Can someone help me with which machine would be in better condition? I have never bought used before. The 2017 we had was stolen and we can't afford at new one at this point. Using Swappa if anyone has used it before. Thanks for your help!
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You need to remember that anyone can claim anything on the internet. These sellers are verified by whom???? some anonymous source????
I looked at the site and would not buy anything. Period.
the listings are approved by whom???
the storage space is only 128 GB? that'll last you a few months.
None of the ones I looked at included any info on which OS is installed or whether it was prepared properly:
What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac - Apple Support
If it is not, do NOT buy it.
You need to remember that anyone can claim anything on the internet. These sellers are verified by whom???? some anonymous source????
I looked at the site and would not buy anything. Period.
the listings are approved by whom???
the storage space is only 128 GB? that'll last you a few months.
None of the ones I looked at included any info on which OS is installed or whether it was prepared properly:
What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac - Apple Support
If it is not, do NOT buy it.
I do not know what Swappa is, but I would not buy anything used from some site or a stranger. Apple has a refurbished section where you can save money - at least you know what you will be getting and it will have a warranty, and a new battery.
Certified Refurbished Products - Apple
Apple refurbished Macs are obviously the best choice as you get a full warranty and they are also eligible for AppleCare+.
There are two sites that I know of that have a pretty good reputation that sell used Macs, have some warranty that they have been noted to back up and both have a 14 day no questions asked return policy and are both Apple centric sites:
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Apple_Systems/Used/Macs_and_Tablets
https://www.macofalltrades.com
Because of the nature of the nature of there business, item availability varies on a daily basis.
the warranties look better and they do have good reputations, at least on the internet.
Good luck; there is a 95% chance that a computer is not prepared properly for sale. You will wind up with something you cannot use because the previous owner did not follow the steps in the instructions I linked to. You will have no choice but to return it and hope to get a refund. I bought a Mini many years ago - it was supposed to be "like new"; instead, it was filthy and unusable - registered to the original owner. I got my money back, but I was lucky.
Unless the warranty is from Apple, it'll be pretty much worthess.
I will never buy any electronics on ebay again. And I would NEVER trust any claims about anything online unless I can get it in writing from a reputable manufacturer.
But, you've now gotten pretty much the same advice from several contributors here, and will still buy it from questionable sites, so good luck!
Just one more thing I have always lived by for any purchase:
"If the price is to good to be true, avoid it like the plague"
Thank you, we really are on a budget and I have friends that have used the site for phones and computers. They do have a warranty, and the three that I posted are from verified sellers who have sold hundreds of other computers with good reviews. I agree that buying from Apple is best, so far this seems to be the only way we can replace it.
Do you have any idea the meaning of those tech stats, or which one might be the best choice?
Thank you
Buying a 5 year old computer somebody no longer wanted is a risk all by itself. Buying it sight unseen is added risk.
Warranty's mean nothing ... their being faithfully honored is something else entirely. Who's to say a failed 5 year old Mac was mishandled or failed from just being old? Who do you know that's taken advantage of this seller's warranty guarantee?
Fraud and misinformation are unfortunately built-in factors when buying on the internet. And as it's now being proven, many, many good reviews are put there by bots.
Hi,
So what would be the difference between these sellers and ones on places like EBAY that are established Power Sellers with 1000 of reviews (yes, I am reading about the bots). I would imagine that the reputable ones that you listed also sell through major outlets like EBAY and others for maximum exposure.
I looked at both links and they do have what we need, it's a little bit more than on Swaapa but the warranties look better and they do have good reputations, at least on the internet.
Thanks
mexigrl64 wrote:
<snip>which one might be the best choice?
Thank you
FWIW, I agree with babowa.
many good reviews are put there by bots.
Or people that are being paid $5 (or merchandise) per good review.
Yep, but I was making it all sound bad enough as it was.
I would not buy a used Mac computer on eBay either.
Buying used 2017 Mac Air, questions on stats and battery life
