eBay battery experience
December 13, 2010 8:22 AM   Subscribe

Which Macbook battery to buy on eBay?

I'm looking for a new Macbook battery. I'd like to spend less than the $100 an Apple battery from an official reseller goes for. I'm aware that I can get 'compatible' batteries on eBay for about $35, and batteries labeled as 'OEM' for about $60.

I'm looking for specific experiences with specific sellers, because an AAAAAA++++++ rating on a battery in the first 30 days isn't as useful as a review 1 year down the line.

Have you bought one? From which seller? What are your experiences and recommendations?

Thanks!
posted by mhz to Shopping (3 answers total)
 
I am extremely leery of buying things like batteries on Ebay. After having been cheated three times in a row from three different sellers with counterfeit Motorola batteries, I have decided that you get what you pay for. Also, lithium batteries are extremely dangerous if they are made poorly. You don't want your house or car to catch fire because you saved 30 bucks on a battery, do you? Batteries that end up on eBay can be from lots that did not pass quality control for inclusion in actual products. Instead of being destroyed or recycled, they are finished off on the night, unofficial shift and sold for cheap. And then sold to you.

Buy from a trusted store that actually wants to have you back as a customer. I have never been disappointed by aftermarket Mac products from Macsales.com.
posted by rockindata at 9:52 AM on December 13, 2010


I researched this recently, and, long story short, I ended up ordering from Apple. I was leery of ebay, and had a surprisingly hard time finding the right battery anywhere else. I finally found something that looked decent from otherworldcomputing.
I ordered the battery from them back in September and it took weeks and my inquiry to find out it was back ordered. Yada yada, I finally ordered from Apple. Yes, I paid more than I wanted, but I should have it in my hands today.
Here is exactly what I ordered from Other World Computing- Item number NWTBAP15MBP58RS - Newer Technology NuPower 62 Watt-Hour Battery for MacBook Pro 15" Model
Apparently it's STILL backordered.
YMMV, obvs.
posted by phogirl at 10:06 AM on December 13, 2010


$99 will get you an official battery from Apple, with a 90-day warranty. That's under your $100 limit (though not by much) but you'll be guaranteed to have it working when you leave the store.
posted by now i'm piste at 1:28 PM on December 13, 2010


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