Any Thoughts Before I Buy From eBay?

You can get a new M2 MacBook Air for $999. A new iMac for $1299. (Brian pointed out $599 for a new Mac Mini) I think these will be 5 or 10 times quicker and more responsive than the 5 year old iMac you are considering. Also keep in mind that iMac has experienced 5 years of wear and tear on its SSD. Normally one might want to see the SMART parameters or run a diagnosis with DriveDX to see how much life is left on the SSD.

Not condemning eBay here, your eyes are open on that aspect. Just suggesting, as a buyer, you can get a much better deal.

It's a basic model, Intel i3 processor, 256GB SSD, not upgradeable. Appears to come with Catalina installed, can be upgraded to Sonoma but probably no further. I would at least upgrade it to Monterey. While it qualifies for Sonoma, it's at the bottom of Sonoma's compatibility list, so I would be cautious before upgrading to Sonoma. Good for general use - web browsing, office documents, watching movies, etc. Don't expect fantasic performance with things like Photoshop or video editing.

The seller has taken care to show detailed specifics about the computer (via screenshots) including showing that no Apple ID is associated with it. These are good things. Seller reputation looks ok to me.

**Ask if it is being shipped in the original box. If not, how will the seller be packaging it for shipment?** You want it to be carefully packed & insured.

I think it's a fair price and with 30-day returns you should be protected from getting a lemon. But do be prepared to return it if there is ANYTHING about it that doesn't function properly upon receipt.

You will probably hear from some people that buying from eBay is a bad idea. I have purchased many computers and other devices from eBay sellers (after doing due diligence) and they have all been good experiences.

Yes, well as you have been advised it's a base model Mac and definitely no bargain. I recommend that you NEVER EVER EVER buy a used computer from:

• Ebay
• MarketPlace
• Your local computer shop
• Craigslist
• Your best friend

Only buy from an authorized reseller of used equipment such as Macsales.com or even better buy an Apple Refurbished computer or a new Mac mini.

Why, because the components used for refurbishing are very often substandard, the computers more often than not are not setup correctly (carefully read What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your Mac ) the machines have little or no warranty. You are not dealing with humans directly you are dealing with some stranger on-line.

Don't be fooled by cheap prices, as with just about everything, you get what pay for. Try to understand value, the term doesn't translate into cheap prices.

Just some food for thought here. 💭

An entry level Mac mini starts at $599 (not including a monitor, keyboard or mouse/trackpad), but you get the latest and greatest future-proof system at an entry level price.

EBay has great buyer protection, so just use it if there are any problems with the machine USE IT.

Don’t get me wrong I’m a EBay buyer too but I would avoid buying a Mac there at just about all costs. Caveat Emptor!!!

Yeah, if you don’t NEED a laptop, upgrade the RAM and you're good to go!