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formidify

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 10, 2018
8
1
I recently bought a 2018 MBP 15 with 16 RAM 512 SSD and 560 Redeon Pro 2.6GHz on B&H for 2580 ish with taxes, but then saw one with the exact same spec on this eBay site https://www.ebay.com/itm/173681036479 for 2500 but also includes an AppleCare+. Does the ebay product seem legit? BTW, it does not support PayPal nor accept return but it does transaction thru eBay so I will still get buyer protection right? Has anyone bought from this seller before? Thank you for your answers! Is it worth it to take a risk - may it be a refurbished one or sth, even though the seller claims it is completely new? (not like B&H is completely clean according to some buyers)
 

Celedral

macrumors 6502
May 29, 2008
332
14
Los Angeles
Most likely legit. It’s a grey market item instead of coming from a authorized seller, but should be fully covered by apple. I got the same model on cyber Monday for $2124 so $2500 isn’t much of a stretch.
 

formidify

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 10, 2018
8
1
Most likely legit. It’s a grey market item instead of coming from a authorized seller, but should be fully covered by apple. I got the same model on cyber Monday for $2124 so $2500 isn’t much of a stretch.

Thanks so much! So you got one without the AppleCare+ I assume?
[doublepost=1544467068][/doublepost]
Most likely legit. It’s a grey market item instead of coming from a authorized seller, but should be fully covered by apple. I got the same model on cyber Monday for $2124 so $2500 isn’t much of a stretch.

Also, another question - is AppleCare+ really worth getting? Thanks!
 

PROFESS0R

macrumors 6502
Jul 30, 2017
363
347
No, AppleCare+ is not worth getting, on average, all else equal. If it was worth (you) getting (it), Apple would not be selling it.

This said, I purchase it because I don't mind giving Apple insurance money.

Joe

Thanks so much! So you got one without the AppleCare+ I assume?
[doublepost=1544467068][/doublepost]

Also, another question - is AppleCare+ really worth getting? Thanks!
 

IdentityCrisis

Suspended
Sep 9, 2018
684
345
I recently bought a 2018 MBP 15 with 16 RAM 512 SSD and 560 Redeon Pro 2.6GHz on B&H for 2580 ish with taxes, but then saw one with the exact same spec on this eBay site https://www.ebay.com/itm/173681036479 for 2500 but also includes an AppleCare+. Does the ebay product seem legit? BTW, it does not support PayPal nor accept return but it does transaction thru eBay so I will still get buyer protection right? Has anyone bought from this seller before? Thank you for your answers! Is it worth it to take a risk - may it be a refurbished one or sth, even though the seller claims it is completely new? (not like B&H is completely clean according to some buyers)

This is why I would steer clear of them.

We dont Accept PayPal
Payment Method : Visa / Master Card / Discover / American Express


Then that leaves you with no protection other than your credit card. I am unsure how they can even sell on ebay without paypal.
 

formidify

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 10, 2018
8
1
This is why I would steer clear of them.

We dont Accept PayPal
Payment Method : Visa / Master Card / Discover / American Express


Then that leaves you with no protection other than your credit card. I am unsure how they can even sell on ebay without paypal.

But eBay should give protection over it too, right? Yeah, I don't know why they opt out of PayPal (do you have to pay PayPal if you sell sth?). Other than that this seems a legit deal, sigh. If it were AppleCare+ then I could hopefully get rid of any product issues (if there were any) when they arise so that part is fine.
[doublepost=1544488196][/doublepost]
No, AppleCare+ is not worth getting, on average, all else equal. If it was worth (you) getting (it), Apple would not be selling it.

This said, I purchase it because I don't mind giving Apple insurance money.

Joe

Yeah, I kinda wanna get it cuz three of my previous iPhones all died because of terrible Apple engineering issues which destroyed the main board, so now I think AppleCare+ may be useful, but 379$ is just too much.
 

IdentityCrisis

Suspended
Sep 9, 2018
684
345
But eBay should give protection over it too, right? Yeah, I don't know why they opt out of PayPal (do you have to pay PayPal if you sell sth?). Other than that this seems a legit deal, sigh. If it were AppleCare+ then I could hopefully get rid of any product issues (if there were any) when they arise so that part is fine.
[doublepost=1544488196][/doublepost]

Yeah, I kinda wanna get it cuz three of my previous iPhones all died because of terrible Apple engineering issues which destroyed the main board, so now I think AppleCare+ may be useful, but 379$ is just too much.

After doing a little research, it seems Ebay allows sellers to bypass Paypal now. I am not sure though if you get the same protection that paypal provided. Most of the time that is why Sellers move away from Paypal, because they don't want to get screwed if something is wrong.
 

unglued

macrumors 6502
Feb 20, 2016
257
96
But eBay should give protection over it too, right?
It's been awhile since I used FeeBay but they did have protection back in the day. I used it once and it was something like $200 or less maximum coverage and you had to go through a claims process first to see if you and the seller can work it out one last time.
 

formidify

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 10, 2018
8
1
After doing a little research, it seems Ebay allows sellers to bypass Paypal now. I am not sure though if you get the same protection that paypal provided. Most of the time that is why Sellers move away from Paypal, because they don't want to get screwed if something is wrong.

Seller said that they don't trust PayPal, which I guess is a fair sentiment. Also I found that eBay does not have buyer protection on this item.....should I still buy, sigh.
 

Airboy1466

macrumors 6502
Feb 23, 2015
326
31
Thanks so much! So you got one without the AppleCare+ I assume?
[doublepost=1544467068][/doublepost]

Also, another question - is AppleCare+ really worth getting? Thanks!
applecare plus is a must lol
[doublepost=1544506555][/doublepost]
Seller said that they don't trust PayPal, which I guess is a fair sentiment. Also I found that eBay does not have buyer protection on this item.....should I still buy, sigh.
No give up on that unless you are using a major credit card that will insure you for this purchase other than that you may shoot yourself in the foot.
 

formidify

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 10, 2018
8
1
Interesting update - doesn't mean to sound stalkery or anything, but after reading through the purchase history of the seller, i found that they frequently buy from places that sell phone batteries, ipad frames, macbook RAM, among many other different electronic parts. Of course, they could also be buying lingeries, christmas decor, or phone cases which those sites also offer, but it did raise suspicion.

Were there incidents where sellers fix and repackage damaged items and sell them for a cheaper price? How would I know though? Sure, I could just go ahead and buy and just return - but not like i would be able to really test my claim anyways. Sigh.

Oh eBay...
 

Airboy1466

macrumors 6502
Feb 23, 2015
326
31
Interesting update - doesn't mean to sound stalkery or anything, but after reading through the purchase history of the seller, i found that they frequently buy from places that sell phone batteries, ipad frames, macbook RAM, among many other different electronic parts. Of course, they could also be buying lingeries, christmas decor, or phone cases which those sites also offer, but it did raise suspicion.

Were there incidents where sellers fix and repackage damaged items and sell them for a cheaper price? How would I know though? Sure, I could just go ahead and buy and just return - but not like i would be able to really test my claim anyways. Sigh.

Oh eBay...
ABORT!!!!!
 

Airboy1466

macrumors 6502
Feb 23, 2015
326
31
Yeah, i thought so too. But that 500$ difference in price tho... (or 100$ if i don't get AppleCare+)
Get AppleCare+
Do you trust that your credit card company will back you incase of an incident that they screw you over.
 

Gator1pk

macrumors member
Sep 28, 2013
66
32
Fort Lauderdale
B&H is a legit, Apple Authorized seller. You’re forking a real good chunk of cash for a serious machine (I have been wanting that same spec MBP to replace my mid-2012 MBP 15 Retina). The risk is high with the eBay one. The “savings” not worth it. Better safe than sorry.

Also check the refurbished MBP directly from Apple (good savings, same warranty from Apple as a “brand new” one. Only difference is the refurbished machine gets mailed directly to you in a plain box as opposed to the retail one which you can pick up at Apple store or other authorized retailer, get mailed directly to you, and comes in a pretty, slim box.
 

formidify

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 10, 2018
8
1
Get AppleCare+
Do you trust that your credit card company will back you incase of an incident that they screw you over.

Don't know honestly, it's gonna be a hassle and I wouldn't want to resort to that. eBay does seem to have a buyer protection thing for every purchase on its site, as I just found out, but I guess my issue was more on the fact that nothing may show as `faulty` but I will be working with a bad or modified product and that sucks ...
[doublepost=1544509029][/doublepost]
B&H is a legit, Apple Authorized seller. You’re forking a real good chunk of cash for a serious machine (I have been wanting that same spec MBP to replace my mid-2012 MBP 15 Retina). The risk is high with the eBay one. The “savings” not worth it. Better safe than sorry.

Also check the refurbished MBP directly from Apple (good savings, same warranty from Apple as a “brand new” one. Only difference is the refurbished machine gets mailed directly to you in a plain box as opposed to the retail one which you can pick up at Apple store or other authorized retailer, get mailed directly to you, and comes in a pretty, slim box.

I agree, and risk is considerably higher for an already so expensive machine. Would you get an AppleCare+ for this one if you were to get the machine too?
 

Celedral

macrumors 6502
May 29, 2008
332
14
Los Angeles
Thanks so much! So you got one without the AppleCare+ I assume?
[doublepost=1544467068][/doublepost]

Also, another question - is AppleCare+ really worth getting? Thanks!

Yup. Without AppleCare. It was purchased on a less than ideal site HHGREGG, but through google express. Surprisingly it shipped and arrived in 5 days.

Like others have mentioned. Just play it safe and get it from an authorized seller since they don’t accept PayPal.
 

MacGizmo

macrumors 68040
Apr 27, 2003
3,217
2,516
Arizona
I would never buy a mobile product from Apple without AppleCare (desktops I never bother with it anymore). I've only had to use it two or three times since the pre-Intel era, but it paid for itself each time, as it was past the one year point.
 

deeddawg

macrumors G5
Jun 14, 2010
12,468
6,571
US
Yeah, i thought so too. But that 500$ difference in price tho... (or 100$ if i don't get AppleCare+)

This is exactly how scammers get people. Offer a deal that is so attractive a person acts against their gut instinct.

Most folks who've been ripped off by a scammer admit they knew better but...
 
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worldvga

macrumors member
Nov 21, 2018
58
9
Florida
company who avoid PayPal option for payment is very suspicious, I wouldn't buy from them
True. Not just paypal but a brand should have any trustable known payment gateway. It could be amazonpay or ccavenue where you can file a dispute.
 
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