Help me not get scammed buying a computer used
April 5, 2013 12:33 PM Subscribe
After my previous question, I'm considering buying a used Mac laptop via Craigslist. Help me not get scammed?
When it comes to computers, I basically know nothing about nothing. But I'd like to buy my kid a mac laptop for his birthday. I definitely can't afford new. My local Craigslist (Los Angeles) has a jillion listings...but...other than "hey, that's in my price range" I don't know what the next step is.
What do I look for? What should I look out for? What questions should I ask the seller? How can I get a machine that works, and that will work for my kid (internet browsing, Minecraft, etc.).
Bonus level: when it comes to playing Minecraft, how old a computer is too old? What specs am I looking for?
When it comes to computers, I basically know nothing about nothing. But I'd like to buy my kid a mac laptop for his birthday. I definitely can't afford new. My local Craigslist (Los Angeles) has a jillion listings...but...other than "hey, that's in my price range" I don't know what the next step is.
What do I look for? What should I look out for? What questions should I ask the seller? How can I get a machine that works, and that will work for my kid (internet browsing, Minecraft, etc.).
Bonus level: when it comes to playing Minecraft, how old a computer is too old? What specs am I looking for?
You could buy refurbished from Apple or check Melrose Mac or Mac Hollywood to see if they have any used Macs for sale. I don't know anything about Minecraft, but I'd recommend figuring out what kind of specs you're looking for before making any calls and asking for advice.
posted by phaedon at 2:39 PM on April 5, 2013
posted by phaedon at 2:39 PM on April 5, 2013
when it comes to playing Minecraft, how old a computer is too old? What specs am I looking for?
Anything with a 9400m or newer, honestly. So basically 2009+ to be easy and safe, since it wasn't consistent across all the models before that and the old intel integrated graphics are crap. Don't buy an old-style white macbook, or a non-unibody macbook pro. a 2008 unibody 15in would be fine, and keep in mind the 15in macbook pros have significantly more powerful graphics(at least a 9600 gt, if not better) which will do even better with any kind of moderate gaming like you suggest wanting. Especially in the sense of giving you the flexibility to play way more games when booted in to windows, and most of the steam games quite well on the OSX side. I'd rather have a slightly older 15in than a newer 13in if push came to shove, unless portability was a huge concern.
As for a quick check up when you go to look at once... lets see... Bring a music cd or a dvd to test the optical drive, that's a common failure point.
Make sure you get a chance to try out the wireless, the sound, and click the battery icon to see what it says about battery condition. Click "more info" in apple>about this mac and look at the "power" section and see how many cycles the battery has. 300~ is fine, 700 or something is getting towards worn out and definitely "worn". Look closely at all the ports along the left side for any signs of them being bent from drop damage, same with the DVD drive slot. This isn't a dealbreaker if it's a minor dent, but will give you insight on how the machine has generally been treated. Similarly, if you meet at a starbucks or something... do they pull it out of a sleeve/case? or straight out of their backpack. What condition is the charger in? does the cord have "wrinkles" in it or any signs of fraying around the power brick itself or the connection to the computer? They aren't cheap(they cost a lot less than retail at macsales.com, but bring up the fact they're $80 at the apple store), this is an easy bargaining point. Also, Bring a flash drive so you can make sure all the USB ports work. Look VERY closely at the screen on a grey image(the boot up screen is great for this) to see if there's any areas of darker color from the laptop being squished in a backpack. This is irritating damage, and will make the machine harder to resell later since the screen will need to be replaced to get rid of it, and it can be quite annoying for doing any kind of work that matters.(i've burned myself buying one with this issue before)
Definitely try and get a unibody macbook/macbook pro. The internal batteries seem to essentially last forever(my 2009 17in has been abused and the battery has been run dry repeatedly. it still lasts 6-7 hours and reports good condition, to give you an example).
If you're on a budget, a 13in unibody macbook/macbook pro will probably be your best bet since they tend to go for a lot less than most of the other models.
Macs are honestly some of the hardiest laptops. I've only ever bought one brand new, and didn't see the point afterwards. I've owned many used ones and ironically i had more problems with the brand new one than the used one.
I also wouldn't buy one from any retail place that sells used macs. The markup vs craigslist is often ridiculous, since macs are essentially the BMWs when it comes to computers. And especially being in LA/hollywood, i bet there's a lot of people doing entry level creative work on the more basic macs who basically just let them sit on a desk all day. It's very, very easy to get a clean used mac. Moreso than most other laptops, and especially if you buy one from someone a bit older.
posted by emptythought at 3:01 PM on April 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
Anything with a 9400m or newer, honestly. So basically 2009+ to be easy and safe, since it wasn't consistent across all the models before that and the old intel integrated graphics are crap. Don't buy an old-style white macbook, or a non-unibody macbook pro. a 2008 unibody 15in would be fine, and keep in mind the 15in macbook pros have significantly more powerful graphics(at least a 9600 gt, if not better) which will do even better with any kind of moderate gaming like you suggest wanting. Especially in the sense of giving you the flexibility to play way more games when booted in to windows, and most of the steam games quite well on the OSX side. I'd rather have a slightly older 15in than a newer 13in if push came to shove, unless portability was a huge concern.
As for a quick check up when you go to look at once... lets see... Bring a music cd or a dvd to test the optical drive, that's a common failure point.
Make sure you get a chance to try out the wireless, the sound, and click the battery icon to see what it says about battery condition. Click "more info" in apple>about this mac and look at the "power" section and see how many cycles the battery has. 300~ is fine, 700 or something is getting towards worn out and definitely "worn". Look closely at all the ports along the left side for any signs of them being bent from drop damage, same with the DVD drive slot. This isn't a dealbreaker if it's a minor dent, but will give you insight on how the machine has generally been treated. Similarly, if you meet at a starbucks or something... do they pull it out of a sleeve/case? or straight out of their backpack. What condition is the charger in? does the cord have "wrinkles" in it or any signs of fraying around the power brick itself or the connection to the computer? They aren't cheap(they cost a lot less than retail at macsales.com, but bring up the fact they're $80 at the apple store), this is an easy bargaining point. Also, Bring a flash drive so you can make sure all the USB ports work. Look VERY closely at the screen on a grey image(the boot up screen is great for this) to see if there's any areas of darker color from the laptop being squished in a backpack. This is irritating damage, and will make the machine harder to resell later since the screen will need to be replaced to get rid of it, and it can be quite annoying for doing any kind of work that matters.(i've burned myself buying one with this issue before)
Definitely try and get a unibody macbook/macbook pro. The internal batteries seem to essentially last forever(my 2009 17in has been abused and the battery has been run dry repeatedly. it still lasts 6-7 hours and reports good condition, to give you an example).
If you're on a budget, a 13in unibody macbook/macbook pro will probably be your best bet since they tend to go for a lot less than most of the other models.
Macs are honestly some of the hardiest laptops. I've only ever bought one brand new, and didn't see the point afterwards. I've owned many used ones and ironically i had more problems with the brand new one than the used one.
I also wouldn't buy one from any retail place that sells used macs. The markup vs craigslist is often ridiculous, since macs are essentially the BMWs when it comes to computers. And especially being in LA/hollywood, i bet there's a lot of people doing entry level creative work on the more basic macs who basically just let them sit on a desk all day. It's very, very easy to get a clean used mac. Moreso than most other laptops, and especially if you buy one from someone a bit older.
posted by emptythought at 3:01 PM on April 5, 2013 [2 favorites]
I can't speak to how to pick a seller or how to verify that a laptop is in good condition, but in terms of how to do the actual transaction:
When I bought a used iPad off Craigslist (also in Los Angeles), I arranged to meet the seller outside of a branch of my bank. We went inside, I checked the iPad, I withdrew the cash, we exchanged the items.
I was uncomfortable with the idea of carrying around a couple hundred dollars in cash, and especially uncomfortable with the idea of meeting a stranger who would I was carrying that much cash. Doing the whole thing in a bank felt more secure to me.
posted by insectosaurus at 6:54 PM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
When I bought a used iPad off Craigslist (also in Los Angeles), I arranged to meet the seller outside of a branch of my bank. We went inside, I checked the iPad, I withdrew the cash, we exchanged the items.
I was uncomfortable with the idea of carrying around a couple hundred dollars in cash, and especially uncomfortable with the idea of meeting a stranger who would I was carrying that much cash. Doing the whole thing in a bank felt more secure to me.
posted by insectosaurus at 6:54 PM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Please be wary of buying MacBooks off of Craigslist as many of them are stolen and will be confiscated if you ever take them in for servicing. If you Google "craigslist macbook scam" you'll see how sophisticated the scams can be. They will go so far as to fake receipts or agree that you can get the serial number checked out or whatnot.
Just be very careful doing that. Anything more expensive than a tablet I personally wouldn't be willing to gamble on. I got my MacBook refurbished from the Apple store. If you're not getting a super new one, it might be a price you're able to pay.
posted by Nattie at 3:07 AM on April 7, 2013
Just be very careful doing that. Anything more expensive than a tablet I personally wouldn't be willing to gamble on. I got my MacBook refurbished from the Apple store. If you're not getting a super new one, it might be a price you're able to pay.
posted by Nattie at 3:07 AM on April 7, 2013
Just as a note on what nattie said, that is actually completely untrue. I talked to apple after my MacBook got stolen, as have several friends(and you can find plenty of stories online as such). They refuse to intervene on situations like this, and will just service the machine if its in warranty of charge if its not like they would with anyone else. They won't even do this with iPhones/iPads
They will not take your laptop, even if it turns out the person you bought it from stole it.
I also feel like there's a certain amount of it being pretty obvious it's stolen when you meet up with someone if you pay attention. This isn't a massive concern at all.
posted by emptythought at 12:27 PM on April 7, 2013
They will not take your laptop, even if it turns out the person you bought it from stole it.
I also feel like there's a certain amount of it being pretty obvious it's stolen when you meet up with someone if you pay attention. This isn't a massive concern at all.
posted by emptythought at 12:27 PM on April 7, 2013
I'm going to go against the grain here and recommend that you don't buy him a Mac. Inexpensive macs do not handle games or minecraft well, though that has been changing recently. He will be much happier with a $500 windows box than he would be with a thousand dollar Mac, especially since most of his friends will have windows if they don't have an ipad.
You can get a bunch of discounted refurbed windows laptops on woot. Just get him one with windows 7.
And I say this as someone who owns two MacBooks an iPad and an iPhone. For a kid, either an iPad or a windows laptop, or else he is constantly going to be disappointed by things he can't do well on it.
posted by empath at 11:31 PM on April 7, 2013
You can get a bunch of discounted refurbed windows laptops on woot. Just get him one with windows 7.
And I say this as someone who owns two MacBooks an iPad and an iPhone. For a kid, either an iPad or a windows laptop, or else he is constantly going to be disappointed by things he can't do well on it.
posted by empath at 11:31 PM on April 7, 2013
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Pay particular attention to the latest supported operating system of the particular laptop you're looking at. You don't want something that can't install the latest and greatest OS (which is currently 10.8 Mountain Lion). Also, on that note, set $25 aside for buying said latest and greatest OS (at least, I think that's what it costs) as it doesn't come on physical media anymore and thus isn't really transferrable between owners. Aside from specs like that, all you can do is ask if everything works, and use it yourself in person. Perhaps bring someone who does know the hardware if you don't think you'd be a good tire-kicker.
posted by destructive cactus at 1:08 PM on April 5, 2013