Is it Safe to Buy a MacBook Pro on eBay?

This is what you need to know about buying a MacBook Pro on eBay. We’ll help you safely buy a device on eBay and what to look for to make sure you get the best deal and avoid getting scammed.

We’re seeing many people turn to eBay to buy the 2015 MacBook Pro, which is the last model before the switch to butterfly keyboards.

Another reason is to score a major MacBook Pro deal. You can save a lot on a new or new to you MacBook Pro, but you need to do some research before you buy it.

Is it Safe to Buy a MacBook Pro on eBay?

Is it safe to buy a MacBook Pro on eBay? This is what you need to know.

Whether you are buying a used 2015 MacBook Pro or looking to get a new MacBook Pro on eBay, the biggest question that many users have is if buying a MacBook Pro on eBay is safe.

The short answer is yes, the longer answer is that you need to do your research. Most of the used 2015 MacBook Pros on eBay do not come with any kind of warranty or backing, but you may find some buyers with return policies in case things aren’t as stated in the item description.

If you buy a new MacBook Pro on eBay from an authorized reseller it will likely come with a standard warranty and you can likely buy AppleCare or AppleCare+ for it. Some used models may still come with a warranty or AppleCare.

This is what you need to pay attention to as you look to buy a MacBook Pro on eBay.

Is It a Used or New MacBook Pro?

The first thing to look at is whether you are looking for a used MacBook Pro or a new MacBook Pro. If you are buying a 2015 MacBook Pro, then it is definitely used. If you are buying a newer model it may be new or it may be used.

Most of the new MacBook Pro deals on eBay are through eBay Daily Deals and are actually sold by stores and resellers, not individuals. Here you can find new models and refurbished models with warranties that offer significant savings.

Pay attention to the descriptions and read them thoroughly. This is not the same as buying on Amazon, so you shouldn’t just click the buy button without doing some research.

Is it a Store or an Individual?

Once you find a good deal, you need to look at the seller. Most of eBay Daily Deals are through businesses and power sellers. In these cases you are basically buying from a business and you can expect return policies that are closer to a normal store.

If you are buying a used MacBook Pro, it may be from a regular person that wants to sell an old model. In this case, you may not have a return policy and there will be no exchanges.

To some extent, eBay has become a power seller and business heavy marketplace, but there are still a lot of individuals selling on eBay. You can find some really good deals when you buy from an individual, but you need to pay close attention to everything.

What to Look for in an Item Description

This is what you need to check before you buy a MacBook Pro on eBay.

So you’ve found a MacBook Pro on eBay. What do you need to look for in the description before you buy? There are a few things that you should look at to avoid buyer’s remorse.

Most of the time you don’t need to worry about a scam when you are buying, it’s more about making sure you know what you are getting.

• Check the Photos – Make sure you see real photos of the device if it is used. If you only see stock photos, pass. If the seller mentions any damage you should expect to see up-close photos of the scratch or dent.
• Condition – In the Description, look at the Item Specifics to see if it is used, refurbished, or new.
• Warranty – The next thing to look for in the description is any mention of a warranty. Does it have AppleCare+ or is it refurbished with a warranty from the shop you are buying from? Make sure you know what kind of coverage it has and factor that into the price.
• Double Check the Specs – Look at the specs and the model of the MacBook Pro in the title and in the item descriptions. Pay attention to the processor, the storage size, and the model or year of the MacBook Pro. It’s a good idea to see if those specs match up with the options Apple offered for that model.
• Accessories – Does the MacBook Pro come with all the accessories you need to use it? How about a box? Read to know what you are getting.
• Return Policy – What is the seller’s return policy? Many times power sellers and businesses offer a return policy, but individuals may not.

Spending a few minutes reading the description carefully will help you safely buy a MacBook Pro on eBay and help you avoid any issues or buyers remorse.

Find a Good Price on eBay

Check your price on eBay before you buy.

So you’ve found the MacBook Pro that you want to buy on eBay. How do you figure out if it’s a good deal? Thankfully you can search eBay for completed or sold listings to see what others paid for a similar model.

• Search for the MacBook Pro model number or the specs.
• Click on Advanced to the right of search.
• Check the box for Sold listings.
• Click Search.

This will show you only the sold listings, so you get to see what other buyers paid for the MacBook Pro that you are buying. You can also use this link to go straight to the Advanced eBay search. This is how we figure out if an eBay deal is the best price or not.

Check Seller’s Feedback Closely

You need to check the feedback closely on individuals and on businesses. The first thing to do is look and see if the account looks legitimate. Don’t just look for lots of feedback.

If it’s a business, you want to see feedback from sales of similar items. One of the tricks that a scammer may do is to take over an eBay account or to sell a bunch of cheap digital items to boost the feedback and ratings. If it’s a business, you should see them selling other MacBook Pro models to happy customers.

If it’s an individual, you should make sure that the seller has positive feedback and that it is from selling things that you would expect a normal person to sell. You won’t see loads of MacBook sales, but you should see some sales that build trust.

Compare Deals Before You Buy

Now that you know how to safely buy a MacBook Pro on eBay, you should also make sure to check out other deals, especially if you are buying a newer MacBook Pro model from 2016 to current.

We’ve seen a few major deals on new MacBook Pro models with up to $400 off a brand new MacBook Pro. Check the links below to see what kind of deals you can get from major retailers.

• Check MacBook Pro Deals at Amazon
• Check MacBook Pro Deals at B&H Photo
• Check MacBook Pro Deals at Best Buy
• Check Refurbished MacBook Pro Deals at Apple 

Sometimes it makes more sense to buy a MacBook Pro at eBay and other times it may be a better option to get a new one at a store. The only way to decide is to quickly check the prices.

Install macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 update right away. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 includes two security patches and these will help protect your device and it data from harm.  You'll also get patches from updates you missed when you upgrade to macOS Sonoma 14.4.1. macOS Sonoma 14.4 brought 50+ security updates to compatible Mac devices. The update also delivered quantum security protection for iMessage. Apple says the upgrade gives iMessage "the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world." Apple's macOS Sonoma 14.3 update brought 16 new security patches to Mac. These will help keep your device and its data protected from harm.  macOS Sonoma 14.2.1 featured one security patch and it fixed an issue where a user who shares their screen may unintentionally share the incorrect content. macOS Sonoma 14.2 included a whopping 20 security patches for your Mac. If you want to learn more about them, head here. The software also included iMessage Contact Key Verification which improves the security of iMessage. macOS Sonoma 14.1.2 delivered two security patches, both related to WebKit. These patches were extremely important. macOS Sonoma 14.1 had numerous security patches on board and they addressed issues with Photos, Safari, Siri and more. You can learn more about them over at Apple. macOS Sonoma 14.0, the first version of macOS Sonoma, brought a ton of new security patches to Mac. And when we say a ton, we mean a ton.  It delivered over 50 security updates to Mac users. You can learn more about the particulars over on Apple's security site. In addition to the patches, macOS Sonoma brings additional enhancements to privacy and security including improvements to Communication Safety beyond Messages. It now includes content sent and received in the systemwide photo picker and third-party apps. You also have an option to blur out sensitive photos and videos before you choose to view them. There's also an expanded Lockdown Mode which will help protect you against cyber attacks and improved sharing permissions which means you have more control over what you share with the apps on your device.  If you skipped older versions of macOS, you'll get the security patches from those updates with your macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 update.

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