Now I want to buy my own. I am wondering if I buy off of Amazon, if I will get a refurbished macbook or if some sellers are actually trustworthy?
If a vendor offers to sell you a brand-new Macintosh, unless the vendor is an "Apple Authorized" vendor, than what you will be getting either isn't actually brand-new, or it will be what is known as "grey-market goods", which means that the product is illegally being sold by a non-authorized vendor. You may have problems getting warranty service from Apple on a grey-market Mac.
Since Apple tightly controls the pricing on brand-new Macs, it isn't worth the few dollars difference to risk being scammed. I recommend purchasing directly from either an Apple brick and mortar store, or Apple's online store.
However, there is a good way to get a good discount (often hundreds of dollars less) on what is virtually a brand-new Macintosh. Purchase a "factory refurbished" Mac directly from Apple online.
"Factory refurbished" Macs that you purchase directly from Apple's online store:
http://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac
http://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals
are indistinguishable from a brand-new Macintosh, only they are significantly cheaper. They are the best deal you can get on a new Macintosh.
Apple "factory refurbished" computers are usually computers that come down the assembly line and which test out as having a problem. They get pulled off the assembly line and fixed by hand. They are then rigorously tested to make sure they work perfectly. For some legal reason, they can't be sold as "new" anymore after doing this. But to you and I, a factory refurbished computer from Apple is no different than any other brand new computer. In fact, it's better than a new computer, it's been tested several more times to make sure that it runs perfectly than most computers from the assembly line.
How do I know? Apple's old iMac factory is here in nearby Elk Grove. I went there on tours several times back when they still made iMacs here. We actually stood and watched while computers were pulled off the line after failing tests. Our guide explained that a factory refurb was one of the best deals around.
Now...if you are offered a refurbished Mac at a brick and mortar Apple store (or from any other store), it might be a customer return. It might even be someone's lemon that the store wants to get rid of. (I've heard of this happening way too often.) But the ones that you get mail-order from Apple usually aren't. They are the best deal on a Macintosh you can get.
A refurbished Mac comes with the standard one year warranty that other Macs come with, and you can purchase AppleCare to bring coverage to a total of three years, like any other Mac.
I've purchased at least a dozen factory refurbished Macs myself. I've never had a problem with one.
