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New Macs on ebay - how come some are so cheap? o_O

S

skrilla

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 19, 2009
12
0
Hello all!

A little background on me since this is my first post here - my first apple was a white macbook. I sold it and purchased a very nice, high end alienware laptop. I do not need it anymore (stopped playing windows games), so I am thinking about selling it while I can still get something for it.

Anyway, I am checking out apple laptops again (just saw the unibody MB and MBPs which I guess came out last year NICE!! :eek: ) and looking for the 'best deal' around. There are a few ebayers selling the 2.5GHz model for roughly same price as apple sells the 2.4GHz model. How is this possible? Did they fall off a truck? These sellers have 99-100% positive feedback fwiw.

I could provide links, but they are easy to find. Do a search and filter for buy it now and sort by price.

TLDR: Am I supporting the mafia if I buy a 2.5GHz model for dirt cheap on ebay?
 
I'm not going to take the time to check them out, if you had posted a link, then maybe.:rolleyes:

Keep in mind that some will be bid up. But, no, basically if the merchant has a high feedback rating with over 1000 feedbacks, you're pretty much safe. I saved a ton of money on my MBP on eBay.:) Read over the ads well, though.
 
The Buy it Now! prices are what I am referring to :eek:

I do read every single line on any auctions I plan to purchase :D
 
Then you're good. I saved over $1,000 on my computer, buying on eBay.
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Edit:
EricNau said:
They're probably scams.
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Not if they have high positive feedback.:rolleyes:
 
redwarrior said:
Then you're good. I saved over $1,000 on my computer, buying on eBay.
tongue.gif


Edit:

Not if they have high positive feedback.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...


Um yes they could be. Have you never heard of hijacked accounts? That is all the rage right now. Hijack an account, put up a MBP for cheap, collect the money thru a hijack paypal account. Send money to another account.

I would look at the sellers past auctions. If the seller lists a lot of Macs or related items it is probably legit.
 
skubish said:
Um yes they could be. Have you never heard of hijacked accounts? That is all the rage right now. Hijack an account, put up a MBP for cheap, collect the money thru a hijack paypal account. Send money to another account.

I would look at the sellers past auctions. If the seller lists a lot of Macs or related items it is probably legit.
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Of course, I didn't tell him not to use his brain! Anytime you're going to spend thousands of dollars, you should check out who you're giving your money too.:rolleyes:
 
Was thinking the same thing. Does apple (geniuses) treat the buyer differently if a mac was purchased on ebay as opposed to apple? Same with applecare? I figure when someone purchases directly from an apple retail store or apple online, it goes straight to apple's records for any apple employee to see if there is an issue with a mac.

Ooohh sir/mam we have to repair it (it'll take a couple of hours or days, bought from ebay).

Ooohh sir/mam we will replace it right away (bought from the same store).
 
redwarrior said:
Of course, I didn't tell him not to use his brain! Anytime you're going to spend thousands of dollars, you should check out who you're giving your money too.:rolleyes:
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You made it sound like as long as the seller has positive feedback its no worries. The person is asking this question so you can't assume anything regarding using their brain.

And what's with the :rolleyes:. Its quite lame used in that context.
 
skubish said:
You made it sound like as long as the seller has positive feedback its no worries. The person is asking this question so you can't assume anything regarding using their brain.

And what's with the :rolleyes:. Its quite lame used in that context.
Click to expand...

:confused:

Yes they have positive feedback for similar items. I'm just wondering how they can sell these items at such a low cost??? Is the cost of a 2.5GHz (to resellers) less than $2,000?
 
skrilla said:
:confused:

Yes they have positive feedback for similar items. I'm just wondering how they can sell these items at such a low cost??? Is the cost of a 2.5GHz (to resellers) less than $2,000?
Click to expand...

Those are previous generation MacBook Pros. You can find some at the Apple Store online that are really cheap too. If you don't care about the unibody MBP, at $1999 and $2499, you can buy an old model that is still new in the box for sometimes less than $1300. I have seen people save $1,000 or more by buying the previous generation MBPs. Still a great Notebook, just not the same with the same features as the new unibody MBPs.

Good luck finding a great cheap MBP. Cheers.
 
Scottsdale said:
Those are previous generation MacBook Pros. You can find some at the Apple Store online that are really cheap too. If you don't care about the unibody MBP, at $1999 and $2499, you can buy an old model that is still new in the box for sometimes less than $1300. I have seen people save $1,000 or more by buying the previous generation MBPs. Still a great Notebook, just not the same with the same features as the new unibody MBPs.

Good luck finding a great cheap MBP. Cheers.
Click to expand...

the ones I am talking about are unibody - 2.5GHz for $2000 to $2100

I can provide links if that is ok?
 
yeah, my cousin got his macbook pro high end off of eBay. He bought AppleCare on eBay for $50 cheaper than retail price. And both of these items were new. He said its working great

Apple wanted something like 2,500 for the macbook pro he bought, and he bought it on eBay with Buy it Now for 2,000.

Im considering buying my macbook pro off of eBay, but if I do, im not sure if ill be able to get the Best Buy Macbook Pro Warranty plan which includes accidental damage.
 
skrilla said:
the ones I am talking about are unibody - 2.5GHz for $2000 to $2100

I can provide links if that is ok?
Click to expand...

Well, you said 2.5 GHz... that is common in the previous model MBP. The new unibody is 2.53 GHz, so that is what I was going by.

I agree with the other person, those aren't cheap... the previous generation MBPs can be had for far less.
 
I wouldn't trust ebay if I were you. I don't trust it at all, I ordered shoes like 2 years ago, never arrived, with paypal I got some of my money back but less then half. Ebay is filled with too many scams.
 
I have been screwed both as a buyer and a seller a few times recently by hijacked accounts. One suspicious thing is if their english is really bad. When you read it, if it sounds like Borat, be careful...
 
And remember than accounts can be hacked and feedback faked.

If its too good to be true then it usually is. One final way to check is ask them where they're based and if you can meet them & pay in cash.
 
ascender said:
And remember than accounts can be hacked and feedback faked.

If its too good to be true then it usually is. One final way to check is ask them where they're based and if you can meet them & pay in cash.
Click to expand...

If you want to do that use craigslist, not ebay.

But anything that involves exchange of money or anything of value will attract scammers you just have to research and see what is legit.
 
Store or eBay?

I favor the Apple store myself, here is my story.
I purchased a brand new Mac Pro from an Apple store. After about a week it started acting strange. A call to Apple Care it was determined that it was in need of a Apple Genius Bar visit. They couldn't figure it out on the spot and told me to leave it with them. I refused to leave it and said it was only a week old and I wouldn't accept a repair on a brand new computer, mind you I just switched over from the PC world. At that point a full refund for not only the computer but the software was given.
A week later I decided to give it another try, repurchased a new computer and am totally happy with the experience of a new Apple. It has now been three or four months and so far so good(knock on wood).

Buying from a store will have a little more leverage in my opinion, it may be worth allot more money than what you would save if something should arise from a bad computer. How do you put a price on grief and anxiety?

Good luck in your decision.
 
The cheap computers could also be stolen. Ebay is the new high-tech way to unload hot merchandise.
 
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