Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I would like to take a further action by put these scam on the eBay web board, and may contact innocent customers of those Applecare Warranty scammed sellers. Otherwise, my thread will be worthless. let's see what will happen....:D
 
read my signature. There are plenty of threads like this on eBay discussion forums.
 
I just bought a bunch of Applecare Warranty codes for Imac, Macbook Air, and my personal Macbook Pro. I realize that the codes have a pattern (I know it) and easy to crack it down (just change some certain digit, then you get a free code). I'm just wondering this may be the way eBay Applecare sellers sell Applecare without boxes.

This might be the watch those eBay sellers get Applecare codes.

1. Go to https://selfsolve.apple.com/Agreements.do to get in the register page and because the code is random by a certain pattern. So, the eBay sellers can use the codes with unfinished register process to provide them to eBay customers. Moreover, the site lets people try to put the codes as many time as they like. As a result, you will get one that it will be recognized by code available sign.

2. After registering the code, anyways Apple website automatically send the confirm e-mail to customers who registered the codes without checking code valid.

3. Applecare coverage can be checked by the month of expiration date warranty ( https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do ) which is very weired.

Since the eBay sellers get Applecare warranty codes for free, they just give money back whenever buyers use invalid codes or question about the boxes and serials. If my scenario is right, those eBay Applecare Warranty sellers get millions in profit without investing a cent.

I'm pretty sure for those eBay sellers who sell Applecare warranty codes without boxes will use this method to get Applecare Warranty codes for all Apple products.



I think it will be better to move this thread to the big discussion board because this is a big hole for Apple.

I'm just thinking how much money do app.holdings, isellimac, macman and other eBay Applecare Warranty sellers make if they get it for free?

I love Apple!!!!! And hopefully Apple does something to keep this codes safe!!!!


Thanks for the heads-up! I'll stay clear from ebay for AppleCare, from now on.

Habitus :apple:
 
I just received e-mail from isellimac and macman812. Guess what? Both of them might be the same person. I noticed that from mac e-mail and They are have the same name first name Brian. Is it coincident?:D

This will be soon public. I contact eBay and Apple customer service to let them know what those eBay did, also e-mail to some newspaper reporters. I may email TV tech show tomorrow. Hopefully my push won't be worhtless.
 
Apple is well aware of the eBay problem, and supposedly working on something to combat this. You can do all this work, but it still won't do anything. If Apple has known about it, and this practice continues, it is buyer beware at this point.

If some people want to cheap out, they can. What does it hurt me. As long as MY LEGIT (and other peoples' legit copy) AppleCare works, that is all that matters. Now if it affected the legit buyers (buying from amazon.com or apple.com/stores, etc.), than i would be doing something. As long as you have a proper receipt and proof (ebay screen prints do not count as proof of purchase),, you are a ok.
 
I just bought a bunch of Applecare Warranty codes for Imac, Macbook Air, and my personal Macbook Pro. I realize that the codes have a pattern (I know it) and easy to crack it down (just change some certain digit, then you get a free code).


Just wondering, how do we know you actually did any of this? You created your account immediately prior to posting this "secret info", and your name is "applecaresecret". Sounds like a bunch of BS to me.
 
Just wondering, how do we know you actually did any of this? You created your account immediately prior to posting this "secret info", and your name is "applecaresecret". Sounds like a bunch of BS to me.

And who are you? You created your account immediately prior to this post as well :rolleyes:
 
And who are you? You created your account immediately prior to this post as well :rolleyes:

Long time Mac Rumors reader, first time poster. I've read the other thread that got closed by the mods. How do we know that the "applesecret" guy isn't Music_Producer or AlienSexGod, wanting to prolong the thread that was closed? :rolleyes:

I'd like to believe that some of what "applesecret" posted was remotely true, but it sounds too far fetched. A guy buys a bunch of AppleCare codes, takes one look and cracks Apple's algorithm. He must have a "beautiful mind" indeed. That's MIT skills right there.

"applesecret", would you mind telling us why you were buying a bunch of AppleCare codes? How many is "a bunch"?
 
I just finished a Applecare Warranty research on eBay. Guess what.... the seller that you bought Applecare from has the same type template format with seller called kordepa with 7 feedbacks, and from Japan. I bet that both accounts have the same owner, but one of them got suspended.

Or, "kordepa" is a new seller with no selling experience, and he/she copied the first listing they saw for the item they wanted to sell?

These conspiracy theorists. FYI, "geng7892001" isn't suspended.
 
Thousands of feedbacks do not mean he/she sells valid Applecare code. Obviously, he/she can issue a full refund to any customers because it is a free code that you can crack it by youself from Apple site.

Yeah, those idiots at apple made their AppleCare so easy to "crack" by anyone. A multi-billion dollar company has 5 year olds writing their AppleCare algorithm. :rolleyes:
 
Yeah, those idiots at apple made their AppleCare so easy to "crack" by anyone. A multi-billion dollar company has 5 year olds writing their AppleCare algorithm. :rolleyes:

I was under the impression that the AppleCare algorithm has, in fact, been cracked, and that is the likely reason that AppleCare is so widely available grey-market.

I mean, think about it. AppleCare is not a physical product that has production costs and normal margins as a physical product does. Where are these sellers getting all these copies of AppleCare from, and why would Apple be making them available by the tens and hundreds of thousands at substantially reduced prices? Something here just doesn't add up.
 
There are so many scams on ebay over Applecare that it's really hard to say especially since all he sends you is the code with no box.

While you'll probably pay a little more than on ebay, Amazon is cheaper than Apple, and you know it will be legit.
 
I was under the impression that the AppleCare algorithm has, in fact, been cracked, and that is the likely reason that AppleCare is so widely available grey-market.

I mean, think about it. AppleCare is not a physical product that has production costs and normal margins as a physical product does. Where are these sellers getting all these copies of AppleCare from, and why would Apple be making them available by the tens and hundreds of thousands at substantially reduced prices? Something here just doesn't add up.

I have read that IT departments can buy these in bulk (300 - 400 at a time), delivered electronically by Apple for their clients, and they in turn sell them in bulk. A handful of these could supply all of the digital AppleCare out there.
 
If you do not get the physical package aka "the box" and an invoice, then your chance is very high that you got ripped off.

I can recommend www.mac-pro.com - they DO ship the original box AND an invoice PLUS they have very good prices AND they also sell them on eBay http://stores.ebay.com/Mac-Pro-Systems


Thanks, I saw one of their auction listing for applecare for 227 but they stated they will not ship me the retail box. Did you buy from them? How much did you pay?
 
I have read that IT departments can buy these in bulk (300 - 400 at a time), delivered electronically by Apple for their clients, and they in turn sell them in bulk. A handful of these could supply all of the digital AppleCare out there.

That's one of several common explanations for the source of those "code only" applecare. However, typically most site license software sold in bulk to corporations isn't licensed for resale on to individual consumers which leaves the ebay buyer at risk should Apple ask them to verify their purchase with either a receipt from an authorized reseller or the serial from the box, then they're out of luck and their money is down the drain.

There are a number of theories as to where these "code only" applecare come from, code generators, stolen, damaged packaging, but in the end it doesn't really matter, the consumer is screwed if they can't prove their purchase was from a legitimate source.
 
"Anyone have any experience buying applecare on ebay from a trusted seller on ebay? I'm looking to buy it for my macbook pro, I found one listing, seller has 5000+ positive feed back so just want some opinion on it."

There is simply no such thing as a "trusted seller" of "registration number only" AppleCare on ebay. (By "registration number only", I mean that the seller will give you ONLY a registration code, and WILL NOT provide you with the box that the AppleCare comes in.)

Not one. Not one. Not one.
(do I need to repeat that?)

EVERY offer on ebay you see selling AppleCare without the box - EVERY ONE - is a scam, plain and simple.

EVERY code provided by these scam sellers is bogus, created through random code generation.

Yes, you may be able to register the code they provide you. But the fact that the Apple registration system "accepts" it still does not mean it's valid. All it REALLY means is that no one with a bona fide code (that is, one that appears on the outside of a bona fide AppleCare box) has yet to be registered. At some time in the future, someone else could register the same code, and in all likelihood, the bogus (identical) code that YOU previously entered will then be declared invalid.

But by then, it will be too late to leave "negative feedback", since ebay's feedback system only gives you a limited number of days to enter it.

There's only one way to obtain a legitimate AppleCare registration serial number: it's on the box that the AppleCare agreement comes in. If a seller claims he can sell you the code, but refuses to provide the box that actually HAS the serial number on it, well - why not?

This is really all you need to know.
Consider yourself as having been duly warned.
 
That's one of several common explanations for the source of those "code only" applecare. However, typically most site license software sold in bulk to corporations isn't licensed for resale on to individual consumers which leaves the ebay buyer at risk should Apple ask them to verify their purchase with either a receipt from an authorized reseller or the serial from the box, then they're out of luck and their money is down the drain.

There are a number of theories as to where these "code only" applecare come from, code generators, stolen, damaged packaging, but in the end it doesn't really matter, the consumer is screwed if they can't prove their purchase was from a legitimate source.

What about the reports from people who have gotten their AppleCare activated by Apple after presenting a Paypal receipt or an invoice from the seller? You would think that Apple reps would warn people about the eBay thing if it were a problem. More often than not I have read that Apple was fine with the warranty and even accepted third party invoices or receipts as a valid proof of purchase.
 
This seriously seems like a thread to "flame" on individuals who make a living off AppleCare, whether it is legitimate or not. I say, as many others, do it at your own risk. I don't think starting a thread about AC being a scam type-of-product on ebay would solve anything. If anything, you tell your RL friends and not individuals who already assume this type of risk.

Simple advice to the thread starter: Just don't buy it. Buy it from Apple.
 
I, too, bought my AppleCare on eBay. Bought it from a seller called drifterswind with no issues. He mailed me the box afterwards, with all documentation and the Tech Tools cd. Worked like a charm and have since then successfully used AppleCare twice, with no issues at all.

Many eBay sellers are legit. Many are not. Try buying headphones on eBay, especially the portable Audio-Technicas. Most notably, the ATH-ES7 and ATH-ESW9. Now that's something I hate. :mad:
 
EVERY code provided by these scam sellers is bogus, created through random code generation.

Yes, you may be able to register the code they provide you. But the fact that the Apple registration system "accepts" it still does not mean it's valid. All it REALLY means is that no one with a bona fide code (that is, one that appears on the outside of a bona fide AppleCare box) has yet to be registered. At some time in the future, someone else could register the same code, and in all likelihood, the bogus (identical) code that YOU previously entered will then be declared invalid.


Interesting theory. I've seen this posted a few times, but have yet to see anyone provide proof that this is how those sellers get their codes.

I have, however, seen a post where the person talked to Apple about one of these codes and was assured that there was no way a code could be randomly generated and activated in their system. In order to do that, Apple said, they would need access to their AppleCare system (impossible).

I have seen people who have purchased AppleCare from eBay, registered it, and had Apple question their warranty. But, after providing a Paypal receipt or other invoice, Apple accepted and validated the warranty.

I think the eBay AppleCare "scammer" sensation is just scaremongering, cooked up by licensed Apple resellers whose business these eBay sellers have hurt. I have seen no proof showing that the AppleCare code-only eBay auctions are anything but a good way to save a few bucks on a warranty.
 
I've bought Applecare on eBay in the past, registered it fine and taken my Mac into the AppleStore to have repairs done on it. Same with AppleCare for my iPhone.

I'm pretty sure it's all FUD.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.