just got an Apple refurbished mid-2010 macbook

[vampyr]

I'd like to think that I got lucky on my white macbook I purchased from Apple.
Their site shows a macbook w/ 2GB RAM for $849, however I received mine with 4GB of RAM.
I was quite surprised and am very thankful.

This is my first apple laptop and also my first mac with Lion (I have a 2008 iMac w/ snow leopard).

Anyone who has concerns about buying a refurbished unit? Don't be. This laptop came in excellent condition and other than coming in a standard shipping box, I would not be able to tell if this was brand new or refurbished. It came with everything a new mac would come with.

I will wait out on buying a SSD to allow some prices to come down.

Thank you Apple for the extra 2GB RAM.

 

[kwood72]

Yes, the refurbs are great deals.

I purchased the model before yours that was from Oct 2009 to May 2010. Got it for $759.00 on the Apple site in the Summer of 2010. Looked like it had never been used and has always worked flawlessly.

 

[MacOG728893]

I got a late 2010 with 4GB of RAM, the original box, bag and receipt for $550 flat.

Los Angeles Craigslist is awesome! Enjoy though!

 

[vampyr]

I got a late 2010 with 4GB of RAM, the original box, bag and receipt for $550 flat.

Los Angeles Craigslist is awesome! Enjoy though!

Los Angeles Craigslist?? YIKES! Only if the seller were willing to make the transaction at the local police station would I ever buy from someone on Craigslist. Too much crime... I can only imagine what the L.A. area must be like.

 

[east85]

Los Angeles Craigslist?? YIKES! Only if the seller were willing to make the transaction at the local police station would I ever buy from someone on Craigslist. Too much crime... I can only imagine what the L.A. area must be like.

I would be more worried about the lack of Applecare, and possible issues after the point of purchase simply because you have no return policy at all through craigslist. At least on Ebay you can usually return an item in 7-14 days (like say, you notice your purchased MacBook was water damaged), so at minimum that is probably the least I'd accept.

Craigslist isn't bad though for other things though. You just need to make sure to bring a friend and always meet at a public business during daylight hours. Don't meet people at their houses/let them meet you at your house/etc. Use common sense.

Anyways that's a great buy. Are you familiar with all the gestures yet? They're pretty much one of the best things about the laptops, makes browsing so painless. Full screen workspaces + multiple desktops + swipe gestures = a better experience (for me) than I had on a 17" windows laptop. I'm on the 13" now, so that should say something. Congrats on your purchase!

 

[MacOG728893]

Los Angeles Craigslist?? YIKES! Only if the seller were willing to make the transaction at the local police station would I ever buy from someone on Craigslist. Too much crime... I can only imagine what the L.A. area must be like.

I would be more worried about the lack of Applecare, and possible issues after the point of purchase simply because you have no return policy at all through craigslist. At least on Ebay you can usually return an item in 7-14 days (like say, you notice your purchased MacBook was water damaged), so at minimum that is probably the least I'd accept.

Yes, if you're a flat out idiot. Always meet in a public place like Starbucks with many people around. Test the product thoroughly in and out. Check the About this Mac and run the serial.

I have bought and sold probably over a 100 Macs on craigslist doing it for side money a few years ago. Overall, common sense for both the place to meet and the product is all that is required.

But by all means, spend more money if you aren't capable of handling something like Los Angeles Craigslist.. Ooooooo

 

[east85]

Yes, if you're a flat out idiot. Always meet in a public place like Starbucks with many people around. Test the product thoroughly in and out. Check the About this Mac and run the serial.

I have bought and sold probably over a 100 Macs on craigslist doing it for side money a few years ago. Overall, common sense for both the place to meet and the product is all that is required.

But by all means, spend more money if you aren't capable of handling something like Los Angeles Craigslist.. Ooooooo

Well, as long as you can acknowledge that most buyers aren't going to have the technical knowledge to properly assess a laptop for various damages and flaws, we can agree that it isn't the best idea for the average consumer. For long term use you'd probably want to do more than run the serial, like perhaps run some diagnostics on the HD and internal components at the very least. Of course that wouldn't matter so much if you're just turning them over, because the idea is that the laptop needs to survive long enough to do so.

I think buying and selling is a great idea though, congrats on your successful entrepreneurship. It's not too bad to take even a single hit when you're pushing those numbers. I've been doing the same thing with cars for awhile now, but due to law I can only turn over 7 a year without a dealers license. There's definitely no use in begin craigslistphobic if you know what you're doing. I still would have trouble recommending it to the average consumer.

 

[MacOG728893]

Well, as long as you can acknowledge that most buyers aren't going to have the technical knowledge to properly assess a laptop for various damages and flaws, we can agree that it isn't the best idea for the average consumer. For long term use you'd probably want to do more than run the serial, like perhaps run some diagnostics on the HD and internal components at the very least. Of course that wouldn't matter so much if you're just turning them over, because the idea is that the laptop needs to survive long enough to do so.

I think buying and selling is a great idea though, congrats on your successful entrepreneurship. It's not too bad to take even a single hit when you're pushing those numbers. I've been doing the same thing with cars for awhile now, but due to law I can only turn over 7 a year without a dealers license. There's definitely no use in begin craigslistphobic if you know what you're doing. I still would have trouble recommending it to the average consumer.

Agreed, I do not want to sound cocky, but I just think because it works for me, it'll work for everyone, probably not the best attitude.

Definitely not for the average consumer, but if you got a little common sense and a bit of wit, it's a really great way to save or make money!

 

[iParis]

That's awesome! The same thing happened to one of my friends when he got a refurb unibody MacBook. Not only did he has twice the amount of ram, but the hard drive was 250GB as oppose to the 160GB it was ordered with!