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Used macbook pro worth it?

M

massy18

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 22, 2010
13
0
Hi,

I have recently won an auction on ebay for a used macbook pro 13" that is one years old. The owner proclaims that the machine was used only a few times and that its in mint condition with no scratches or anything. I won the laptop for $910. It also includes applecare, which expires in september 18 2012. Do you believe I got my money's worth?
 
If it truly is in "mint" condition, then yes, I think it's worth what you paid for it. I was shopping for year old 13" Macbook Pros recently, and that is in the standard price range. The Applecare is a big plus too.

Also, in the worst case scenario, if the laptop arrives to you and it is clearly badly dinged up and scratched, then you can file an eBay complaint since he advertised it as "mint".
 
The only issue you may have is battery health. you can check that with the iStat Dashboard widget.
 
did you check the seller's rating? ... chances are with Apple Care you are fine

Only if it had water damage or has been abused should you worry ... that price range tells me the seller is looking to buy new themselves
 
hmmm, yeah, that makes things complicated. And if the MBP was "used only a few times" but not stored properly, there's an increased risk about the battery.
Maybe you may ask the seller to make a screenshot of Coconut battery running. It's a free app.
 
Apple OC said:
did you check the seller's rating? ... chances are with Apple Care you are fine

Only if it had water damage or has been abused should you worry ... that price range tells me the seller is looking to buy new themselves
Click to expand...


yes I checked the seller's rating, he has 100% feedback.

I'm gonna try to look for a macbook pro that's a few months old instead..
 
Bernard SG said:
hmmm, yeah, that makes things complicated. And if the MBP was "used only a few times" but not stored properly, there's an increased risk about the battery.
Maybe you may ask the seller to make a screenshot of Coconut battery running. It's a free app.
Click to expand...

Yes it does...I will ask the seller more questions. He is giving me a week to give the payment before he decides to relist it.
 
It's true that Microcenter gives a great discount, but I don't think $999 would include Applecare, which is fairly expensive.
 
before you get disappointed ... because in your original post, you seemed happy to win the ebay auction.

Buying Re-furbished online from Apple is your best bet ... why?

1. you are still buying direct from Apple

2. Apple has given the machine a proper check-up

3. comes with 1 year AppleCare

4. if you buy with a credit card ... you may have an extra year of warranty through your credit card company.

5. Re-Furbished does not mean something was ever wrong with it ... most of the time it is someone who bought and returned it right away because they think they should have got a bigger,hi-res screen, anti-glare, more CPU, etc etc

6.5. and most important ... it has not been used for a year by someone ... with refurb from Apple ... you will be the first user.

I hate to see you take a chance on something you want to really enjoy over the next 3 years

good luck:cool:
 
Thanks for the responses!

I've decided to bet on a MBP with less age..I'm just not gonna risk it! The reason I'm avoiding buying directly from apple is because I don't want to pay tax.
 
An advantage to EBay would be not paying sales tax.

Since you have the extended warranty, you did fine. By and by, you did not mention the configuration. If it is the 2GB model.... well you could have done better.
 
IMO, the only MBP worth buying is a refurb or used or non-logic board damaged ones. If you put in a little work, and with a little bit of help from ifixit.com, they can be a real bargain.

I set myself up with a MBP originally retailing at 2Gs for $700.
 
massy18 said:
Thanks for the responses!

I've decided to bet on a MBP with less age..I'm just not gonna risk it! The reason I'm avoiding buying directly from apple is because I don't want to pay tax.
Click to expand...

Does that mean you're backing out of the winning bid? Are there consequences?
 
You should've thought of the potential downsides of buying a used computer from eBay before placing a bid. You've entered into a contract with the seller and now you're backing out. That's complete b.s if you ask me, especially since sellers have little, if any, recourse these days.

This is exactly why I insist on instant payment whenever I list used stuff on eBay. If you change your mind after-the-fact, too bad.
 
Actually with paypal's protection if the buyer is in any way dissatisfied, justified or not, they're entitled to full money back, so insisting on instant payment is useless.
 
iprashant.menon said:
Actually with paypal's protection if the buyer is in any way dissatisfied, justified or not, they're entitled to full money back, so insisting on instant payment is useless.
Click to expand...

Huh? I don't see anything about a 100% satisfication guarantee on the PayPal Purchase Protection webpage. Only if the item hasn't arrived or isn't as described does PayPal step in.

Regardless, forcing the buyer to cough up the money right after they win the auction avoids the hemming and hawing that the OP is going through right now. It also makes the buyer seriously think through his purchasing decision before clicking that "Bid Now" button.

The buyer in this thread is really hanging the seller out to dry. $h!t like this is what contributes to eBay's faltering reputation.
 
iprashant.menon said:
IMO, the only MBP worth buying is a refurb or used
Click to expand...

100% agreed.

I recently bought myself a 11 month old MBP 17 for $1200 off Craigslist. No Apple care, no guarantees. I bought it in near perfect condition and it is still going very strong.

However, this route is not recommended if you don't know/want to fix the computer yourself.
 
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