Tips for safely buying a used Macbook?

[m021478]

My 12 year old daughter needs a Macbook for school, and instead if going to the Apple Store and dropping $1000 on the cheapest 'new' Macbook they offer, I was wondering if there's a safe approach to buying a used Macbook online somewhere. I've never bought a used computer in the past for fear that any one of the thousands of critical components in the machine might be compromised, leaving me up ****'s creek without a paddle.

She doesn't need the latest, greatest, fastest computer available. She'll likely only use Safari and Pages initially. I'm sure a Macbook Air from several years ago would be all she'd ever need, and I assume I would likely save hundreds and hundreds of dollars if I go this route.

Any tips or suggestions? *other than, "try searching eBay for a highly rated seller" ?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Check the Forum Marketplace for a good older Mac. There are usually a few for sale. If you don't see anything, create a 'want to buy' thread in said forum. You will probably get some replies. In my opinion, buying here is one of the best experiences.

 

[m021478]

Check the Forum Marketplace for a good older Mac. There are usually a few for sale. If you don't see anything, create a 'want to buy' thread in said forum. You will probably get some replies. In my opinion, buying here is one of the best experiences.

Thanks for the tip! I honestly never even knew there was a marketplace on these forums! ?

 

[hallux]

You could also check Apple's refurb store to see if you can find one to meet her needs and save a little money.

 

[Lihp8270]

Why does she need a Mac specifically?

There are plenty of options suitable for a 12 year old in school at more suitable price points.

 

[avz]

I personally would look for a Mac that has never been tampered with(or disassembled). I would do all the upgrades myself if I have to. Sometimes I see a real shockers where people open the back cover, lose the original screws and use random screws that are not even flash with the surface.

 

[KaliYoni]

I'd say there are two major areas of risk to manage in this transaction.

1. Seller risk

• Similar to buying a used car, it might be best to ask friends, family, and co-workers if they have a computer for sale before turning to people you don't know.
• Trust your gut feelings when assessing potential sellers. If something feels weird or unusual, take a day or two before committing to a transaction.
• Time pressure or demands for unusual forms of payment can be signs of a sketchy seller.

2. Product risk

• Do you feel comfortable completely wiping the HD/SSD and doing a clean install of macOS?
• As mentioned above, are you familiar with how to run Apple's diagnostics and how to detect tampering?
• Apple now only provides the current version of macOS and the two most recent previous versions with security updates. A used machine could become a security problem more quickly than you anticipate.

 

[Fishrrman]

Fishrrman's rules for used MacBook buying:

DO NOT BUY:
MacBook Pro 13" -- 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
MacBook Pro 15" -- 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
ALL of these have the disastrous "butterfly keyboards" that are highly-prone to failure. Although Apple has a free replacement program running for 4 years "from new", when that time expires YOU will pay for the repair.
And it's NOT CHEAP -- $750 for even a single key gone bad.
That's because the entire top case has to be replaced... even for a single key failure!

DO BUY:
MacBook Pro 13" -- 2020
MacBook Pro 16" -- 2019 and later.
These have the new "magic" (scissors) keyboards, as did the 2015 and earlier MBPs. These keyboards have been very reliable.