Buying or Selling a Macintosh On Ebay or Craigslist
Browsing the used computers for sale on Craigslist this morning, I ran across an ad for a Mac laptop. The seller posted basic information about the computer’s specs in their ad, but does the seller really know what he/she is selling?
How do I know the asking price is realistic, based on the description the seller is providing?
How can I be sure that the computer advertised is the one that I’ll physically take delivery of?
If I was seriously going to pursue the purchase of this computer, this is the information I’d ask the seller for:
- Ask for a screen shot of the Apple Profiler’s Hardware Overview screen. I’m looking for the serial number underlined in this example screen shot.
- With the serial number in hand, visit this Apple link <http://support.apple.com/specs/> and provide the computer’s serial number information.
- This serial number search doesn’t display any personal information about the current owner or indicate warranty status for the hardware.
Now I have more information from which to make a more informed purchasing decision.
If you’re a seller of an Apple computer in the future, why not include this information when you post your ad?
Don’t forget to compare the Ebay or Craigslist prices to Apple’s Refurbished (full warranty) prices <http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/>
