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New MBPs on ebay

M

Mankin5344

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 5, 2007
39
0
NE Ohio
I found the lower version of the new mbp on e-bay for $1595 shipped. I wanted to see if u guys knew if this is real deal or if any one bought one. I can't paste the link on here because I am using my iPhone. But the title of the auction is:

brand new MacBook pro mb133LL/a - 15in screen

And the seller's id is: jenbabee. Any input would be appreciated.
 
There isn't (or shouldn't) be many out there that won't say that if it is too good to be true then it really is. Buyer beware but in the end it's your cash. :)
 
That is a hell of a good price. I would also appreciate if anyone who bought a mac from this person could post if it's safe! Wow.
 
looks legit actually, but can't be sure. There is a thread here "what's the catch" or something about a seller MrStitch76 for JLI computers. I think the woman secretary helping things that came back recently was named Jen. Perhaps this is her account and they are still doing some selling outside the company since the MRstitch person left ebay because of angry slow shipping and backlogs (although I got the 2 computers I ordered from them)

Could be them? Shoot them an email and see what they say, but it looks like a very similar set up and prices that they had.
 
ktbubster said:
looks legit actually, but can't be sure. There is a thread here "what's the catch" or something about a seller MrStitch76 for JLI computers. I think the woman secretary helping things that came back recently was named Jen. Perhaps this is her account and they are still doing some selling outside the company since the MRstitch person left ebay because of angry slow shipping and backlogs (although I got the 2 computers I ordered from them)

Could be them? Shoot them an email and see what they say, but it looks like a very similar set up and prices that they had.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing. I also noticed the location on the ebay listing is only 10 miles away from the address on the JLI computer web page.

Coincidence. Maybe but I think It is the same person. If it is I would have no problem buying a great laptop at a great price giving up a prompt shipment. I will probably email them tommorrow to hopefully confirm my suspicions.
 
Jenbabee is the Vice President of JLI computing, Mrstich76. Harry Slater.



Payment To:
Harry Slater (The recipient of this payment is Verified)
Seller's ID:
jenbabee
Seller's Email:
hslater@jlics.com
He says this is his "personal ebay account"
 
I bought my new MBP on eBay for the same price that the refurbs were going for. The reason I went with eBay was because the machine was new (higher resale down the road) and I didn't have to pay tax on it ($150 savings).

I was a bit unsure but I used PayPal and AMEX to make the purchase. Both are known for siding with the buyer in the case of disputes in most cases (to a fault with PayPal). I also looked for feedback from the seller that related to computers and Macs in general. I noticed that they had positive feedback from other buyers who had already bought and received MBP's from the buyer. I took a chance and it payed off.
 
Mankin5344 said:
I found the lower version of the new mbp on e-bay for $1595 shipped. I wanted to see if u guys knew if this is real deal or if any one bought one. I can't paste the link on here because I am using my iPhone. But the title of the auction is:

brand new MacBook pro mb133LL/a - 15in screen

And the seller's id is: jenbabee. Any input would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Looks to be a scam, as others have said. ALWAYS be warry when a deal seems too good to be true.
 
Mankin5344 said:
I found the lower version of the new mbp on e-bay for $1595 shipped. I wanted to see if u guys knew if this is real deal or if any one bought one. I can't paste the link on here because I am using my iPhone. But the title of the auction is:

brand new MacBook pro mb133LL/a - 15in screen

And the seller's id is: jenbabee. Any input would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

If you're a student or educator. Why don't you hit the local AppleStore with your student ID and get one at a reduced cost? In the UK they give 15% off the retail price, not sure about the US.

There's much less risk.
 
I sent jenbabee an email about my purchases from Mrstitch (both i was happy with and got promptly, I guess i was lucky) and she/he nicely replied saying they are doing this on their own, hence the lower quantities so she is able to keep up and it is profitable and not a hassle. It was a rather nice reply and said she would keep updating, but in lower quantities. I'd say, if you are willing to wait a bit, this is a good deal, and am fairly sure it's legit and honest. Then again I actually got both my computers (minis) from them in perfect condition last month, so i guess it's case by case.. but this is indeed the same people, but a personal seller.

I'm keeping them bookmarked and will keep checking back feedback after this current batch of computers is sold. (auctions end in 3 days it seems) Hopefully she'll have some mac minis and imacs once they are updated :)
 
Just be careful, notice they have not left feedback for anything (feedback left for others) and also when you check their feedback pull up the associate item description, you will notice the item has been removed. I don't know why that would happen unless there is something not quite right.
 
I have been checking back daily on jenbabee's ebay feedback, and today I found the first person that bought one of these mbp has already recieved theirs four days later. If they end up selling any more I will definately have to buy you can not beat this price no matter where you buy one at.
 
I have no knowledge if this seller, so my comments are general background only and are in no way a reflection on this seller or their former company.

There is a very simple equation.

If an item is being sold significantly below dealer (wholesale) cost, then either the product is stolen, or it is not new / not as advertised, or there is some manner of scam happening. Dealer wholesale on Mac products is 3% - 7% below retail. Do the math - nobody can sustain selling products below cost. You can't sell at a loss and make up for it with volume - neither can you sell at a loss and keep the volumes low to make it more manageable. We have seen this from i phones now and mix it for me and any number of other "great deals" sites.

One of the oldest schemes in the market is called the Ponzi scheme. This is where you sell a product or investment and use the sales from new customers to provide unrealistic returns to the first investors. Like any pyramid scheme, the Ponzi will collapse inevitably, leaving the majority of late customers with losses.

eBay, PayPal and the Internet just make it much much easier to get in and out quickly, and reach a huge number of people, especially with the free marketing people get on forums with posts like "Great deal on new XXXs could it be for real??!!" That brings the greedy and gullible out in droves.

Example
10 people buy the first week, 20 people buy the second week. You use the money from the second week's orders to fill the first 10 orders at a loss. First 10 people are happy, they give you good feedback. 50 people buy the third week. You use the 50 people's money to fill the 2nd week's 20 orders. Now you have 30 happy customers, lots of good feedback, you look legit, word gets around and people start to pile on the deal. 100 people order in week 4.
Now you start promising people delivery real soon. Another 100 people order in week 5.

Look what you have -- you have the money from 280 sales and you have only had to buy 30 products. Let's say the goods cost $1500 and you are selling them for $1000. Income $280,000, expenses $45,000 = profit $235,000 if you walk away now.

Your profit is limited only by how long you can string out the week 3 and 4 buyers before their outrage alarms the later buyers. Experience has shown that people can be lied to for 6 - 10 weeks before they go ballistic. "The shipper made an error" "a batch of product got damaged, we'll have it replaced by.... date" "Here's your (phony) waybill number" "We're selling so many products we're snowed under by our unexpected success. Apologies, we're hiring more staff as fast as we can, just be patient"

Log on to some forums and tell a sincere and reassuring story about your sales success and efforts you are making to fill all orders by next Tuesday.

Log on again multiple times to different forums as a shill and say how you were "initially wary of the company by what you read online, but you got your product and the company was great to deal with, you recommend them now, and can't see why all the other people are complaining - give them a chance and you'll get your great deal on the product!"

Fortunately, PayPal has a 45 day limit for filing chargebacks, so if you can jolly them along for 46 days you're homefree. If you're REALLY good you can get people to pay an extra $50 - $150 for expedited delivery. Go ahead and ship a few early buyers some product by overnight air, to turn them from complainers to supporters online.

Then when you have made enough money to fund your sports cars, McMansion and offshore bank account, you simply walk away and disappear.
10 weeks should net you about $700,000.

Easy.

Then you set up with a new name and do it again.
 
CanadaRam, get a clue! :eek:

I agree there are such scams out there, no doubt about that, and especially on Ebay. However, JLI and it's associates is certainly not running such a racket. They were pushed off Ebay by idiots flaming them on Forums and Negative feedbacks (even when most of them actually received their Macs or a full refund!)

Take a look at a seller called Mrstich76 who is no longer registered on Ebay. As was mentioned before, there are very long threads on him and JLI. I have never seen so much information by so many different people about a single topic on a Computer forum. It's pretty incredible actually.

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=mrstich76&ftab=AllFeedback

If you take the time to actually read them all, which I highly recommend if you are considering buying from anyone at JLI, whether or not they are directly affiliated with the name JLI computers. EVEN if you just want to sound smart when making lengthy opinionated comments about who you think they might be, read those threads.

I received 2 terrific Mac Minis from JLI, through Mrstich76. I'm using one of them now in fact. There is no doubt that they are a real company with real products from THE real manufacturer. The items are not stolen or re-manufactured. When I, as well as hundreds or others, registered our Macs with Apple, the 1 year Applecare warranty period started, including phone support.

It was also amazing, even unbelievable that they could make any money selling them at these prices. But you must consider that they get them at a tremendous steal because they buy them in bulk directly from Apple. The Government or Education discounts that I'm eligible for is MUCH higher that what an Authorized Apple Reseller (which they are at their store) pays for them. The only reason you don't see them at these prices anywhere else is that Apple has an IRON-Grip on the "Minimum Advertised Price" for all Mac products, including iPods. How does JLI get away with it? Well, they sell it at Ebay without an official affiliation with their company JLI, through their employees selling them as a side business.

So either get on board and save yourself a TON of money, or refrain from commenting about something you are clearly ignorant about. In either case, go and educate yourself before making further comments about Jenbabee. The positive comments have already started to roll in for the last batch of Macbooks they sold there. Expect to see about 20 to 30 in the next week or so, maybe that will convince you.

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=jenbabee&ftab=AllFeedback

One final note: Out of 1073 buyers only 33 left negative feedback. If you do the math, it means they did a pretty damn good job of actually completing a successful transaction. So don't take my word for it, go read the 1000+ positive feedbacks about him and make up your own mind. But I suppose you think they just got 1000 of their close friends to get Ebay accounts and post feedback?? I can't wait to hear your next conspiracy theory. :p
 
It was also amazing, even unbelievable that they could make any money selling them at these prices. But you must consider that they get them at a tremendous steal because they buy them in bulk directly from Apple.
Click to expand...

#1 Nobody, not even companies that buy 1000's of Macintoshes at a time, gets deep bulk discounts from Apple. Ya think that a small company gets them cheaper than BestBuy or MacMall just because they buy 1000 units (as opposed to major retailers who buy 10's of thousands a year)? You are dreaming.

#2 It's trivially easy for an eBay seller to get a negative feedback deleted from their eBay feedback profile.

#3 re-read the part where I stated that my comments are not about the particular seller.

#4 - if an individual is selling a machine 'on the side' and not affiliated with an authorized reseller, it's a private sale. However, if an individual is selling dozens of machines, it will depend on their state's licensing laws whether they are required to have a business license and reseller number, or not. At any rate, your protection as a purchaser is probably less on a private sale than on a purchase from a company.

and #5 - "Get on board and save a bunch of money or refrain from commenting" -- I will comment as I please, within the rules of this board, thank you very much. Besides, I don't need to point out to you how excellently your post proves my points.
 
I am in agreement with CanadaRam. There is something not quite right. I am still not buying that JLI, mrstich76 removed themselves from ebay. And as for Harry being able to sell these on his own, it has to have something to do with JLI, they are not his personal machines he is selling. As vice president of JLI he has to be using their account to get these machines. So for him to claim it has nothing to do with JLI is already slightly misleading. If they were on the up and up they would have honored their previous commitments. Instead they are just refunding money and starting over, and hoping no one will put it all together. I believe these message boards are the only way people have of getting feedback from people who have had previous dealings with these people. They are still free to buy, it just makes them a more educated consumer.
 
Great post CanadaRam!

If they are selling at below wholesale there needs to be a reason why:

1. Out of the goodness of their hearts.
2. Pricing error.
3. The computer is not as advertised.
4. There is more going on than meets the eye.

I wouldn't give them any of my hard earned money.

Good luck.
 
Give me a break!

Are you telling us you have first hand knowledge of what the "Retailers" ACTUALLY pay for their Macs?? I'm sure we are all dying to find that out! Please enlighten us!

If they were stolen, then how the hell am I as well as hundreds of others who bought from him able to register them on Apple and get our Valid Applecare warranty? If they were stolen, don't you think they would put some "flags" in their system for those missing serial numbers???

I was very skeptical and actually called Apple, giving them my serial number and they told me it was not stolen and no a Reman. Ask any of the other 1000+ buyers and they will tell you the same.

Also, No, it's not at all easy to get Ebay to remove Hundreds of Negative feedbacks! Yes, there were about a dozen that were "Mutually Agree to be Removed" by both the seller and buyer. But that is the only way, unless the feedback left by the buyers is abusive and contains foul language. Go back and read Ebay Feedback profile. OMG! :eek:
 
If everything was so on the up and up read the other thread on macrunors WHATS THE CATCH. There are people mrstich76 promised to ship items to and they never did. NOT people who filed disputes or claims, but people who tried to be patient and waited for JLI to ship as they had been promised. Now they are without any notice just receiving refunds, yet now the same people who WORK for JLI are up and running under user id Jenbabee, selling the same items and supposedly shipping these items. How are those people supposed to feel. CHEATED, RIPPED OFF! The only place thse computers can be coming from is JLI, this does not seem right.
 
Marauder73 said:
The only reason you don't see them at these prices anywhere else is that Apple has an IRON-Grip on the "Minimum Advertised Price" for all Mac products, including iPods. How does JLI get away with it? Well, they sell it at Ebay without an official affiliation with their company JLI, through their employees selling them as a side business.
Click to expand...

Reserving judgement on JLI, but Dell employees have been doing this for a while with Dell's blessing. It is the cheapest way of getting a good Dell monitor, with a no-pixel fault guarantee and a full Dell collect from site warranty. You can even call the Dell employees on the company's phone lines to negotiate prices.
 
Mankin5344 said:
I have been checking back daily on jenbabee's ebay feedback, and today I found the first person that bought one of these mbp has already recieved theirs four days later. If they end up selling any more I will definately have to buy you can not beat this price no matter where you buy one at.
Click to expand...

I give up! I have been following this thread since it started and things never change. There is always someone who wants to buy from these people no matter what anyone says. The sellers have negative feedback - both on eBay and in this and other Mac forums. They are rude. (See their posts to this and other forums.) They threaten their buyers with adverse consequences if the buyer emails them or complains about delayed shipment. (See their posts.) And in many, many cases, they don't deliver.

If OP wants to buy from them anyway, let him. He has access to all the information he needs to make an informed decision. If he chooses to make a bad decision, that's his choice. But enough about Jen, JLI and the rest of them. They are what they are. This situation has been discussed at length, and it's not going to change. Enough, already!

Meanwhile, despite the seller's complaints about all the bad press we're giving them, the more we discuss them, the more sales they're going to get . . . .
 
tl10s said:
If everything was so on the up and up read the other thread on macrunors WHATS THE CATCH. There are people mrstich76 promised to ship items to and they never did. NOT people who filed disputes or claims, but people who tried to be patient and waited for JLI to ship as they had been promised. Now they are without any notice just receiving refunds, yet now the same people who WORK for JLI are up and running under user id Jenbabee, selling the same items and supposedly shipping these items. How are those people supposed to feel. CHEATED, RIPPED OFF! The only place thse computers can be coming from is JLI, this does not seem right.
Click to expand...


If they didn't file a claim with Paypal after several weeks of waiting then they are just dumb. EVERYONE has either received their Mac that they ordered or a full refund. That is not being cheated or Ripped Off, that is simply bad service. Don't make it out to be more than it is. Stop flaming just for the sake of flaming! Those who never got their Macs, are in the very small percentile.

It's just very simple. If you don't want to do business with them then don't. But don't start flaming them just because of your bad experience. It's a good idea to share these experiences so everyone can make an informed decision, but calling them frauds or thieves is just ridiculous and childish.
 
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