# Sick of Ridiculous Prices for Used Macs



## phaedarus (Jul 6, 2009)

Seriously, what is it with Canadians and the absurd prices they charge for their used Macs?

Yes, I know that Macs have great resale value. But it's incredible just how exaggerated pricing is in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.

I've been browsing kijii and craig's list for Mac Pros constantly and it's the same every time; idiots who price their 2-4 year old Mac Pros up to full retail and think they're doing you a favor by having you save on taxes?

Why is it that Americans can often find such great deals on their Mac Pros in the second hand market yet Canada has all the morons that price their systems as if they're retailers?

For instance, one joker on craig's list is offering his 2006 Mac Pro for $2000. What is the point when for $400 more, Apple sells a refurbished 2008 Mac Pro with one year warranty?

It's getting to the point where I'm better off having a PO Box address in New York, getting a used Mac Pro shipped there and then smuggling it back into Canada just to save money.


----------



## MannyP Design (Jun 8, 2000)

I find most used prices to be pretty good, actually. It depends who's selling them.


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

phaedarus said:


> For instance, one joker on craig's list is offering his 2006 Mac Pro for $2000. What is the point when for $400 more, Apple sells a refurbished 2008 Mac Pro with one year warranty?


I recently sold my 2006 Mac Pro on craigslist for $1950. It had a lot of extra ram in it (12GB total), so without it it'd probably go for $1600-1700.

Just to clear a few things up, 2008 refurbs are actually $2499 + tax, so that's about $2850 with tax and environmental fee. Keeping that in mind i think $1600-$1700 for a stock 2X266ghz 2006 mac pro is fair market value.

If someone is asking $2000 for a stock 2006 configuration that is too high. But keep in mind any upgrades. By the time you add extra ram to a 2008 mac pro you'll be @ $3000+

But on a side not in general i agree with you. used mac prices on craigslist are USUALLY too high when you consider the prices on refurbs (especially on macbooks & minis). But there is the odd deal that makes it worth while to check it f you're in the market.


----------



## daniels (Jul 27, 2009)

because people dont want to lose money


----------



## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

It's better to just strip them and sell them in pieces,
I'm thinking of stripping out all my old Mac's and then sell the pieces on eBay.

Dave


----------



## hdh607 (Sep 8, 2008)

...becasue old Macs are still good...


----------



## knightwrangler (Jan 20, 2008)

dolawren said:


> It's better to just strip them and sell them in pieces,
> I'm thinking of stripping out all my old Mac's and then sell the pieces on eBay.
> 
> Dave


In my recent sale, the buyer just purchased the tower-without the apple keyboard, mighty mouse, hard drives or restore discs!


----------



## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

knightwrangler said:


> In my recent sale, the buyer just purchased the tower-without the apple keyboard, mighty mouse, hard drives or restore discs!


I like those kind of sales, It's nice not to have to make up a complete system for someone.

Dave


----------



## Manatus (May 11, 2009)

I think most of it is that people ask for more on craigslist/kijiji because they expect to be lowballed. The person selling their Mac Pro for $2,000 is probably expecting a would-be buyer to offer $1,500 (even if he says "firm"), and expects to settle for between $1,700-$1,850 or thereabouts. Personally I would never list something on there for the price I'd actually sell it for, just because of the amount of bargaining that goes on.


----------



## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Also you might consider that the owner is hoping to get the most cash possible out of it, since these days they are likely selling things due to economic hardship. A lot of those listers might be open to fair haggling, but are hoping to rope in a sucker.


----------



## Manatus (May 11, 2009)

chas_m said:


> Also you might consider that the owner is hoping to get the most cash possible out of it, since these days they are likely selling things due to economic hardship. A lot of those listers might be open to fair haggling, but are hoping to rope in a sucker.


Agreed, especially as these days people see everything Apple as a hot item, without necessarily knowing a lot about the product. For example, people who are otherwise going to buy their computer at Best Buy or Futureshop may not even know about the online refurb store, and even less likely to know about tools like refurb.me that show the hidden options.

Speaking from personal experience, before joining the Mac community, I'd just go to a store and buy whatever HP, Toshiba etc fit my specs and looked good. I never considered myself part of any "community" nor would I think to join/look on forums like this to get "inside tips".


----------



## switch (Mar 17, 2004)

Agree with Manatus and chas_m. Prepare to haggle on Craigslist, it's a more of an art than a science!  With any private sales, it just never hurts to ask. It might be annoying for the seller, but for the second-handers they are looking for deals and always looking to part with the least amount of money. My mom was a great haggler, even at places like Futureshop and Leon's. I was always embarassed as a teenager, but now that I truly appreciate the value of a hard-earned money, more power to her! Especially because she always paid less than retail at retail.


----------



## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

I really ddin't find the prices on craigs list that bad when I was recently buying my Macbook Pro. But really, what would you expext the markdown to be on macs that aren't even a year old? From what I found, current model MBPs go for about the same price as a refurb, but you don't need to pay any tax on that. The money you save on tax can be spent to extend the applecare for two extra years. In some cases you you can benefit from extra ram or larger hard drives that were added after the fact. I ended up buying a refurb simply because I've stopped trusting people as much as I used to.


----------



## Strimkind (Mar 31, 2005)

Macs tend to hold their value for almost 10 years. After that they tend to fall below the $100 threshold. Now you can get G4s for free at times. Even first generation Macbooks have dropped down to $400 or less.

Now if you are trying to find a year old Mac for half price. I wish you luck. If you do I'll bet it is stolen.




andreww said:


> I ended up buying a refurb simply because I've stopped trusting people as much as I used to.


Have you been burned in the past by a bad seller?


----------



## GlassOnion (Mar 22, 2004)

My reference for used Mac stuff is ebay USA. I check the completed listings for a specific item with specific configuration and that helps to know the item market value. A good strategy when buying used equipments is to wait a bit before contacting the seller when the price is too high. He probably won't sell the item and after a while he'll be ready to bargain if he really wants to sell.


----------



## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Strimkind said:


> Macs tend to hold their value for almost 10 years. After that they tend to fall below the $100 threshold. Now you can get G4s for free at times. Even first generation Macbooks have dropped down to $400 or less.
> 
> Now if you are trying to find a year old Mac for half price. I wish you luck. If you do I'll bet it is stolen.
> 
> ...


No, but I have heard stories. Something always makes me wonder why someone is unloading an almost new machine. Could it be a lemon? Maybe. Perhaps it was stolen? Thats something that could bite you later. Maybe a half glass of water was spilled in the keyboard? There just wasn't enough of a price savings to take the risk IMO. As I have said many times, the refurb store is the best way to save money on Apple equipment.


----------



## andreww (Nov 20, 2002)

Its funny if you search Craigslist long enough. At the beginning of December there was a guy selling a virtually brand new MBP with a story about how he had bought it for his girlfriend, and how she just couldn't get used to OSX. I did't act on that one, but I was tempted. Then in early January the exact same ad shows up, this time with a white macbook. Unfortunately the internet is full of shady people, none of whom have any problem with lying through their teeth. If you scan Craigslist long enough you will see many examples of this kind of thing.


----------



## IllusionX (Mar 10, 2009)

i usually tend not to buy used mac. High prices (depending on the model) is my main concern.

though, i've successfully sold old macs for really high prices.
ie, 1 year ago, sold an PB G4 1.33, 1.25gb, 60gb, brand new battery for 500$ while mac2sell suggest 240$.


----------



## GlassOnion (Mar 22, 2004)

andreww said:


> No, but I have heard stories. Something always makes me wonder why someone is unloading an almost new machine. Could it be a lemon? Maybe. Perhaps it was stolen? Thats something that could bite you later. Maybe a half glass of water was spilled in the keyboard? There just wasn't enough of a price savings to take the risk IMO. As I have said many times, the refurb store is the best way to save money on Apple equipment.


I bought the last MacBook Pro 13" model last october from a friend who just used it for a month and bought it new from an Apple retailer. The guy has a iMac 24" and told me that he prefers use the iMac. The Macbook pro had a 4GB ram configuration and came with the new Apple mouse. He wanted $1000 I offered $900 and got it (without the mouse). I have the original purchase invoice, $1650. So it happens but rarely...


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

Strimkind said:


> Macs tend to hold their value for almost 10 years. After that they tend to fall below the $100 threshold. Now you can get G4s for free at times. Even first generation Macbooks have dropped down to $400 or less.


I haven't seen this in the Toronto market. No less than $600 with many kind souls offering their first gen books at $850 (and hopefully not getting it).

Where are you seeing this?


----------



## Trevor... (Feb 21, 2003)

The resale value of macs is a thing of fantasy, I see people asking all sorts of ridiculous prices for their hardware - but I really never see anyone successfully selling them for these sums (except to scammers) but the myth perpetuates none the less. 

My all time favorite was back in 2000 when iMac's showed up at Costco for $999 and morons started buying them trying to resell them for a profit.


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

My absolute favourite was a few years back. Some nut on craigslist had one of the G4 towers years past its prime and calculated its original price, plus the original cost of upgrades, plus the original cost of all of the software on the hard drive, then totted it up to $5,600. He was willing to sell at HALF PRICE!


----------



## yamawho (Jan 10, 2010)

Before buying my 1st mini in November I couldn't find anything used for a decent price and I was looking on and off for over a year. Finally bought it new online with the education discount 600$ ...

The 2nd one I purchased here used and the price was OK ... although since upgrading it with a 320GB hdd I haven't used it much. If I decide to sell this one soon I should get what I payed for it I think.


----------



## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

The OP is a one-post troll not worthy of lengthy response.
The "asking" price is just that... 'asking'. In the auto trade the asking price is refered to as the *laughing* price.
_Caveat emptor_, baby.
Don't like the price? Simple, don't pay it.


----------



## phaedarus (Jul 6, 2009)

rgray said:


> The OP is a one-post troll not worthy of lengthy response.
> The "asking" price is just that... 'asking'. In the auto trade the asking price is refered to as the *laughing* price.
> _Caveat emptor_, baby.
> Don't like the price? Simple, don't pay it.


And you're just another aforementioned moron who is part of the pricing problem.

Just take a look at a recent kijiji entry: Mac Pro Tower 2x2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon & 24" Cinema Screen - Toronto Computers For Sale - Kijiji Toronto

This joker wants $2500 firm. Yes, he actually expects to get this much for his 2007 4-core Mac Pro. I asked him how he justifies that offering. His response? 

"It comes with all this software!"

I asked him if he even had the legal license to transfer ownership of said software to the new owner. No reply after that.

Morons!


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

He's high on his price, but not "crazy" high...

His mac pro has the ram upgraded to 5gb... so that makes the value of just the machine @ around $1700 (give or take $50), but then he's also including a 24" cinema display (which if it's the new LED version then he's not that far off on asking price)

I'm guessing it's probably the older 23" cinema display.... but thats still probably worth between $450-$600.... so he's probably about $300 too high. If he's firm on his price then he'll probably be waiting for a while...but at $2200-$2300 he might sell it in a week or 2.


----------



## greydoggie (Apr 21, 2009)

Prices for used ones all over the place. Usually they are pretty high but sometimes they are good. The other day I saw someone selling a 2008 iMac about the same price you can buy a new one for. G5s have really come down in price since Snow Leopard came out. All the ones I saw before were over $1,000. Some closer to $900. Right after Snow Leopard came out they started selling for around $600. The original post is true. I keep reading things from people in the US where they say they just bought a G5 for $200. That you can get G4s for free. That Mac Pros are under $1,000. Not here!!
Yeah some people do put their prices high figuring that people are going to haggle them on it but it also scares buyers off. For a lot of people if someone isn't going to start with a somewhat decent price they usually don't come down to one at the end either. And if they are asking a good price I usually just pay it unless there is a good reason not to.


----------



## Manatus (May 11, 2009)

phaedarus said:


> And you're just another aforementioned moron who is part of the pricing problem.
> 
> Just take a look at a recent kijiji entry: Mac Pro Tower 2x2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon & 24" Cinema Screen - Toronto Computers For Sale - Kijiji Toronto
> 
> ...


So don't buy it. If a refurb is a better deal, buy that instead. It's simple economics: if someone really wants to sell their Mac Pro and no one's buying, they will eventually lower the price. If they don't, then either they're in no rush to sell or (probably more likely) people are actually buying them at that price. Yes, all of us here are "in the know" about what a good price actually is, but a fair proportion of computer buyers probably are not, and will probably accept the line that they're getting a lot of value from the installed software (legal or not). Nothing moronic about getting whatever you can for something, just like it's not a right to find a good deal on craigslist or anywhere else.


----------



## Strimkind (Mar 31, 2005)

Macfury said:


> I haven't seen this in the Toronto market. No less than $600 with many kind souls offering their first gen books at $850 (and hopefully not getting it).
> 
> Where are you seeing this?


Victoria BC

They appear on usedvictoria from time to time and disappear quickly. I have seen a few the last few months and they were gone the next day.


----------



## rampancy_fatalin. (Dec 17, 2004)

I've seen similar ridiculousness on Kijiji up here with Mac laptops. I've been seeing more first-gen Core Duo MacBooks hit the $600 range, but I still see people thinking that they'll get $1000+ for their older Core 2 Duo MacBooks. One of the ads I've seen has someone asking $1100 for his original white plastic MacBook, and one poster had the audacity once to demand $600 firm for his G4 iBook, his own rationale being that, in the posters own words, "They do *NOT* go down in value". I've seen people demand top dollar even for old G3 PowerBooks, for goodness sake. 

And then there was the time my roommate sold his MacBook; someone off of Kijiji offered to trade him his year-old homebuilt "gaming computer", and his old PSP and PS2 for it. 



andreww said:


> Its funny if you search Craigslist long enough... Unfortunately the internet is full of shady people, none of whom have any problem with lying through their teeth. If you scan Craigslist long enough you will see many examples of this kind of thing.


I don't know if anyone else saw this, but when I was home in Toronto for the holidays I was trolling Craigslist for postings of cheap broken MacBooks that I could buy and repair, and found myself wading through pages and pages of spam from Chinese "trading sites" with names like HolyTrade.com and LuckyTrade.com. It was one of the most annoying things I'd ever seen on Craigslist.


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

rampancy_fatalin. said:


> I don't know if anyone else saw this, but when I was home in Toronto for the holidays I was trolling Craigslist for postings of cheap broken MacBooks that I could buy and repair, and found myself wading through pages and pages of spam from Chinese "trading sites" with names like HolyTrade.com and LuckyTrade.com. It was one of the most annoying things I'd ever seen on Craigslist.


Still there. I try to set a low price of $390 in the search, since most of these Asian bizarros offer them around the $377 mark. Takes out 90% of the spam. I would really like to know who sends $377 to China in hopes of getting a brand new MacBook.

*Edit: This week's best MacBook "bargains" on Toronto craigslist.*

* Very lightly used white Apple Macbook with a 1.83 Core Duo processor, 2GB DDR2, 60GB hard drive. Asking $600.
* Good working condition black mac book. It has a small crack in the screen... however it hard to notice. $600.


----------



## lnorman (Nov 12, 2007)

Wow such venom and rage. Is it misplaced?
Sellers can set any price they want to, buyers determine market value. If these "Morons" are out of line on thier pricing, then the market will set them straight soon enough and they will have to come in line to sell it. If you are bitter that you can't get stuff as cheaply as you want to because demand is high and keeps prices high is that a fault of the seller? Do you expect that sellers have some moral obligation to provide you with below market bargains? If a seller is straight up about what he is selling, he should sleep just fine at night getting exactly what the highest bidding buyer is willing to pay for it. If you feel otherwise, let me know what you've got to sell at below market value.


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

I'm not angry at anyone asking what the market will bear. It's just frustrating to watch people offer used products at new prices when you're looking for a slight discount.


----------



## lnorman (Nov 12, 2007)

Macfury said:


> I'm not angry at anyone asking what the market will bear. It's just frustrating to watch people offer used products at new prices when you're looking for a slight discount.


Sorry I was referring to the OP's anger, not yours.


----------



## switch (Mar 17, 2004)

Well, he is called Macfury.


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

switch said:


> Well, he is called Macfury.


Grrrrrrrrr.


----------



## rampancy_fatalin. (Dec 17, 2004)

Macfury said:


> I'm not angry at anyone asking what the market will bear. It's just frustrating to watch people offer used products at new prices when you're looking for a slight discount.


The corollary for that are people who try to pawn off their older, flawed hardware for top dollar and won't accept anything less than their blatantly overexaggerated price.


----------



## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

rampancy_fatalin. said:


> The corollary for that are people who try to pawn off their older, flawed hardware for top dollar and won't accept anything less than their blatantly overexaggerated price.


I don't get the issue. Setting a price is the seller's prerogative. Don't like the price - don't buy. End of.


----------



## broad (Jun 2, 2009)

> I don't get the issue. Setting a price is the seller's prerogative. Don't like the price - don't buy. End of.


agreed. caveat emptor, my friends...


----------



## keebler27 (Jan 5, 2007)

i-rui said:


> I recently sold my 2006 Mac Pro on craigslist for $1950. It had a lot of extra ram in it (12GB total), so without it it'd probably go for $1600-1700.
> 
> Just to clear a few things up, 2008 refurbs are actually $2499 + tax, so that's about $2850 with tax and environmental fee. Keeping that in mind i think $1600-$1700 for a stock 2X266ghz 2006 mac pro is fair market value.
> 
> ...



just to clarify, I bought my quad 2009 refurb for $2499 in mid-october.


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

Nothing to clarify.

both the 2009 2.66ghz quad core & 2008 2.8ghz eight core go for $2499+ tax on the apple refurb store.

IMO i give the edge in value to the 2008 eight core.


----------



## keebler27 (Jan 5, 2007)

i-rui said:


> Nothing to clarify.
> 
> both the 2009 2.66ghz quad core & 2008 2.8ghz eight core go for $2499+ tax on the apple refurb store.
> 
> IMO i give the edge in value to the 2008 eight core.


no worries. i was just letting the OP know.
and I almost went for that 2008, but the day i finally decided to pull the trigger, there hadn't been any on the refurb store for a few days so i pressed buy before I 2nd guessed my decision


----------



## thegoat54 (Nov 20, 2007)

I agree with the OP.

I had a white Santa Rosa macbook with 4GB of ram (self upgraded). It was in really really good shape. Great condition. Great battery.

I kinda wanted to sell it for a while to get a new MBP. 

The day Apple announced the new Macbook with multi-touch I threw it up for sale figuring it was now or never because the new macbook would drive my old one down in price. Under 48 hours later I got my asking offer of $900.

Honestly, I couldn't believe it. Considering the machine was no longer in warranty. I dont know why anyone would want to buy mine instead of just ordering a refurb that would have a guarantee. I personally think its crazy. 

But it worked out for me. . .


----------



## phaedarus (Jul 6, 2009)

Just for laughs, here's joker #2:

--------------------------------------------------

Apple Mac Pro - Hurry it will go fast!!

have an Apple Mac Pro Quad Core 2.66Mhz for sale. A 22inch Dell Ultrasharp LCD (WS) monitor is included. It is used, but is in pristine, like new condition. We have the original box and packaging for the Mac Pro.

SPECS:
2.66QX/2X512/7300GT/250/SD-USA
Intel Dual Processors (2) 2.66 Quad Cores
(2) 512mb Sticks
Nvidia 7300GT Video Card
1 x 250GB Hard Drive / 1x 160GB Hard Drive
SuperDrive (DVD/CD Burner Combo)
MAC OSX 10.6 (Snow Leopard, all manuals, and restore CD's/OS DVDs
Mac Keyboard and Mouse Included

Monitor:
Dell UltraSharp 22inch Widescreen LCD

Extras:
Myst Mac Edition Game

Additional Information:
This is an Intel Mac and you can install Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 on it. It's perfect for a Graphic Artist, or a screaming fast gaming machine.

---------------------------------------------------

So out of curiosity, I contacted the owner and as it turns out, he really does think his quad core 2006-2007 is worth no less than $2,700.

ROFL!


----------



## The G3 Man (Oct 7, 2008)

G4 Laptop 17" 1.67 GHz w/ Superdrive and Extras!

G4's are not worth 900 DOLLARS O_O


----------



## Eric0 (Nov 22, 2007)

From my experience, you HAVE to over price on Kijiji and Craiglist by at least 20%. If you list a fair price for something, every offer that comes in will disappoint you.


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

just curious, how much does the OP expect a used mac pro to sell for?

(i fully agree the last ad you posted was out of hand)


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

i-rui said:


> just curious, how much does the OP expect a used mac pro to sell for?


Apple MacPro 2.26Ghz 8-Core Nehalem Mac Pro


----------



## i-rui (Sep 13, 2006)

^^lol

alll you have to do is send a chunk of money to europe and it could be yours!!


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

i-rui said:


> ^^lol
> 
> alll you have to do is send a chunk of money to europe and it could be yours!!


Don't you just love it? I always like the little details like being honest about scratches.


----------



## keebler27 (Jan 5, 2007)

Eric0 said:


> From my experience, you HAVE to over price on Kijiji and Craiglist by at least 20%. If you list a fair price for something, every offer that comes in will disappoint you.


i completely agree with this b/c people believe that kijiji and craigslist etc.. are all just virtual yard sales and will low ball you. It's actually pathetic.

I had our pilates reformer for sale - top of the line model too - just wanted to get rid of it so offered 50% of the original cost - this thing is in perfect condition...absolutely perfect. one guy inquired, said he does pilates, wants a reformer. asked my firm price told me..then he asked me the question i knew was coming - how long have you had it for sale? told him 2 weeks.

he waited a week and came back saying he felt the price as too much. i reamed him that he was oblivious to what a reformer is, what it can do and their value. now, i didn't end up selling it, but i've been using it so it's happy ending for me.

my point is that some people will try to rape you so you need to put higher than what you really want for it.

my rant is over 

and i think macs are valued high enough b/c the darn things JUST WORK. i will always, always liken this to foreign cars - they are priced more, they are valued more - why? b/c they will last for a few hundred thousand klicks without major repairs. 

but that last ad the OP posted was out of control...


----------



## jeepguy (Apr 4, 2008)

Macfury said:


> I'm not angry at anyone asking what the market will bear. It's just frustrating to watch people offer used products at new prices when you're looking for a slight discount.


what kills me is I still see g4 mac mini's going for $500,  I was in the market for a used intel mini a while a go and just gave up, it was cheaper to just buy a new one.


----------



## Eric0 (Nov 22, 2007)

jeepguy said:


> what kills me is I still see g4 mac mini's going for $500,  I was in the market for a used intel mini a while a go and just gave up, it was cheaper to just buy a new one.


The minis are the exception to the rule. They seem to go up in value. I sold a first generation one 2 years ago and had a bidding war. Price started at $200 but I got over 125 emails the first day. Ended up selling it for $270. Still can't believe a 4 year old computer would sell for 50% of its original price.


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

For a long time there were few minis on the market, but that's changing. Still $200 seems to be the bottom end for a G4 mini.


----------



## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Think part of it is that PCs often lose 95% of their purchase price with in three years, computer equivalent of buying Chev. 

Many Mac users are getting 6-8 years out of their Macs. Sort of the computer equivalent of buying a Honda or Toyota, the price of buying used reflects the expected longer useful lifespan.


----------



## Trevor... (Feb 21, 2003)

Yeah, except you can sell that old Honda - I SEE lots of people trying to sell old macs for ridiculous sums but I never actually see anyone successfully sell them. They usually just wind up keeping them.

After my Muttbook (a confused hybrid of iBook G3 and G4 parts) was done for I went looking for a 12" Powerbook G4 as a replacement, this was 2008 and people were looking for upwards of $1200 for an original 867mhz!

I fell ass backwards into a Macbook instead, but nobody is actually buying these.


----------



## jenb (Jun 11, 2009)

Used mac prices are really distorted, both kijiji and ebay. I find it funny when people load up ****ty software like Limewire and expect you to pay for that privlege. I've seen some insane prices: $1500 for Powerbooks, first gen Macbooks going for the same price as current ones. Just bizarro stuff....and when you offer a reasonable price, they act like you're smoking crack.


----------



## Macfury (Feb 3, 2006)

jenb said:


> Used mac prices are really distorted, both kijiji and ebay. I find it funny when people load up ****ty software like Limewire and expect you to pay for that privlege. I've seen some insane prices: $1500 for Powerbooks, first gen Macbooks going for the same price as current ones. Just bizarro stuff....and when you offer a reasonable price, they act like you're smoking crack.


Most of these people have one "pearl of great price" and they'll be damned if they let it go for less than a fortune. They don't need to sell and would rather see it rot than sell it for less than the price they paid for it. 

I love the "added value" software like Safari and LimeWire though. I once bought a computer and the price was passable. Just before i went to pick it up, the jerk who sold it to me listed all of the software that he had loaded on it--and told me that unless I brought him another 50 bucks he was going to erase it. No love for him,


----------



## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

Complaining about Prices:

A price is just a price. It doesn't have anything to do with value; value is a separate item altogether. If used Macs don't have that value to you, I hope I don't have to tell you not to buy one.

If you want the best bargain you have to be willing to not make the deal at all. if you're not willing to walk on a deal, you'll never get the bargain you seek (and may not even get as far as a fair price).

Complaining about high prices for used anything tells me you are not willing to walk on a deal, that you've got an emotional attachment to the item, and that tells me I can get more money from you, because you'll bite at a price higher than you want to pay.

Don't fall in love; it's just a machine. They're not rare (look down the street; see 20 houses? There's a Mac in one of 'em). Urgency is your enemy; patience is your friend.

Cheaper Used Macs in the US:

Americans buy 3x as many Macs as Canadians do, and US businesses buy WAY more Macs than Canadian businesses do ... if I were visiting clients in US cities, I couldn't go a day without finding at least one run entirely on Macs (and I'm excluding graphics, web design, etc ... I'm talking the doctor's office; the lawyer; the manufacturing plant).

In Canada, I can go years without finding a Mac-run office. There are way more used Macs for sale in the US, and way more corporate sellers of Macs versus only individuals. Corporate sellers don't try to eke out every dime from the seller; it screws with the tax return to sell something for more than it's depreciated value on the books.

Demand, meet supply.


----------



## DDKD726 (Feb 21, 2005)

cowboyhat said:


> I bought a ridiculously cheap iMac from CL. ...it was stolen from a local school though. And now im too afraid to open it!
> 
> 
> But to respond, i think people pay so much for macs, they want to get as much back for it (which is logical) but whats more apparent here is that this is macs fault...for making such a reusable and unsellable product


I'll ignore the first part of your post, but I need you to explain how a reusable product = an unsellable product???


----------



## lastman2009 (Jun 24, 2009)

You always have the option to ignore those who demand a ridiculous price. If they refuse to remove their head from their nether region, they can keep the mac and use it for a doorstop and let it gather dust.
You may have noticed that there actually is a market for old macs as "collectables", would you expect to see old PCs in the same light? Seems unlikely, they can't dispose of old PCs as fast as they come in to the recycle depot. 

Like gordguide typed, "patience is your friend". Good things come to those who wait.


----------

