Ebay - Anyone bought a Mac off Ebay?

[Frances144]

Have you bought an Apple computer off Ebay from a private seller?

If so, were there any problems?  Is this a good route to go down? or would an Apple refurb from the AppleStore be a better option?

Thanks
Fx

[kbeartx]

I've bought maybe ten used Macs via eBay over the years, w/ no probs except once it took forEVER to ship one to me.

Carefully ck out the seller's feedback before you bid...

[chriskleeman]

HI Fx,

I bought my iBook, brand-new, on eBay. I had a mixed experience with an earlier seller, who eventually refunded my money, but I had good luck with the person I bought this one from. I got it for $300 less than the Apple store is selling them for.

Feedback is very key, and most sellers require a PayPal account. I would not recommend an instant payment from your bank account if you have that set up in your PayPal account, because many credit cards offer fraud protection, and PayPal itself usually guarantees up to $1000 worth of protection on many of these transactions.

I would look very carefully at the price/value ratios of whatever machine you are buying, because there may be a better deal on refurbs. I saw a lot of used machines selling for pretty big bucks that were just out of warranty, and it was worth it to me to spend a few extra bucks to get a machine with a new warranty.

Overall, I have had good luck and honest transactions both buying and sellling a lot of stuff on eBay.

One consideration for you will be shipping... many sellers would not ship internationally.

Happy Hunting!

Chris K

[Bruce_F]

I've had good and bad experiences with ebay on my computer purchases. Some Techsurvivors may remember the time I lost big on a scam along with many others trying to purchase a G4 desktop. In that case I didn't take the precautions I should have to make sure I had a way out.

The PowerBook I'm posting with was my second ebay purchase. I had good contact with the seller all along the way. He told me the complete story of why he was selling his computer and we stayed in contact the whole way until my payment was in his hands and the PowerBook was delivered. He hadn't even registered the PB with Apple. So when I got it, it was considered a "new" purchase.

In retrospect, I'd do it again if the opportunity presented itself.

[antony]

Well, I bought my first Mac, a second hand one from eBay in 2003. It's not that fast, but since that Mac, I got myself moved into Mac. The following year I bought myself a desktop Mac and a PowerBook (both new from Apple).

Just one thing... be careful. You can get good bargains.

[Paddy]

I've bought two Macs (a Quicksilver and a single-processor G5), a couple of monitors, my trusty HP Laserjet and all manner of other items on eBay. Other than a first disaster with a Powerbook, which I've detailed at length many times before, no problems. (scam artists took the person from whom I was buying the machine - I did not deal directly with them myself). I'm very careful though - on high-priced stuff I never deal with someone with no feedback, very little feedback, or someone with a less than near-perfect record. If there is any negative feedback, I read it to try to get a feel for what happened.

I've managed to get very good deals - but that's only after exhaustive research on prices and specs etc. Two things you can watch for in particular - Buy-It-Now auctions that are priced low (look in the newest listings - they go fast) and items that have a too-high starting price. Sometimes that's enough to discourage anyone from bidding, even though if you actually bought it for at or near the starting price, you'd have a very good deal. Wait, watch, be patient. Don't bid on anything until the auction is almost over (unless it's a Buy-It-Now with an attractive price - in which case you want to snap it up before someone else gets to it) Bid in the last two minutes and bid with an odd amount (ie: something like $423.67 rather than $420) and bid the maximum you're willing to spend. Then hit refresh to find out if anyone is trying to out-snipe you! Of course, if you've truly made your top proxy bid, at this point you're simply watching to find out if you get the item and for how much! Remember - even if you place a proxy bid of $10.12 on an item sitting at $3, the bid increment and any other proxy bids will determine what you actually pay. If nobody else has made a proxy bid, you could get it for $4. If the top proxy bid from another bidder is $10, then your $10.12 bid will win, unless someone else gets in there and ups the ante. It's hard to do that in the last two minutes though - which is why you want to put in your top bid and be done with it. At least that's my philosophy....

[()]

There's Ebay and even Craigslist where you can get good prices on iMacs, eMac and just about whatever Mac that you are looking to get.

However, if you buy used through 3rd party plces such as Ebay and Craigslist, you have no warranty, but if you buy a refurb from Apple.com directly (free shipping) you get your one year warranty on both the New and Refurbs.  

So I have always gone with buying directly from Apple, and as a student, I also got a discount too.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

[Texas Mac Man]

I bought my G4 off of eBay several years ago. Couldn't be more pleased.

When I bid on eBay, I make sure that the time on my computer is exact with the internet server, and then I place my maximum bid in the last ~10 seconds (I have my Mac's menu clock set to show seconds & I write dow the exact time of the bid ending.). Usually this will prevent some else from placing a bid to beat your bid. Unless they have previously placed a higher bid. Usually my maximum bid is slightly higher than what I really want to get it for. I also use random numbers, like $543.67. Also make sure the seller hasn't listed a very high shipping cost. You don't say what model Mac you are looking for. For G4s, see this link. G4 Tower Value Guide http://the-ish.com/g4value/

I bought my G3 Pismo laptop off of Craig's List. You don't bid. The seller lists a price & you can offer something lower via email & possibly get it. I did a local pickup, saving shipping costs, and got to see the Mac & check it out. Go to Craig's List - http://www.craigslist.com/ and see if there are locations near you.

One item you should try & get are the original system install/restore CDs/DVDs. You'll need them. Many sellers don't include them.

Don't bid early in the auction time. You & others will just "jack up" the price. I have won probably 90%+ of the many items I have bid on using my 10 second technique. I've only had one "bad" eBay buying experience in over 10 years of buying. Only lost $12. Supposedly the seller had a stroke & had to go to the hospital. His sister tried to straighten things out, but he was so disorganized she couldn't find my payment or the item he was selling.

[Paddy]

<grin> You did read my post Tom?

To me, ten seconds is cutting it a bit fine, in that if there is any slowdown on the internet, you could miss the boat. But like you, I've won most of the auctions I've bid on with this technique. There is an entire 4-years long, 191 page thread on the subject (most of it quite silly) on the eBay forums.

[tacit]

I've never bought any computers from eBay, in part because people have precious little idea of how much (or rather, how little) a used computer i worth, and I most often see people selling used computers for three to five times what they're worth, or more.

[krissel]

Recent purchases of G3 B/W and G4 were pleasant experiences. Both were better than I expected and well worth the $.  The G4 I bought as 'Buy it Now' cause I thought it was a really good price. The others the same dealer had just like it all sold for much more via the bidding process which made no sense to me. Unless he thought the fact I grabbed it so quickly meant he was pricing them too low and then held out for bidding on the rest...