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Recommendations for places to buy a refurbished iMac

nwstehle said:
What are some good places to purchase a refurbished iMac?
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There is only one place. Apple.

Apple refurbished products are considered by most to be a very good deal, as they're pretty much like buying a new Mac, except for the box.
  • Apple Certified Refurbished Products are only available from the Apple Refurb Store and are not sold by any 3rd party or local Apple stores
  • Educational discounts do not apply to refurb products.
  • Refurb products come with the same warranty as new products, and qualify for AppleCare
  • Refurb products have a changed serial number that identifies them as refurbished
  • Refurb products come with whatever OS version and software they originally shipped with as new
  • Refurb products come with the same items in the box as new products, only the box is a plain one, not the new box.
  • A refurb product could have some cosmetic signs of prior use, but rarely do
  • A refurb Mac may have some cycles on the battery, but not a significant enough amount to affect usable life
  • The refurb store inventory changes frequently, sometimes several times a day, and doesn't have any direct relation to upcoming product releases. What's available in the refurb store is determined by what has been returned to Apple.
  • If you're looking for a particular item, refurb.me can alert you when it becomes available.
 
Apple refurbs are the best you can buy, they use all new outer parts to the iMac will look brand new (minus the box). Also they come with the normal 1 year warranty which can be extended to 3 years with Applecare. 🙂
 
Take a look at powermax.com and small dog electronics. Powermax is in Oregon and has no sales tax. Smalldog is in Vermont. Both are established Mac resellers with good reputations.

Dale
 
Designer Dale said:
Take a look at powermax.com and small dog electronics. Powermax is in Oregon and has no sales tax. Smalldog is in Vermont. Both are established Mac resellers with good reputations.

Dale
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They don't sell Apple Refurbished Macs, however. No one but Apple does.
 
Slovak said:
They may not be "official" refurbs, but I've seen plenty of them at Microcenter. Full line up of "pre-owned" - their term for refurbished at http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?N=4294967291+4294966363

I've bought several of them for non-profits that couldn't afford more than $500-600 investment, and everyone's been VERY happy.
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Here's one big difference in buying used (which those are) vs Apple refurbished, and one of many reasons I wouldn't trust others:

Microcenter "refurbs" (used)
Manufacturer Warranty
Parts 90 days
Labor 90 days
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Apple Certified Refurbished Products:
All Apple Certified Refurbished Products are covered by Apple's One-Year Limited Warranty. For extended coverage, you have the option of purchasing the AppleCare Protection Plan with your Apple Certified Refurbished Product.
Click to expand...
 
GGJstudios said:
Here's one big difference in buying used (which those are) vs Apple refurbished, and one of many reasons I wouldn't trust others:

Microcenter "refurbs" (used)

Apple Certified Refurbished Products:
Click to expand...

I agree with you that it's a better investment to get it from Apple. However, if someone's budget only goes so far and they still want a Mac, it is an option.
 
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