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Refurb Mac Mini Pricing

Mshaf21

Mshaf21

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 28, 2015
2
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Looking to buy a mac mini for my mom...she only needs it to watch online videos so upgrades are not a concern. Was thinking about purchasing from refurb on apple site (have always gotten good deals on refurbs).

My question: Do the refurb model prices typically go down when a new model comes out? The reason I ask is in case a new model is introduced at WWDC I was hoping I could get it under $400.


Thanks in advance for any insight.
 
Mshaf21 said:
Looking to buy a mac mini for my mom...she only needs it to watch online videos so upgrades are not a concern. Was thinking about purchasing from refurb on apple site (have always gotten good deals on refurbs).

My question: Do the refurb model prices typically go down when a new model comes out?
Click to expand...

They do, although there have been delays in the past. For example, it might take a couple of weeks or even longer after announcement/release date before the refurb prices fall.

In some cases the delay can be much longer. About 6 years ago for the Mac Pro, the delay was so long that 2010 refurbs started showing up in the refurb store before the 2009 refurbs dropped in price. This created the awkward scenario where you could buy a 2010 or a 2009 refurb at about the same price. Who would buy the 2009? It made no sense.
 
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Just check that amount of soldered RAM (8GB or more) before you buy plus an SSD. You'll thank me later.
 
I think the refurbished prices generally don't change, it's usually around a 15% drop over the full retail price tier. The only recent quirk to this in the last model change over was when Apple dropped the entry level price model. In the UK this meant a £100 price drop from £499 to £399.

Where previously a base model refurbished 2012 model was available for around £419 it was suddenly available in the refurb store for £339 after the maligned 2014 range was launched. A relative bargain for a machine that you can add your own RAM and SSD to after the fact.

I haven't seen any 2012 models in the official refurbished store for months so you've missed the boat on those now.

One thing to look for is if Apple change the pricing tiers on the Mac Pro. A base model 2013 Mac Pro could be a bit of a bargain if they decide to retarget the price tiers for an entry level 2016 model because Apple may offer it at 15% off the new price tier.
 
You might want to check out B&H Photo. They sell Macs at a discount and depending on your sales tax situation, it can actually be less expensive to buy a new Mac Mini from B&H than a refurb from Apple.
 
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ActionableMango said:
You might want to check out B&H Photo. They sell Macs at a discount and depending on your sales tax situation, it can actually be less expensive to buy a new Mac Mini from B&H than a refurb from Apple.
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On a similar note, Other World Computing has good-quality used Minis available; if all you're interested in is viewing online videos, you really don't need the very latest model. :)
 
If you have a Discover card, log into your account and use the Discover Deals shopping portal. They have an ongoing 5% cash back on Apple products (except Apple Watch Edition, haha). This works with their Refurbished section as well.
 
You can get a 256 gb mini on ebay + applecare till 08-2018 on eBay right now for $600. Thats a much better deal that any apple refurb.
 
Maybe 2012 Mini is too general. I was posting about the Late 2012 Quad Core i7. I should have been more specific. :oops:
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ActionableMango said:
You might want to check out B&H Photo. They sell Macs at a discount and depending on your sales tax situation, it can actually be less expensive to buy a new Mac Mini from B&H than a refurb from Apple.
Click to expand...

When I got past the list of items for sale and "got deep into the buy portion" of that vendor, it was always No Longer Available. I've had a few handling and packing issues with B&H my last few orders. -They used to be perfect, and I had no concerns. Now I look elsewhere unless I'm getting something that will still function if it's improperly packaged or the internal box has been crushed prior to shipment from NY.
 
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