Buying from Ebay

I've been looking around on ebay and aside from all the scams (BRAND NEW 17" POWERBOOK ONLY $700!!!) it seems like I might be able to save some money buying one through ebay. I do have a few questions though: What's the reason people are able to sell Brand new Powerbooks cheaply? Is there any difference buying a powerbook from a European seller than an American seller(OS not in English? No warranty?)? Are there any other risks? Thanks fo any input.

What's the reason people are able to sell Brand new Powerbooks cheaply?

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They want your money, common sense says that price is bogus..

He actually said aside from the scams.

I think though that you will actually pay close to the retail price for a Powerbook. Mine was $1350, but I had to wait a while until I found a really good deal.

It also depends on how nice the condition is and other factors like software, etc.

Just make sure that the person has good feedback and decent pictures. And if you have questions, it is good to deal with someone that responds fairly quickly.

Have Fun!

IMO, eBay is fine if you are interested in a second hand used Mac. You can get a good deal if you are careful and check out a person's feedback closely, both positive AND negative first.
However all the ads that tout "brand new" Macs are really a waste of time. You really won't save that much, plus take a look at the shipping charges for some of them...they are sky high!
I would say that you are definitely better off just going right to the source and buy it from Apple if you are looking for a new Mac. Plus, if you are a student, you are going to get a much better savings than any eBay auction for a new Mac.

Used Mac = eBay good.
New Mac = eBay bad.

Want to buy used? Buy a refurbed Mac from Apple.

D3v1L80Y said:

You can get a good deal if you are careful and check out a person's feedback closely, both positive AND negative first.

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Check to see if they deal in Mac's on a regular basis. If all the person has sold are spoon collections, and all of a sudden they are selling laptops, be weary - it could be a hijacked account.

If they DO deal in laptops regularly, contact them first. If you just found the auction and it is up in 30 seconds, best let it go. If there's a couple days left and you contact them regarding the legality of their auction, they should get back to you reasonably soon regarding their tangable goods, otherwise it could just be another auction entry that blows the proverbial smoke.

If you're looking for a new PowerBook, I would go the safer route and get it directly from Apple. It's far better than the headache you'd go thru if you were ripped off.

Now, used iBooks / TiBooks, eBay would be a great place to look.

Good luck!

There are also several websites that sell used macintosh equipment at reasonable prices. here are a few that I have used or shopped in the recent past.

www.macofalltrades.com
www.wegenermedia.com
www.baucomcomputers.com

Also check out www.lowendmac.com as they track used mac prices all over the web.

eBay is OK, but make sure you do your homework and don't get caught up in the competitive nature of bidding and pay more than used crap is worth.

What are some of the good companies to buy new apples from aside from Apple? Are they cheaper? Can you still get the 3 year warranty?

t-lo said:

What are some of the good companies to buy new apples from aside from Apple? Are they cheaper? Can you still get the 3 year warranty?

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MacMall is the only one that comes to mind at the moment. The computers themselves aren't any cheaper, but you will sometimes get freebies with them (printers, more RAM, software...etc.). And yes, you can still get AppleCare on them.