You won’t find Apple and Cheap in the same sentence anywhere on the web and that’s why I wanted to write about it. I’ve been buying and selling computers online for years and have learned a few things to make things much easier. I’ll try to keep this brief and break it down.
Assess your needs. Do you “need” the fastest, latest and thinnest computer? If not, buying a computer last-gen is a great way to save up to 40% on your Mac purchase. Anything above 3 gigabytes of ram and a 2.1Ghz Core2Duo is enough for most tasks and over 80% of Apple’s current computers meet these requirements (Mac Mini and MacBook Air excluded) but even then, the MacBook air at 2.13Ghz w/ 2gbs of ram worked great as a mobile machine and I try to push the envelope on performance.
If you have a Mac now: download MacTracker (link). It’s a great way to compare machines side by side, see their benchmarks and if they are still supported by Apple. I love the application.
Narrow it down to Two Machines: After much consideration, I’ve decided that I need a 15″ bottom of the line MacBook Pro or 13″ top of the line. (link) and these range from $1499-$1699 new from Apple. I’d also consider getting a white MacBook if cost really becomes an issue (link).
Should you buy now? Good question. My first stop is the Macrumors Buyer’s Guide (link). This guide shows you the current lineup of machines Apple sells and when they were last upgraded or revised and historical data that shows when that machine sees updates (every 6 months, 12 months, etc). Then, the professionals at Macrumors give ratings of Buy or Don’t buy. This is an excellent way to make sure you’re not buying at a bad time.
Next Steps: If you want to buy a new machine, don’t buy from Apple.com unless the machine just came out two weeks ago and you’re dying to have it right now. The other reason you’d buy from Apple.com’s online store is if you wanted a CTO model which means you’re going to add ram, update the hard drive and ask that Apple install some software at the factory. This makes the delay in receiving your machine longer and also means you will have a hell of a time returning it to Apple. CTO models are custom and Apple will raise a fit about you trying to return it.
Where to buy? Well, since you don’t need the iMac that literally just came out and isn’t available anywhere else and since you aren’t going to be configuring the machine special w/ extras, it’s safe to buy from these four places (in this order).
- Apple Refurbished site
- Amazon.com
- MacMall
- eBay
Let’s break these down. The Apple refurbished section is a collection of Macs updated daily that are unfit to sell as new. Apple NEVER sells scratch / dent computers but the mix of computers here is about 80% open box returns where the user used it for no more than 14 days, returned it, Apple did a complete edge to edge inspection on it and re-certified it as “new”. What do you get? Well, you get a Mac w/ up to $300 in savings and no shipping delays because it’s already sitting there waiting to be purchased. You have the same one year warranty as people that buy the Macs brand new and you can buy the AppleCare three year plan on that machine w/o issue. I also hear refurb buyers get some more love when you call Apple because they want the refurb buyers to remain happy. the last thing Apple needs is people not trusting refurbished machines. I’ve bought nearly half of my computers from Apple’s refurb store and swear by it and have never received a bad Apple (literally).
Amazon.com is a tax-free and often good deal way to buy a Mac. There’s an ongoing $100-$150 off on nearly every Mac they stock and you get it tax-free which, in California saves you roughly $200-$300 on a Mac (our tax is 9.5%). So if you’re buying that stock, no custom configured brand new Mac, buy from Amazon because you’ll save up to $500 more than you have by buying directly from Apple. If the Mac just came out, Amazon will ship it later than Apple would because Apple sends Amazon products AFTER the people that bought the product direct from Apple.
MacMall is the same as Amazon except you have to pay that pesky tax but the coupons, deals and such are really good on MacMall and they do bundles where you get a free printer, bag, ram upgrade and copy of Microsoft Office for like $29 w/ the purchase of a new Mac. Sometimes it can be a good deal but remember Amazon and MacMall will never ship as fast as Apple will so if you can wait an extra 10 days and save the money, I’d go for that.
eBay..this deserves its own section (more on that later).
Why buy the latest and greatest Mac over last-generation models? It’s not an issue of speed anymore. Any Mac manufacturered since 2008 has the performance for most families to do what they need to do w/o pulling their hair out. Computers are fast at any price range these days. Everything I’ve listed above is only “new” or current-gen models. It’s rare that you’ll find a last-generation mac on the Apple Refurb Store. MacMall will do a closeout deal on last generation models if Apple releases something new so check for that. The only real benefit if you’re a casual user of getting the latest Mac is the resale value and longevity of the machine. You get that brand new Apple warranty (that can be extended to 3 years), if you put it up on eBay in 2 years, you’ll get a better resale value and you get new components that technically are more reliable since they’re new. Buying last-gen machines can save you some serious dough but you lose those benefits I mentioned. Either way, it’s up to you.
eBay, oh eBay: I love eBay. I’ve been a member since 2002 (8 years which means I was only 14 when I joined the service and sold my first piece of tech). In fact, I used to budget everything up until I was 18 like paying for my car, gas, school lunch and even homecoming dance using money I made through buying and selling on eBay and getting a paypal Debit Card before I was legally allowed to own a checking account.
Anyway, most of my computer purchases have been on eBay. There were two instances I bought directly from Apple.com’s store. My latest iMac (brand new, only available on Apple and I lacked patience) and my 15″ 2.93Ghz MacBook Pro (I wanted a solid state drive, which was a custom addon directly from Apple). Aside from those machines, it was a mix of eBay & Apple’s refurb store.
eBay can be risky. I’ve had problems with it but if you’re smart and follow tips like these, you’ll be fine. Here are my tips to buying on eBay.
Use Mactracker to search for model numbers of machines and not “macbook pro” Apple model numbers look like this MC234LL/A. Here’s a sample eBay search of that model number (link). I already noticed three machines listed incorrectly. Basically they’re listed as Revision B 1.8 Ghz Macbook Air when that model number means it’s a 2.13Ghz MacBook Air Rev C w/ SSD. How does this benefit you? Well, message the seller, ask them to get the box out or flip the computer over and verify that model number is correct…Then make them an offer.You just won a great deal because people bidding on that computer read “this is a 2 year old 1.8Ghz machine” and they bid appropriately when the seller just didn’t know what they had and you just got the latest and greatest Macbook Air for $700 less than retail.
Yes, this is how I’ve bought every single Apple computer online. This is the ultimate eBay tip. Find what you want, copy the model number and search for it then find listings in that result where the seller typed the wrong details. You have to message them to confirm that model number and then you’re golden.
On eBay, only use Buy it Now. When I search eBay, I immediately ask eBay to only show buy it now. w/ auctions, it’s time consuming, you get in a bidding war with someone and you end up making mistakes or winning two computers on the same day and stuck having to pay for them. Buy it now is a great way to find a kick ass deal and you walk away in under 60 seconds. If, at your current job, you make $35 an hour, then add up the amount of time you took to read this blog post, do your research then bid back and forth on the computer you want only to not get it and have to do it all over again when you could have just clicked “buy it now” and saved yourself valuable time. Trust me. Don’t bid on computers.
Organize by “one day remaining” Find computers that are worth $2400, currently at $800 usually because the seller sucks at listing computers or put in the wrong info and message them making an offer for $1800. They’ll be amazed and go for it. You just saved $700.
A story on how this worked for me once. I bought a 17″ MacBook Pro last year, maxed out with all of the bells and whistles. I used the tips that I listed above, saw an auction with 48 hours left on a $3400 machine from a brand new eBay user. I emailed the person asking to confirm the serial number. Tip. never give out your computer’s serial number and they gave it to me. I confirmed the machine was purchased from Apple.com 5 weeks ago and had the 3 year warranty so they spent a pretty penny for this machine. Because I was skeptical I asked them to call me and said I’d make an offer once we chatted. I got a phone call from a man in his late 70s claiming he bought it for his wife for Christmas but she wanted a PC instead and it was wrapped and under the tree so they missed the 14 day return policy and then he said, “I know computers lose 50% of their value once you leave the store so I’m just trying to recoup the time it took to set it up for her and her subsequently realize she hates Macs.”
I offered him $2100 ($1300 short of retail not even considering the 9.5% tax from Apple) and he accepted. I bought that computer, sold it 6 months later for $2900. I got a compute for 6 months, made $800 at the end and bought an iMac AND a Macbook Air with the money I made.
This system works. You can make thousands, and I haven’t spent ANY money on my computers in years because I buy low and sell high because that’s the nature of things in the Apple resale value. I hope this was helpful.
Selling your Mac: Briefly, these tips for selling your Mac
- Always get the warranty. It boosts the resale value. You can buy AppleCare warranties on eBay for 50% off Apple’s price
- Always keep the box and software
- Always include a new power adapter w/ the sale ($79 purchase from Apple)
- Include any extra software for free that you don’t use or want anymore w/ the serial keys
- Be honest in your sale and claim why you’re selling the Mac
- Sell before the next model comes out. Once your computer is two generations old, the resale value really drops.
Good luck and don’t forget, my MacBook Air is on eBay right now and you can bid here.