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Need advice for purchasing "brand new" iPad 3 "sealed in box" from craigslist.

K

keepingitcasual

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 14, 2012
3
0
First of all, here is a link to the craigslist add...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/eld/3002747871.html

IF it is sealed in the box, is there any way this can be a scam? He gave me the serial and it checks out.

I've communicated with the guy and asked him why he is selling. He said he "bought 6 of them". I was planning on meeting at a coffee shop so I could turn it on and play with it.

What should I ask/look out for? I REALLY appreciate the help. :confused:
 
keepingitcasual said:
What should I ask/look out for? I REALLY appreciate the help. :confused:
Click to expand...

Nothing really, if it was bought with a stolen credit card it won't get reported for a while. Im struggling to come up with a scnario where somebody on the up and up would buy six iPads to resell immediately. BTW the ad looks a little sketchy or maybe thats because he typed it on an iPad :)
 
Huh. I'd have a couple of questions for him:

1) If you bought it a 'few days ago', why aren't you returning it to Apple for a full refund?

2) If after the 14 days, show me the receipt.

It's not that hard to shrink wrap something if you have the right materials to do it with. If I were you I'd open it, turn it on to verify it works and then call Apple while he's with you to verify the serial number isn't stolen AND that it's a gen3.

I too wonder why he bought 6. It was very clear from the first week or so that a shortage was not going to be a problem this time around, so stocking up with a bunch to resell was pointless.

If Apple says you're okay, you've verified it's a new ipad and not a 2 and it works and is in good shape I say go for it.
 
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keepingitcasual said:
First of all, here is a link to the craigslist add...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/eld/3002747871.html

IF it is sealed in the box, is there any way this can be a scam? He gave me the serial and it checks out.

I've communicated with the guy and asked him why he is selling. He said he "bought 6 of them". I was planning on meeting at a coffee shop so I could turn it on and play with it.

What should I ask/look out for? I REALLY appreciate the help. :confused:
Click to expand...

If you want an iPad and pay less, look at the Apple Store for refurbished items. And if you ask yourself whether something is a scam, why risk it? It's easy to put a used iPad into a "sealed" box, and it is just as easy to put a clay tablet (the kind that Moses used) into a "sealed" iPad box. Which is what quite a few people bought.

And if he really bought six, then he was a scalper, so let him suffer. :D
 
1) Make sure there's a receipt. If it's stolen and gets identified as a stolen item that's in your posession, then YOU will get in trouble for it. (I had a cousin get burned by this once when he unknowingly bought a stolen microwave from someone.)

2) Take it out of the box, turn it on, make sure it's an actual iPad that actually works and that the plastic protective cover is still on it. (Then you know it's not just a repackaged used/stolen iPad.

3) Meet in a public place, not some random person's house. I don't think I need to explain this one.
 
JeffMorse said:
Huh. I'd have a couple of questions for him:

1) If you bought it a 'few days ago', why aren't you returning it to Apple for a full refund?

2) If after the 14 days, show me the receipt.

It's not that hard to shrink wrap something if you have the right materials to do it with. If I were you I'd open it, turn it on to verify it works and then call Apple while he's with you to verify the serial number isn't stolen AND that it's a gen3.

I too wonder why he bought 6. It was very clear from the first week or so that a shortage was not going to be a problem this time around, so stocking up with a bunch to resell was pointless.

If Apple says you're okay, you've verified it's a new ipad and not a 2 and it works and is in good shape I say go for it.
Click to expand...

"if I were you":p
Anybody who would buy a shrink wrapped iPad without opening it first and making sure there isn't a rock or a slab of molded clay in the box, deserves to be ripped off.
 
For what it's worth, the ad did look sketchy.

Pick up only? Question is where will he/she want to meet. Make it public if you are going to do this.

Insist on opening it and firing it up (only if he can show you the receipt. Buying crap out of a trunk should be the first sign to walk away very fast holding on to your wallet and eyes behind your head.

I would ask more details imo. Like one poster said, why isn't he returning it for full refund? That is the biggest alarm in my opinion. No one buys something brand new to sell it at a loss. The only thing that comes to mind is that he has stolen it or you are about to try to buy a clay slab. If the dude says he can't return it because he has lost his receipt, this too is a cause to walk away. Unless he paid in cash, there are online banking transaction or visa stubs/records to prove to the store or you that he bought it.

For saving 70.00 just go to the Apple store. I have a wierd feeling about this one.

Good luck either way.
 
Unless by a "few days" this person means 15 or more then its likely a scam. Nevertheless, if he is willing to let you open it up to verify that there is an iPad inside before money changes hands then its probably ok. As others have pointed out, shrink wrap means nothing.
 
barkomatic said:
Unless by a "few days" this person means 15 or more then its likely a scam. Nevertheless, if he is willing to let you open it up to verify that there is an iPad inside before money changes hands then its probably ok. As others have pointed out, shrink wrap means nothing.
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How are situations like this ever anything more than a scam??? The story doesn't hold water.
 
taipan61 said:
my ol' man used to say "if it's too good to be true..."

just sayin'
Click to expand...

X2 was just about to post this. I bet its stolen or you won't get the product at all.

Remember it IS against the law to purchase stolen goods, "I didn't know" fly.

Edit: I dont know why the guy wouldnt have returned it if it bought a few days ago.

I dont any apple products outside of a chain retailer or apple directly for this reason, and craigs list seems to be a common ground to rip people off.
 
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He advertises one, you call him, and he tells you he has 6? If it was legit, he would have said 6, because maybe some business needs a few and he could just sell the lot.

The only reason he only said one in the ad is to avoid raising suspicion.

He's a dumb thief/fence, as he should never have mentioned to you that he has 6.

If you want to be nice, tell him how to do it right the next time, and tell him to say he bought it without his wife's permission.

What do you mean "the serial checked-out"? Apple is notorious for not recording serial numbers of stolen items. You can look-up a serial number and see exactly what model a device is and when it was sold.

This might be changing, as the industry is now scrambling to set-up stolen-device databases and start locking out stolen devices after some broad press coverage and in advance of the inevitable legislation that should have been in place years ago.
 
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Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm beginning to think $70 isn't worth the headache.

I asked him to meet at a coffee shop and he suggested a 7Eleven. This deal is OFF!
 
keepingitcasual said:
Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm beginning to think $70 isn't worth the headache.

I asked him to meet at a coffee shop and he suggested a 7Eleven. This deal is OFF!
Click to expand...

Good call man/woman. Trunk sales can never be good! I had to laugh at another reply, convienient spot to rob you, the 7-11 and get a Slurpie to quench your evil thirst! haha!
 
Just emailed the seller with some probing questions. His reply, "Sorry. Sold Already."

Thats what I thought.
 
I know that 70$ is better than nothing, but honestly I wouldn't even have bothered with this.
 
would not do it. the content inside may not be what you are purchasing. product may have been shrink wrapped again.
 
you want a good deal but ask for receipt, why and what? if you are too scared, then buy from apple. if you want to save money and take the risk, buy from craiglist

I sold many stuff on craiglist and never want to give receipts. I told buyer that I have many so that they would know it is new.


I just bought a new ipad 3 64GB for $600 on craiglist. I opened it and turned it on. I did not even ask why and how. I just ask if she got more and told my friends to buy from her too.
 
"Sealed in box iPad" usually means resealed brick.

If you're meeting in person make sure they're okay with opening the box and plugging it in before you complete the transaction. Meetup someplace with an AC outlet.

PS I don't see why/how anyone would buy six iPads just to take a loss on them.
 
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