iPad mini Picking up an iPad through Craigslist

[MacGurl111]

But I'm afraid it might be stolen. It's a brand new box, latest model of iPad mini, 64gb for only a couple hundred.

Is there anyway I can check to see if it's a stolen item? To be honest, if it's stolen I won't be buying it.

 

[AppleFan360]

But I'm afraid it might be stolen. It's a brand new box, latest model of iPad mini, 64gb for only a couple hundred.

Is there anyway I can check to see if it's a stolen item? To be honest, if it's stolen I won't be buying it.

If the price is too good to be true it probably is.

 

[Rodster]

Trust your senses, Luke !

 

[TRC-WA]

A friend of mine left her mini in a bathroom on Memorial weekend. Was gone 2 mins and it was gone. I activated lost mode on it.

About 2 weeks later got a phone call from a young woman who said she had traded her Galaxy Tablet for this iPad mini and when trying to login to iCloud it's telling her it was lost and to call this number.

She gave it to my friend free (as she should have) and said "that's the last time I trade for an iPad that doesn't have a box or power cable on CL."

Ya think?

 

[JackieInCo]

I would check it out. If it's a sealed box, make sure he knows you will need to open it to make sure there IS an iPad in the box with all the accessories. Also, make sure it;s not iCloud locked.

People are having a hard time selling iPads right now. I've had a 128GB LTE Retina Mini for sale for $500 and no one seems interested. I keep relisting though and I won't go lower. If I can't sell, I'll keep it.

 

[dyusem]

I would check it out. If it's a sealed box, make sure he knows you will need to open it to make sure there IS an iPad in the box with all the accessories. Also, make sure it;s not iCloud locked.

People are having a hard time selling iPads right now. I've had a 128GB LTE Retina Mini for sale for $500 and no one seems interested. I keep relisting though and I won't go lower. If I can't sell, I'll keep it.

Is the 128GB LTE Retina Mini ATT/Unlocked and new? Please point me to the ad...cheers!

 

[AppleFan360]

People are having a hard time selling iPads right now. I've had a 128GB LTE Retina Mini for sale for $500 and no one seems interested. I keep relisting though and I won't go lower. If I can't sell, I'll keep it.

I sold a 32GB iPad Air recently and it wasn't a huge problem but I needed to find a good price point. Basically I looked at E-Bay, other posting on Craigslist and how much it costs to buy a new one. If you stick with one price and are not willing to come down, you may never sell it.

Each time I sell something like an iPad or iPhone, I'm finding more and more that trying to sell here on MacRumors is a waist of time. Lowballing runs rampid around here.

 

[Vandam500]

You can check with Apple's official tool here:

https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/

 

[macduke]

You can check with Apple's official tool here:

https://www.icloud.com/activationlock/

I didn't know this site existed, pretty cool! Thanks.

 

[MacGurl111]

I would check it out. If it's a sealed box, make sure he knows you will need to open it to make sure there IS an iPad in the box with all the accessories. Also, make sure it;s not iCloud locked.

People are having a hard time selling iPads right now. I've had a 128GB LTE Retina Mini for sale for $500 and no one seems interested. I keep relisting though and I won't go lower. If I can't sell, I'll keep it.

Thank you! My husband said the exact same thing for me to open it even if it is sealed. I said, why?!! He said, "people seal up those boxes and you could be leaving empty handed!" I'm naive, sometimes!

So, I asked the guy if I can open it, and he said, "if you open, you buy!"
That was awkward. I did ended up buying it, turns out it wasn't exactly the newer model but the second generation (mini 2), but I still got one heck of a deal. I posted it online for a little more money just to see if it will sell and my phone is blowing up with people wanting to buy it. Not sure if I want to sell it, now.

I checked the serial number and it seems to be okay.

 

[CEmajr]

I would check it out. If it's a sealed box, make sure he knows you will need to open it to make sure there IS an iPad in the box with all the accessories. Also, make sure it;s not iCloud locked.

People are having a hard time selling iPads right now. I've had a 128GB LTE Retina Mini for sale for $500 and no one seems interested. I keep relisting though and I won't go lower. If I can't sell, I'll keep it.

Yeah iPads are a tough sell these days. Especially those of higher capacity. $200 for a 1st Gen iPad Mini doesn't sound too good to be true. I'd buy it if everything checks out.

 

[MacGurl111]

Yeah iPads are a tough sell these days. Especially those of higher capacity. $200 for a 1st Gen iPad Mini doesn't sound too good to be true. I'd buy it if everything checks out.

Good to know! Thank you!

 

[LucasLand]

personally I don't like meeting people. I find it odd someone prefers to meet in person and pay with cash, when they can use their credit card with paypal and I would ship it to them for free.

In my area there has been people beaten and had their device strong armed away from them by a thug(s) that meet them. there have also been cases where the buyer tried to pay will counterfeit money.

The last time I sold a computer on craigslist the buyer met me in a parking lot. I don't want to give details, but this person had some serious mental health issues and the transaction was awkward, but completed.

When I advertise on CL I usually just tell what I'm selling and link my eBay auction. I don't care if they are in the next town, i'll ship it to them for free instead of meeting

 

[mlody]

I keep checking Craigslist fairly frequently for deals on iPads, and I just do not get it because 99% of the listings are higher than what one can buy from Apple refurb store and I do not have to risk of being robbed, or even killed for just couple hundred dollars.

 

[AppleFan360]

personally I don't like meeting people. I find it odd someone prefers to meet in person and pay with cash, when they can use their credit card with paypal and I would ship it to them for free.

In my area there has been people beaten and had their device strong armed away from them by a thug(s) that meet them. there have also been cases where the buyer tried to pay will counterfeit money.

The last time I sold a computer on craigslist the buyer met me in a parking lot. I don't want to give details, but this person had some serious mental health issues and the transaction was awkward, but completed.

When I advertise on CL I usually just tell what I'm selling and link my eBay auction. I don't care if they are in the next town, i'll ship it to them for free instead of meeting

I keep checking Craigslist fairly frequently for deals on iPads, and I just do not get it because 99% of the listings are higher than what one can buy from Apple refurb store and I do not have to risk of being robbed, or even killed for just couple hundred dollars.

If done correctly, Craigslist is perfectly safe. Heck, I don't trust PayPal transactions anymore simply because its easy to lose your money to a scammer.

I have sold several items on Craigslist and all have gone perfectly fine. The trick is to actually talk to the person on the phone first and work out the deal. You can usually get a pretty good feel for the type of person you are working with by a simple conversation. Texting only is a bad idea. The other basics should also be included like meeting in a public place, never at night and always have someone with you.

 

[DSTOFEL]

I've sold a lot of Apple devices on Craigslist (iMacs, MacBooks, iPads, iPhones etc...). When you are dealing with people you have never met, you have to be "Streetwise", especially if you're selling in a big City (I live in Atlanta). However, by following a few precautions, it can be relatively safe!

The keys for me are:
-Place strict stipulations on buyers: you'll only respond to people who provide a phone number, you'll only accept cash, the transaction will take place inside you're local bank (and stick to these rules).

-Doubt means no! Trust your intuition. If you have "any" doubt the buyer is not legit, Stop! You'll learn to spot the potential scams fairly quickly! Never let greed trump common sense!

You might lose some legitimate opportunities by following the above, but you'll weed out many more potential scam artists...and that's the goal! Most potential buyers who are legit will appreciate the effort and realize it makes the process safer for both parties.

It's worked over and over for me!

 

[AppleFan360]

I've sold a lot of Apple devices on Craigslist (iMacs, MacBooks, iPads, iPhones etc...). When you are dealing with people you have never met, you have to be "Streetwise", especially if you're selling in a big City (I live in Atlanta). However, by following a few precautions, it can be relatively safe!

The keys for me are:
-Place strict stipulations on buyers: you'll only respond to people who provide a phone number, you'll only accept cash, the transaction will take place inside you're local bank (and stick to these rules).

-Doubt means no! Trust your intuition. If you have "any" doubt the buyer is not legit, Stop! You'll learn to spot the potential scams fairly quickly! Never let greed trump common sense!

You might lose some legitimate opportunities by following the above, but you'll weed out many more potential scam artists! Most potential buyers who are legit will appreciate the effort and realize it makes the process safer for both parties.

It's worked over and over for me!

All good points. After each transaction, it gets easier spotting the bad apples.