USB OSX Mavericks Question

The eligibility to install a particular OS is verified with the Mac on which it is to be installed. The USB device or whatever installation media you create is completely unrelated to that.

What you intend to do won't work because it is simply not possible for anyone to transfer the license to use Mavericks to any other user. Same for Lion, Mountain Lion, Yosemite, or anything else distributed through the App Store. You would need to transfer the Apple ID itself. As far as I know there are no prohibitions against that.

This license transfer restriction is nothing new, and dates back to the original Macintosh operating system thirty years ago. You could only sell a Mac with its originally installed operating system, or no operating system. The only difference between earlier versions distributed on media and now is that what was once a legal requirement has now become a practical impossibility.

If the new user can't use the computer, updates and whatnot, Because this was truly feathered to my Apple ID, then what are my options?

The new user can certainly use the computer, but it must be prepared for sale according to the following. The new user would then have exactly the "new user experience" you describe. There is no other way. In your case the original System Install DVD will be required. There is no way around that either, so if you no longer have it obtain a replacement from Apple. Otherwise, you will have a justifiably upset buyer when he or she eventually realizes the operating system and any programs installed cannot be maintained.

To correctly sell or transfer ownership of a Mac, even to someone in your family, you should follow these instructions.

Disregard anything you are unable to accomplish.

Refer to What to do before selling or giving away your Mac

1. If you enabled FileVault, disable it in System Preferences > Security & Privacy.
2. "Deauthorize" your iTunes account. Same for Audible if you have one.
3. System Preferences > iCloud > de-select "Back to My Mac" and "Find my Mac".
4. Sign out of iCloud. Select "Delete from Mac" when it appears.

Next: Remove all your personal information by completely erasing the Mac's internal storage.

1. If your Mac shipped with a grey System Install DVD, start your Mac with that disc inserted in the optical drive while holding the c key to boot from it instead of its internal volume, which should be erased before selling it.
2. If your Mac did not ship with discs, boot OS X Internet Recovery:
   • using three fingers press and hold the following keys: ⌘(command), option, and R.
   • With a fourth finger press the power button to turn on the Mac.
   • Keep the other three fingers where they are until you see the "spinning globe" icon.
   • This method forces the Mac to download its originally installed OS from Apple's servers, which will not require an Apple ID to install.
3. Remove any Open Firmware password if you created one: select Firmware Password Utility from the Utilities menu and remove it.
4. Select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
5. Remove any partitions you may have created.
6. Select the Mac's hard disk icon, then select the "Erase" tab.
7. Select the "Security Options" button and erase the disk.
   • The more "securely" you erase the disk, the longer it will take.
   • The fastest method is sufficient since all but the most expensive techniques and equipment will be able to recover securely erased data.
8. When it finishes, quit Disk Utility.
9. Select Install Mac OS X from the Utilities menu.
   • An Apple ID will not be required. If a prompt for an Apple ID appears, return to Step 5.
   • Do not create any user accounts.
10. When it finishes, shut down the computer.
11. If you want to install the bundled apps that were included with your Mac, restart by using your Applications DVD if one was included, and install the bundled apps.

    Apps bundled with newer Macs that shipped without discs cannot be transferred. Its new owner must purchase them from the Mac App Store using his or her own Apple ID.

If the Mac is being sold to someone outside the family consider the following additional information:

1. System Install DVDs that came with your Mac should remain with it forever, and must be included with the sale.
2. Consider including your AppleCare certificate if you bought it, printed documentation, even the box if you still have it.

   AppleCare stays with the equipment and is transferable.

3. Execute a bill of sale showing the Mac's serial number.
4. Once no longer in your possession, remove the Mac from your devices in My Support Profile.

.

Like the new owner will have iPhoto, iMovie, and GB?

No. Those apps are a benefit for those who purchase a new Mac from Apple. Each subsequent owner must purchase them on his own.

My mac won't boot the Internet Recovery,

Correct, that's not an option for that Mac.

There is no way to get a newer version of OS X?

You can purchase the Snow Leopard DVD and install Snow Leopard on that Mac. It's OK to sell it that way, as long as you also include that Snow Leopard DVD with it, and retain no copies of it for yourself. Obtaining a replacement System Install DVD is a better idea, and it's about the same price.

Any OS X version newer than Snow Leopard is linked to the Apple ID used to license it, including the OS X license that comes with a new Mac. If you obtain a later version of OS X you cannot install it on that Mac without an Apple ID. Any prospective purchaser would also require full and permanent control of that Apple ID in order to maintain it, which makes that option impracticable.

As I wrote I suppose you can transfer ownership of that Apple ID and forfeit ownership of it forever, but most people are understandably unwilling to do that. The proper way to sell a Mac is to follow Apple's instructions, which require that you either restore it to its original configuration, or erase it completely and leave that headache up to the buyer.

Assuming you are considering selling on eBay, bear in mind buyers hold all the cards and enjoy buyer protection guarantees that exceed Amazon's. Approximately 99% of eBay sellers don't configure a Mac properly for sale. The result is a justifiably angry buyer and an inconvenienced (at best) seller, risking negative feedback, the expense of return shipping charges, final value fees, PayPal account forfeiture, etc. To avoid those unpleasant consequences, Apple's instructions must be followed exactly as written.

You're welcome. In addition to configuring it for sale properly, you should emphasize the fact that you did so in accordance with Apple's instructions so that the buyer will have the "new user experience" you describe. That will immediately distinguish you among sellers who don't know what they're doing. You won't be able to compete on price of course, because buyers of used Macs are generally unsophisticated to begin with and aren't going to pay a nickel more for your properly prepared equipment vs. some unscrupulous seller's piece of junk loaded with software that can't be sold. Used Macs sell at prices so close to those offered by the Apple Refurbished and Clearance store it's not usually worth the meager savings to buy from private sellers. However, there are a few knowledgeable buyers out there who will only consider buying from equally knowledgeable sellers. That's the only way used Macs should be bought or sold. Good luck!

FireBlaze97 wrote:

How can someone sell a mac like a newer computer if everything is tied to an apple ID?

That makes no logical sense. A Mac cannot be made to be any newer than it was when it was new, nor can anything else.

Apple ships Macs with an operating system already installed. To reinstall that operating system read Steps 5 and 6. That is the only way its license can be transferred. No Apple ID is required.

FireBlaze97 wrote:

But this is ok to buy and do what I need? http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

I have never attempted to sell a used Mac without its original discs, for no other reason than it's the only way to perform Apple Hardware Test on Macs not capable of using the Internet version of AHT. A successful outcome of the cursory test it performs should be a condition of sale. For that reason I would advise a buyer to walk away from any deal that did not have them. However, I believe you can use that disc to install Snow Leopard and sell it that way.