Amazon with AppleCare and got it in 1 day Prime shipping. Just make sure it is shipped & sold through Amazon, not through a third-party. The AppleCare was activated right away also.
I have employee pricing from my company so I'm better with the Apple Store (online or physical). We also got education pricing a long time ago as we homeschooled.
How does the whole homeschooling thing work as far as qualifying for EDU pricing? Do you have to provide proof of homeschooling? Just curious because I don't personally know anyone who has been homeschooled.
From what I understand, there's no barrier to ordering from the online EDU store, but they apparently audit some portion of purchases after the fact.
See here - https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-get-apple-student-discount-4687511
My last two mac purchases (which weren't refurbs) were done through my old college campus store -- which offers EDU pricing to alumni -- and AppleCare+ was even cheaper there than via the Apple online EDU site.
I had to provide proof at the physical Apple Store and I just brought my notification papers. In my state and in many others, you're required to notify the school district and provide your education plan for the year. You are also responsible for an evaluation at the end of the year. I think that I brought two copies to the Superintendent's office and got one stamped for myself.
For online purchases, there's a separate website that looks like The Apple Store but has educators' prices. There was no proof required to do the purchase but there was a page which said that I was subject to audit.
Last edited:
I just bought my niece a MacBook Air for college online through the EDU store.
Zero verification for student/teacher use.
I don't know if that is because I have used the EDU discount through my Apple Store profile before or not.
My other online Apple purchase option is B&H Photo. I've had zero issues with them and no sales tax to here in Florida. My current 16" is i9 1TB 32MB Ram 5500 8GB Vram. I initially bought it for $3300. They discounted it to $3000 in two separate price cuts online and I called both times to get the amount refunded to me. Zero issue.
I responded to a thread here where a guy bought through Amazon and the seller didn't disclose he was selling a refurb/open box MBP.
I like B&H, I've been buying from them for a couple decades and have never been unhappy.
That said I would recommend against buying a computer from them unless you are 100% positive you are choosing the exact model and configuration that suits your needs. There's no returning/exchanging it once opened unless defective, and no returning/exchanging a custom config even if unopened.
Yep - need make sure exactly who the seller is when choosing something on Amazon.
Correct on the return policy. I'm just under the assumption for myself that if spending $3300 on a laptop you most likely have done at least minimal due diligence on your needs versus what the computer can deliver.
They really do have great customer service and are usually pretty quick in stock with newly released items.
I almost bought a base model MBP 16" on Amazon last week.
But the seller (who is a 3rd party, not Apple) charges a 15% restocking fee, even on damaged returns.
It is not clear on the page, but you see it over and over in the comments.
Most people are happy, but some are getting what appear to be floor models with dings and scratches, or previously returned units.
Shame on the seller, and shame on Amazon for allowing it.
I purchased refurb from Apple instead, it got here quickly, zero issues.
But the seller (who is a 3rd party, not Apple) charges a 15% restocking fee, even on damaged returns.
It is not clear on the page, but you see it over and over in the comments.
Most people are happy, but some are getting what appear to be floor models with dings and scratches, or previously returned units.
Shame on the seller, and shame on Amazon for allowing it.
I purchased refurb from Apple instead, it got here quickly, zero issues.
Amazon sells directly all Apple products, shipped & sold from Amazon. The two companies have an agreement. For some reason unless you know what you are looking for it is hard to find on Amazon.
There is the official page for the Apple Store on Amazon. Most of the time Amazon has the products cheaper than Apple by around $50, not all the time though...
There is the official page for the Apple Store on Amazon. Most of the time Amazon has the products cheaper than Apple by around $50, not all the time though...
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
If both prices are the same, just get from either. That said EDU pricing is really easy to get and should usually beat most other retail. I've not heard of any verification for that, but if they do, I'm a homeschool educator and my wife's a school admin so we're in the clear (but hell, these days, any parent is a homeschool educator now).
That said Apple's refurb pricing is usually best so if you can score that go with that. Right now you can stack rakuten cash back on top to get 2% in apple's refurb store. But getting current gen models in the refurb store is hard. I was waiting on the 16" to get back in there for several days now and it didn't. But an ebay seller just had the model I wanted for the same price new as the refurb store so I went with that.
IMHO always buy Apple refurb if they have the model you want, or you can wait for one to come available. Every single Apple refurb item I've purchased over the years has been indistinguishable from new except for the box it came in.
I'm a big fan of buying from Best Buy. They have the same two week return policy as Apple and will match any major retailer's current online price.You can also usually use credit card reward points to buy Best Buy gift cards lowering the final price even further. My only complaint has been that they usually only stock the standard configurations of a computer. Starting with the 16" MacBook Pro they're now also stocking higher end configs.
Just remember that doing it this way may eliminate any credit card provided extended warranty coverage.
My Citi Doublecash mastercard extends warranty two years -- and tacks that at the end of a manufacturer's extended warranty -- so a purchase today with AppleCare plus gives me coverage for five years total. Three years w/ Apple, two years via Citi / Mastercard
Side note/Pro tip for Amazon (and any other 3rd party purchases, authorized or not): Run your serial number through the support page when you receive the device, to make sure the warranty "triggered."
I bought a Series 5 on sale a few months back and received a message to contact support when I ran it through. Turns out whatever was supposed to tell Apple "Hey, this device was sold today, start the warranty" (there's an actual term, I forget what the support rep called it) on Amazon's end never triggered.
It may vary by who you speak with, but it was super easy to fix in my case.
"Did you just receive you Watch today?"
"Yep."
"Ok, give me one moment.................ok, you're all set. Your warranty starts today, and you have the option to add AppleCare."
I bought a Series 5 on sale a few months back and received a message to contact support when I ran it through. Turns out whatever was supposed to tell Apple "Hey, this device was sold today, start the warranty" (there's an actual term, I forget what the support rep called it) on Amazon's end never triggered.
It may vary by who you speak with, but it was super easy to fix in my case.
"Did you just receive you Watch today?"
"Yep."
"Ok, give me one moment.................ok, you're all set. Your warranty starts today, and you have the option to add AppleCare."
Last edited:
Run it through Apple's support page? This reason alone is why I would NOT want to buy anything as expensive as an Apple device from eBay. I've been burned by eBay in the past and haven't logged into my account in 6+ years.
I would think standard warranty and also AppleCare wouldn’t matter where the product was purchased?
This was admittedly also the first Apple product I've ever bought from someplace other than Apple. But in general, you're always rolling the dice if you're not buying new from an Authorized Reseller.
If you are buying new from one, as long as you have proof of purchase from one, you're fine if any sort of warranty registration issue comes up. But it's much easier to catch it up front than to have to figure it out in the moment when you need service or are trying to add AppleCare+ after the fact.
Does it work like that though? I think these credit card warranties are straightforward when it's just manufacturers for 1 year. I think when a product has 2 years, it will still just add only 1 year on. And lastly, if you're doing a 3 year extended, you may get nothing additional on. I could be wrong (and hope I am! I paid for my entire new 16" MBP w/ my Citi Simplicity card which may have a chance of having a similar perk).
Same! they just shipped too. Can't wait. I would have been hesitant too but saw several threads on buying from them from slick deals. One person had said they had to do a verify purchase date on the apple site but didn't need to provide any documentation so it should be ok.
Yeah I would care more if I wasn't planning on getting AppleCare+ or if I knew they were super strict and a dodgy company