An Early Intel eBay Nightmare

[alex_free]

I bought a mid 2010 MacBook, 4GBs of RAM, 250GB HDD. ‘Excellent condition’ according to the seller. When I received it in the mail, I find that the display hinge is loose, it can’t keep an angle within 20 degrees of where you rest it. I later put on a movie, and I discovered 3 noticeable scratches on the display. For a dark movie, it is very distracting.

I Immediately buy another mid 2010 MacBook with 8GBs of RAM from a new seller after starting a return. This one is ‘Grade B+ with a perfect display’. Got to open this yesterday, looks great! Go to Google search something, and a key pops off the keyboard.

Immediately buy a mid 2010 MacBook Pro 13 inch from another seller after starting a return. 3rd times the charm? Maybe I’m being too perfectionist, but my clamshell and iBook G4 mid 2005 are both in better condition then either of these mid 2010 MacBooks I’ve received. I want this as a new daily driver, and am not interested in anything Apple much newer then 2010-2011.

 

[bobesch]

I bought a mid 2010 MacBook, 4GBs of RAM, 250GB HDD. ‘Excellent condition’ according to the seller. When I received it in the mail, I find that the display hinge is loose, it can’t keep an angle within 20 degrees of where you rest it. I later put on a movie, and I discovered 3 noticeable scratches on the display. For a dark movie, it is very distracting.

I Immediately buy another mid 2010 MacBook with 8GBs of RAM from a new seller after starting a return. This one is ‘Grade B+ with a perfect display’. Got to open this yesterday, looks great! Go to Google search something, and a key pops off the keyboard.

Immediately buy a mid 2010 MacBook Pro 13 inch from another seller after starting a return. 3rd times the charm? Maybe I’m being too perfectionist, but my clamshell and iBook G4 mid 2005 are both in better condition then either of these mid 2010 MacBooks I’ve received. I want this as a new daily driver, and am not interested in anything Apple much newer then 2010-2011.

Oh, that's bad luck! Given, what the sellers advertised I wouldn't tolerate such defects too and I've never experiencend something like that on any of my 2nd hand intel-MBP purchases ...
But why is 2010/11 your limit for a Macbook? My favorite 13" machine would be the latest and greatest mid-2012 13" MBP - the last preRetina-model ...
Edit: ok, I've understood, your's preferred MacBooks are c2duos.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

Ah boy, you can't make this stuff up That is a real drag but you can return which is nice. Makes no sense to me why resellers inaccurately list an item or not disclose scratches, defects etc. From a business POV how does that benefit them? Its just bad publicity and all this extra labor on their end. Maybe they accidentally sent the wrong machine or something like that?

Best of luck on #3.

 

[eyoungren]

I bought a mid 2010 MacBook, 4GBs of RAM, 250GB HDD. ‘Excellent condition’ according to the seller. When I received it in the mail, I find that the display hinge is loose, it can’t keep an angle within 20 degrees of where you rest it. I later put on a movie, and I discovered 3 noticeable scratches on the display. For a dark movie, it is very distracting.

I Immediately buy another mid 2010 MacBook with 8GBs of RAM from a new seller after starting a return. This one is ‘Grade B+ with a perfect display’. Got to open this yesterday, looks great! Go to Google search something, and a key pops off the keyboard.

Immediately buy a mid 2010 MacBook Pro 13 inch from another seller after starting a return. 3rd times the charm? Maybe I’m being too perfectionist, but my clamshell and iBook G4 mid 2005 are both in better condition then either of these mid 2010 MacBooks I’ve received. I want this as a new daily driver, and am not interested in anything Apple much newer then 2010-2011.

What kind of feedback percentage do these vendors you're buying from have?

For myself I really start questioning things when I see 99.5%, especially if it's a pricier item. However, I did have one vendor with 100% feedback accidentally switch labels on me. I got another customer's item and that customer got mine. I had to get a refund because the item I wanted was on a slow boat to Hong Kong.

 

[eyoungren]

Ah boy, you can't make this stuff up That is a real drag but you can return which is nice. Makes no sense to me why resellers inaccurately list an item or not disclose scratches, defects etc. From a business POV how does that benefit them? Its just bad publicity and all this extra labor on their end. Maybe they accidentally sent the wrong machine or something like that?

Best of luck on #3.

There's also the inverse of that. One of my Cinema Displays was very clearly marked as having a set of scratches in the lower right. I went with it because the other CDs were significantly higher in price.

But, I either need a stronger prescription for my glasses or the vendor sent me a different display because hell if I can find the scratches. And I've looked.

 

[alex_free]

Oh, that's bad luck! Given, what the sellers advertised I wouldn't tolerate such defects too and I've never experiencend something like that on any of my 2nd hand intel-MBP purchases ...
But why is 2010/11 your limit for a Macbook? My favorite 13" machine would be the latest and greatest mid-2012 13" MBP - the last preRetina-model ...
Edit: ok, I've understood, your's preferred MabBooks are c2duos.

I agree! I got my iBook G3 clamshell on eBay for cheaper then any of these mid 2010 MacBooks and it's in way better condition! It's not really about the c2duos. I want Snow Leopard compatibility with a good GPU. I can't do an Intel GMA on a daily driver. I'm not expecting to play cyberpunk 2077, but Fallout 3, BioShock, and what not. A 2010 early Intel is more then enough for me anyways in 2021. Besides Snow Leopard, I'd do a 2012-2013 as well, but after that repair-ability will probably be a nightmare and cost goes way up for what it is.

 

[alex_free]

What kind of feedback percentage do these vendors you're buying from have?

For myself I really start questioning things when I see 99.5%, especially if it's a pricier item. However, I did have one vendor with 100% feedback accidentally switch labels on me. I got another customer's item and that customer got mine. I had to get a refund because the item I wanted was on a slow boat to Hong Kong.

First one: 99.5%
Second one: 99.6%
Third one: 99.8%
I think I was just incredibly unlucky. I'm not going to leave any ratings, but hopefully they improve their QA if this is a wakeup call for them.

Kinda off topic, but I've had some cursed luck since buying that first mid 2010 Intel MacBook. I bought a replacement PSX CD drive that was DOA as well. eBay is still great IMO just sometimes these things happen...

 

[alex_free]

I have until the end of the month to ship these macbooks back, and I'll still be using the first one until the 3rd one comes in for sure. So at least there is that..

 

[retta283]

I've had some strings of bad luck on eBay and just shopping swap meets and junk stores as well. I'll score big repeatedly and then one bad thing opens a can of worms. My 24" iMac started this big time, I had 5 machines in a row with serious defects. Wasn't until this year that my luck improved.

One time I bought a 2008 Black MacBook from eBay for $40, and the battery coin thing had busted off and it turns out they were using strong tape to hold the battery to the laptop, and glue apparently. The case was destroyed beyond repair, after a few soaks the material was so warn and coarse but still sticky. I salvaged some parts and sent the rest to RING. Big disappointment because it had the best screen I have ever seen on a pre-Unibody plastic Mac.

Speaking of that, I've been feeling like jumping on a 2011 or 2012 MBP but the thing stopping me is TN panels... After the horrible 2008 MB panel lottery and some other issues, I've developed basically a policy of IPS, VA, or nothing. Now I'm spoiled by this and going back to TN is always annoying. It would help if I wasn't going to switch back and forth between the two screen types constantly. I do not know how drastically they improved the screens from the 2008 uMB to the 2011-12 13" MBP.

 

[alex_free]

I've had some strings of bad luck on eBay and just shopping swap meets and junk stores as well. I'll score big repeatedly and then one bad thing opens a can of worms. My 24" iMac started this big time, I had 5 machines in a row with serious defects. Wasn't until this year that my luck improved.

One time I bought a 2008 Black MacBook from eBay for $40, and the battery coin thing had busted off and it turns out they were using strong tape to hold the battery to the laptop, and glue apparently. The case was destroyed beyond repair, after a few soaks the material was so warn and coarse but still sticky. I salvaged some parts and sent the rest to RING. Big disappointment because it had the best screen I have ever seen on a pre-Unibody plastic Mac.

Speaking of that, I've been feeling like jumping on a 2011 or 2012 MBP but the thing stopping me is TN panels... After the horrible 2008 MB panel lottery and some other issues, I've developed basically a policy of IPS, VA, or nothing. Now I'm spoiled by this and going back to TN is always annoying. It would help if I wasn't going to switch back and forth between the two screen types constantly. I do not know how drastically they improved the screens from the 2008 uMB to the 2011-12 13" MBP.

I kind of am a believer in luck. I got my clamshell for $110. Perfect condition, besides the battery of course. I could sell it for probably $200-300 if I wanted, but would never...

I also got an October 1995 Playstation on eBay for less then $50. These early PS1's are now the best at playing backups:

add cd support to loader by alex-free · Pull Request #88 · socram8888/tonyhax

I own a Playstation made in October of 1995. Serial number is 5768605, BIOS 2.0 05/07/95 A. I can do the safe CD Player menu disc swap method to boot burned CDs. This has the problem of TOC incompa...

github.com

TonyHax Boot CD

Mention That TonyHax Boot CD Is Useful With Early CD Player Swap Method · Issue #104 · socram8888/tonyhax

Thank you very much for including boot cd support from my pull request. I think however that you discount the usefulness of the CD player swap method on exploitable playstations. It seems swap tric...

github.com

I would have never of found such things without eBay. The good comes with the bad...

 

[Pierre535]

eBay=Buyer beware, Nuff said!

 

[Applicator]

eBay is always a gamble. You need to know how to play the game and you have write off the trades you got screwed over in.
What I've learned in the last few years is, that grade A an B+ Items, though visually appealing, tend to be in worse technical condition than the well used ones with detailed description. There's always a catch

 

[MultiFinder17]

One thing I always look for when buying used computers on eBay are pictures of the actual computer I’m buying. Whenever I see generic pictures, skip. “Pictures are representative of what you will receive”, skip. Lot items, skip. If the pictures are not what the exact item that is going in a box to come to me, skip.

I’ve found over time that policy weeds out a lot of sketchiness.

 

[retta283]

One thing I always look for when buying used computers on eBay are pictures of the actual computer I’m buying. Whenever I see generic pictures, skip. “Pictures are representative of what you will receive”, skip. Lot items, skip. If the pictures are not what the exact item that is going in a box to come to me, skip.

I’ve found over time that policy weeds out a lot of sketchiness.

If just for the potential for horribly scratched screens I always avoid these. It's still not particularly easy sometimes to spot scratches in pictures, but I'll take my chances on something that at least looks decent. Hate to be unboxing something and caught off guard by some extremely annoying damage, ruins the whole experience and sometimes makes the whole purchase worthless for me to use so it's to be boxed again and shipped back immediately...

 

[alex_free]

The curse has been broken! Screen and everything else looks great. OS isn’t booting, making a snow Leopard installer and will see later tonight how that goes.

 

[eyoungren]

One thing I always look for when buying used computers on eBay are pictures of the actual computer I’m buying. Whenever I see generic pictures, skip. “Pictures are representative of what you will receive”, skip. Lot items, skip. If the pictures are not what the exact item that is going in a box to come to me, skip.

I’ve found over time that policy weeds out a lot of sketchiness.

Same.

I also tend to skip "What you see in the picture is what will be in the box". Because usually what you see in the picture is MISSING stuff, whatever that stuff may be. Typically, that's power cords or power adapters or some other item, which then adds an additional cost - if you can find them at all.

Just try and find the clear plastic stands for an external iSight. You can't. The only way to get them is to buy another iSight and if the one you're buying doesn't come with them you end up with two. Just as an example.

 

[alex_free]

Same.

I also tend to skip "What you see in the picture is what will be in the box". Because usually what you see in the picture is MISSING stuff, whatever that stuff may be. Typically, that's power cords or power adapters or some other item, which then adds an additional cost - if you can find them at all.

Just try and find the clear plastic stands for an external iSight. You can't. The only way to get them is to buy another iSight and if the one you're buying doesn't come with them you end up with two. Just as an example.

I literally get infuriated by the ‘seller refurbished’ and ‘used’ listings that have ‘READ’ or ‘READ DESCRIPTION’ in the title. You read the description and it’s missing a motherboard or something. It’s is soo much harder to go through a search when people abuse the condition listing like that.

 

[alex_free]

What a happy ending to this story. I couldn’t be more happier with what I got in the end, the backlit keyboard (first computer I’ve owned with one) and overall design are stunning on this mid 2010 MacBook Pro.

This thing hasn’t aged a day since 2010 IMO.

 

[Amethyst1]

Immediately buy a mid 2010 MacBook Pro 13 inch

Congrats on your new and (hopefully) finally flawless machine. How much did it set you back just out of interest?

 

[MultiFinder17]

Those 320M MacBooks are little champs. I've had a 2010 white MacBook for years now, and it refuses to quit. I've even got it running Big Sur with few issues! Enjoy your little beast, and may it serve you well

 

[Amethyst1]

Those 320M MacBooks are little champs.

The 320M is definitely a very good excuse for using a Core 2 Duo in a 2010 laptop while the rest of the world had already moved on to Nehalem I wish the 13" 2010 MBP had come with a 2.8 GHz P9700 or 3.06 GHz T9900 though!

 

[California]

What a happy ending to this story. I couldn’t be more happier with what I got in the end, the backlit keyboard (first computer I’ve owned with one) and overall design are stunning on this mid 2010 MacBook Pro.View attachment 1821309
This thing hasn’t aged a day since 2010 IMO.

Bump up the ram to 16gbs... yes, it works.

 

[Certificate of Excellence]

What a happy ending to this story. I couldn’t be more happier with what I got in the end, the backlit keyboard (first computer I’ve owned with one) and overall design are stunning on this mid 2010 MacBook Pro.View attachment 1821309
This thing hasn’t aged a day since 2010 IMO.

I love back lit keyboards. I replaced the kb on one of my 2008 macbooks with a backlit model. My 08 MBP also has a backlit kb that is just the best at night. They are awesome and worth the time and money to upgrade or buy outright. Glad it worked out for you

 

[California]

I love back lit keyboards. I replaced the kb on one of my 2008 macbooks with a backlit model. My 08 MBP also has a backlit kb that is just the best at night. They are awesome and worth the time and money to upgrade or buy outright. Glad it worked out for you

This is an honest question... why do you like the backlit keyboard so much? I mean, I like them, and have them on all of my Mac laptops, but what is so great for you about it?

P.S. I am an old school typist and I don't need to look at the keys when I type.

I imagine the reason people like the backlit keyboards so much is so they can actually type in the dark because they need to look down at the keys?

 

[B S Magnet]

This is an honest question... why do you like the backlit keyboard so much? I mean, I like them, and have them on all of my Mac laptops, but what is so great for you about it?

P.S. I am an old school typist and I don't need to look at the keys when I type.

I imagine the reason people like the backlit keyboards so much is so they can actually type in the dark because they need to look down at the keys?

Backlit keyboards are handy when working with DJing gear in low-light conditions. The same can also be said when working as a lighting designer for a stage, in which your surrounding settings will tend to be pretty dark (because you don’t want to draw attention to yourself). And although I’m not a gamer, I completely understand why gamers prefer backlit keyboards — especially higher-end ones on which individual keys can be programmed to render as a specific colour. It’s not my jam, but it makes plenty of sense.

More casually, I also prefer backlit keyboards when first getting my fingers onto the keyboard when I’m about to type — especially when I’ve been doing other tasks not involving typing.

Although I don’t generally look at the keyboard whilst typing, I also crumpled and binned my entire middle-school term of having to learn to old-skool ASDF-JKL; on school electric typewriters around the time I used a Macintosh Plus for the first time (to write a paper a few years later in grade 12), because I found ASDF-JKL; to be inorganic af to do so on a Selectric, much less anything else. And… and… had I not discovered my eventual pecking method of relying on my first two fingers and thumbs, I’d likely be dealing with some variety of carpal-tunnel syndrome now.