I've been looking to upgrade to a ew iMac and decided refurb was the best option. I have had good luck buying Apple refurbs. Anyway, I signed up for refurb tracker to let me know when new iMacs become available, but by the time I receive the email, and click on the link, they are already gone. I'm wondering if there is some other way of receiving notifications that will give me a better chance of buying one? Thanks for any suggestions.
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 there a secret to buying a refurb iMac?
- Thread starter vandrv
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Same boat here, I've looked ate the refurb tracker but haven't signed up for emails. I can't find a refurb with the exact specs I want, does it take some time for them to pop up?
Also, when does Apple release the 2020 models? Just curious.
Also, when does Apple release the 2020 models? Just curious.
Don't rely on "waiting for an email".
Create bookmarks or webloc files for each configuration that interests you.
Check each one of them 4 or 5 times daily.
When "something shows up", BE READY TO BUY, that means RIGHT THEN.
Create bookmarks or webloc files for each configuration that interests you.
Check each one of them 4 or 5 times daily.
When "something shows up", BE READY TO BUY, that means RIGHT THEN.
Thanks for the advice. I will give that a try. I certainly haven’t been quick enough using email notification. I’m not in a huge hurry, so I’m thinking maybe after the holidays are over for a while, they will show up in quantity.
I just purchased this refurb from the Apple Store late yesterday evening. I took my time deciding and noticed that it would become unavailable (presumably sold) and then would re-appear 2-3 hours later. This happened several times to me while I waited and tried to make up my mind. Once it re-appeared later yesterday evening, I pounced.
As the others have noted, just refresh that site several times. If you are looking for a new iMac (for example)...make sure you have 'iMac' selected and just refresh several times a day.
Good luck!
Refurbished 21.5 inch iMac 3.2GHz 6 core Intel Core i7 with Retina 4K display and Radeon Pro Vega 20 - Apple
Apple Store Search Results
www.apple.com
As the others have noted, just refresh that site several times. If you are looking for a new iMac (for example)...make sure you have 'iMac' selected and just refresh several times a day.
Good luck!
I’m looking for a 27” I9 with an ssd. I guess I just haven’t been that vigilant in my pursuit.obviously the email notifications are too slow, so I will try just keeping the web page open and constantly refreshing it. Hopefully the savings will be worth the effort
The secret is to buy only from Apple for the 12 month warranty plus the option to take up AppleCare +.
As noted above, successfully getting the specific configuration you want is not a passive endeavor; you have to be proactive, know what you want or can accept as an alternative, check frequently, and be prepared to pull the trigger (almost literally; Apple's terms state that a sale isn't assured until they've accepted your payment, so it's possible for the rug to be pulled out even during the checkout process).
At some point, Apple revamped the refurb site and actually made it harder to quickly discern which configuration is which from a quick glance at the boxes on the store page, except for the standard configs which show the original price and savings; those can easily be ignored.
If you've come across the item, but have missed out on it, save the link and use it to quickly jump directly to the desired config. If the magical "Add to Bag" isn't greyed out, pounce.
When I was looking, I found that Apple tends to release stock mostly in batches, with the selection suddenly going from barren to flooded. As it sells it, keep trying, as stock is sometimes replenished. If at that point, you dawdle, or start to debate again, you may miss out, so that goes back to knowing what you want and being ready to buy.
It also helps to check during what are considered off hours, when most people are in bed, and not shopping.
Mostly, it boils down to knowing the target, and the right timing.
Also keep in mind that the clock starts ticking on AppleCare+ from the date that it is purchased ( *1,*2), not on the date of the original machine purchase, and that you have 60 days to decide. So however long you wait to buy AC+ effectively results in a small bonus period depending on how long you wait, up to those 60 days.
*1) ("…coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date…")
*2) ("Coverage begins when you purchase the Plan and continues through, unless cancelled, the date specified in your Plan Confirmation (the "Plan Term”).")
At some point, Apple revamped the refurb site and actually made it harder to quickly discern which configuration is which from a quick glance at the boxes on the store page, except for the standard configs which show the original price and savings; those can easily be ignored.
If you've come across the item, but have missed out on it, save the link and use it to quickly jump directly to the desired config. If the magical "Add to Bag" isn't greyed out, pounce.
When I was looking, I found that Apple tends to release stock mostly in batches, with the selection suddenly going from barren to flooded. As it sells it, keep trying, as stock is sometimes replenished. If at that point, you dawdle, or start to debate again, you may miss out, so that goes back to knowing what you want and being ready to buy.
It also helps to check during what are considered off hours, when most people are in bed, and not shopping.
Mostly, it boils down to knowing the target, and the right timing.
Also keep in mind that the clock starts ticking on AppleCare+ from the date that it is purchased ( *1,*2), not on the date of the original machine purchase, and that you have 60 days to decide. So however long you wait to buy AC+ effectively results in a small bonus period depending on how long you wait, up to those 60 days.
*1) ("…coverage to three years from your AppleCare+ purchase date…")
*2) ("Coverage begins when you purchase the Plan and continues through, unless cancelled, the date specified in your Plan Confirmation (the "Plan Term”).")
Thanks for the detailed reply. I realize that refurb tracker emails only really work on configurations that don’t sell out immediately. I’ve bookmarked the page with the basic specs I’m looking for.
I bought a refurb Mac Mini years ago when the dual core I7 server was in demand and difficult to get, so I know patience is a virtue.
I got an email alert today with the exact specs I wanted. An hour later it was out of stock. Guess I have to be much quicker!
I've found that usually by the time I receive the email, the computer I'm looking for is already gone. I've taken the advice of posters here, of just leaving a page open with the specs I'm looking for, and refreshing it throughout the day. A few came up today that were close to what I'm looking for but I didn't pull the trigger. I've decided it isn't so much about saving some money as it is about the challenge of getting the exact specs I want. Of course, it helps that I'm not in a huge hurry. I just wish there was a way to refine the search by specific processors.
Funny but I was replying to your post last night and went to the refurb page to check on specs that I wanted. I was mid response to your post and I didn't believe my eyes but they had the exact refurb iMac I wanted in stock! Soooo needless to say I pulled the trigger. Got the 27" i9, 8 gig ram, 1 TB SSD and 48Vega GPU. Added Apple care just to be safe, can't wait till Thursday!
Just a quick update to this thread. I finally was able to find the exact IMac I was looking for and managed to get it bought. I pick it up at the Apple store tomorrow. What worked for me was just leaving a tab open with the basic model I was looking for, and checking often. I was receiving emails from refurb tracker, but generally by the time that I got them the computer I was looking for was gone.
I agree that there's a lot of places to get used or refurbed Macs online. It often is just a matter what you're looking for. If you are near a MicroCenter, they have good selections and good prices. The only catch is that the are for in store purchases only, a lost leader to get traffic in the stores. (Hence the lower prices).
I also have clients who got new ones in the last few years, 2015 and 2017. One has the 2015 i7 with a 4GB video card. She needed a large internal drive, so the 3TB Fusion was the only affordable option. I split up the Fusion ending with a 128GB SSD for the boot and a 3TB HDD for her popular commercial imagery. I's running 15.2 and is fine for Photography (PS & LR). Another client dumped her old MacPro 4,1, and went for the top line I-7 2017 iMac 27" with the 8GB VRAM video card. I believe both iMacs used the super fast NVMe SSDs, which really separated them from earlier PCI SSDs. The I-7 is a better choice for photo or video editing, with 4 cores and hyper threading. Otherwise the i5 will fare well with typical software which may not even use the extra (real and virtual) cores.
That was the configuration that I was looking for last summer on the Apple refurb site. I found a few units early on in my search, but I hesitated on pulling the trigger. They were all gone by the next day. I kept searching for another six weeks, but the inventory for that particular configuration seemed to have dried up. I ended up buying a new one through the education store during Apple's Back to School Sale. The price difference between the refurb store and the Back to School Sale really wasn't that much and I got a free pair of Beats headphones.
Heres a tip: When I went to go buy AppleCare+, I was told it started on the day of AppleCare+ purchase. So instead of buying with my refurb iMac I waited almost the end of the 60 day period to get AppleCare+ so I got an additional 2 months of coverage. Plus I was able to use my employee EPP discount on AppleCare+ and get $20 off as well.
Last edited: