99MustangGTman
macrumors 6502
Yeah I was guessing that they may be stolen.
New Macs on ebay - how come some are so cheap? o_O
- Thread starter skrilla
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
roughly 18% off retail.
I'll think about it and perhaps I'll become a guinea pig for you guys
My ebay account was hijacked and some fake laptops sales put up. Luckily, I got an email within half an hour of this happening (I only use ebay to buy and sporadically at that) so I put a stop to it. It happens quite a lot and ebay were useless at sorting it out, wanting to bill me for the pulled fake sales.
As for the 18% discount, that is way higher than Apple's standard margin for dealers. A friend of mine runs an Apple dealership and he does not get even half that. If that ebayer is not stealing those laptops, then he is definitely not going through the official channels, because Apple does not supply ebayers. You have to jump through hoops to get stock direct from Apple.
At best, this is someone who has got hold of returned/liquidated stock cheaply, but with the newer models not being out that long and not finding their way in huge numbers on Apple's online refurb store you would have to ask yourself where from?
MarkMissoula
macrumors regular
Man you people are paranoid. Ebay is perfectly safe as opposed to Craigslist where you see scams all the time. I bought my Macbook off Ebay and saved almost $500. Just make sure you use Paypal when purchasing and your fully protected.
Thanks to this thread I looked on Craigslist for my area since I was in the market for a MBP and a guy had a NIB MBP unibody 2.4 for $1650. I gave him a call and as it turned out he had giftcards.
I told him I wasn't comfortable handing over cash for a giftcard, he offered to go to the Apple Store with me.
Long story short, I walked out with a 2.53 GHZ MacBook Pro and a Canon Multi-Function, after rebate and my student discount my out the door cost is $1850!
Another big upside was the computer was bought from a Apple Store with my name on the receipt.
It also had a separate iLife 09 disc!
I told him I wasn't comfortable handing over cash for a giftcard, he offered to go to the Apple Store with me.
Long story short, I walked out with a 2.53 GHZ MacBook Pro and a Canon Multi-Function, after rebate and my student discount my out the door cost is $1850!
Another big upside was the computer was bought from a Apple Store with my name on the receipt.
It also had a separate iLife 09 disc!
CashGap
macrumors 6502
eBay and PayPal are both MUCH more secure than most other venues, including small local retailers.
But with their broad scope, their low (percentage) problems aggregate. In other words, no one hear wants to know about Ike and Ida's Computers in Boise, Idaho that ripped someone off. But if Ike and Ida had done it on eBay... whoo boy, look out, it's an epidemic.
As to the very low price on the computers. Those folks are running a very lean margin strategy that includes buying from a friendly dealer using a rewards credit card and making five or ten bucks on the shipping. Hard way to earn a living, I'd think, but to each their own.
Always check Amazon for Macbooks as well.
But with their broad scope, their low (percentage) problems aggregate. In other words, no one hear wants to know about Ike and Ida's Computers in Boise, Idaho that ripped someone off. But if Ike and Ida had done it on eBay... whoo boy, look out, it's an epidemic.
As to the very low price on the computers. Those folks are running a very lean margin strategy that includes buying from a friendly dealer using a rewards credit card and making five or ten bucks on the shipping. Hard way to earn a living, I'd think, but to each their own.
Always check Amazon for Macbooks as well.
raulsantos
macrumors newbie
Hi skrilla,
I am also interested in buying a MBP on eBay. I found the same Macbook Pro 2.53GHz 15" 4GB RAM unibody which is sold by Apple for $2499.99 and on eBay for $2199.99.
The seller is Electronic King Inc and has 98.6% positive feedback. Other people have bought the same laptop and found it ok.
I even emailed the seller and asked him if I was somehow mistaken. Was that an older model or exactly the same one being sold by Apple for $2499.99. Here is the answer:
Yes this is the Macbook Pro 2.53GHz 15" 4GB RAM unibody which is sold by Apple for $2499.99.
We buy these in bulk from our suppliers. That's why our price is lower.
Then I asked if the price was final or if some taxes were to be expected when shipping it to Europe. The answer:
We will mark it as a gift with lower value, so there should be no custom duties/taxes.
So it seems a pretty safe and good deal to me. Did you eventually buy your MBP here? Does anyone see a reason why I shouldn't go ahead with it?
Thank you all in advance. Great forum!
I am also interested in buying a MBP on eBay. I found the same Macbook Pro 2.53GHz 15" 4GB RAM unibody which is sold by Apple for $2499.99 and on eBay for $2199.99.
The seller is Electronic King Inc and has 98.6% positive feedback. Other people have bought the same laptop and found it ok.
I even emailed the seller and asked him if I was somehow mistaken. Was that an older model or exactly the same one being sold by Apple for $2499.99. Here is the answer:
Yes this is the Macbook Pro 2.53GHz 15" 4GB RAM unibody which is sold by Apple for $2499.99.
We buy these in bulk from our suppliers. That's why our price is lower.
Then I asked if the price was final or if some taxes were to be expected when shipping it to Europe. The answer:
We will mark it as a gift with lower value, so there should be no custom duties/taxes.
So it seems a pretty safe and good deal to me. Did you eventually buy your MBP here? Does anyone see a reason why I shouldn't go ahead with it?
Thank you all in advance. Great forum!
Umbongo
macrumors 601
This is incorrect. You will likely be rquired to pay your local VAT, many countries only have small or no duty on notebooks though.
They can do the pricing because of low overheads.
If the seller marks your commercial package as a gift, then there is no chance whatsoever that the customs authorities will smell a rat and open it to check. No chance, whatsoever.
Good luck!
macrumorsMaster
macrumors 6502
Doesn't seem safe to me. The fact that they would lie on the customs forms sends red flags. What else would they do, if they can get away with it?
It's up to you since they have such a good feedback rating, but I'd rather buy from a more ethical company/person.