Great Apple laptops are not inexpensive, though. Even if you are content to pay the base price for a new iMac or MacBook Pro, you may be uncomfortably aware that you could purchase a model that is far more powerful for just a few hundred pounds or dollars extra. But can you defend the additional expenditure?
Fortunately, you don’t have to because Apple’s Refurbished and Clearance store frequently has discounted prices on models from past generations of Macs, and occasionally even the most recent model.
Nonetheless, refurbished Macs are available from other companies besides Apple. There are other locations where you can purchase secondhand Macs that have undergone refurbishment, but not all of them are as nice as the one’s Apple offers, so you should be wary of the risks. Thankfully, we’ll go over the mistakes to avoid in this post, so you can be sure you’ll acquire the greatest reconditioned Mac or MacBook for your needs.
Furthermore, we’ll describe the Apple Refurbished Store, the cost of a refurbished Mac or MacBook, and additional options for finding a cheap Mac. A few of the top refurbished Mac offers currently on the market are also highlighted.
Do You Want to Purchase a Used Mac?
Why You Should Get a Refurbished Mac is an article specifically devoted to this topic. The Apple Refurbished Store is a great option to purchase a Mac for a variety of reasons, to put it simply.
On Apple’s website, you can purchase reconditioned Macs and MacBooks as well as other Apple goods including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, HomePod, and Apple TV in the Refurbished Shop area.
It’s possible that the refurbished Macs be either current models or ones from a previous year.
A reconditioned Mac could be an ex-demonstration model that was used in Apple educational programs or it could be a device that was sold to a customer who elected to return it in accordance with the usual sale-and-returns process. (Apple permits any consumer to return a Mac purchased from the Apple Store for a refund within 14 days; for further information, see Apple’s Standard Returns Policy in the US and Standard Returns Policy in the UK.)
It’s also possible that a consumer returned the Mac because it had a problem, but Apple would have fixed the problem before the Mac could be sold again. In truth, Apple claims that: “Every Apple Certified Refurbished product completes a rigorous refurbishment process that includes extensive testing and satisfies the same functional criteria as new Apple goods. ‘Like new’ describes your refurbished device exactly.
In addition, each Mac:
- being examined and cleaned completely
- Consists of up to 90 days of free technical support as well as Apple’s regular one-year limited warranty.
- all necessary cables, add-ons, and operating systems are included.
- is shipped with free shipping and returns and comes wrapped in a brand-new white box
- Financing options are available for purchases.
- And it can be sent the following day
- The crucial thing to remember is that Macs purchased from the Apple Refurbished Store are not appreciably different from those purchased brand-new from the Apple Store. Every Mac purchased from the Apple Refurbished Store has undergone thorough cleaning, inspection, and testing, making them virtually indistinguishable from newer devices.
Reasons Not to Buy Used Macs
As you can see, there are several reasons to purchase a reconditioned Mac from Apple. Do any drawbacks exist?
One drawback is that if you choose to purchase an older Mac, it’s likely that you won’t be purchasing a machine equipped with a chip from the M1-series or M2-series.
Because the Intel-powered Mac will not be as future-proof as an M1 or M2-powered Mac, this could become an issue in the long run. To buy an Intel Mac, should I?
Buying from Apple’s Refurbished Store has another drawback in that you could not always find the model you want there. When Apple has more of one item than another, you might need to shop at other stores because the stock depends on how many returns or trade-ins are done.
Another drawback of purchasing from the Apple Refurbished Store is that the discounts you receive are occasionally not as good as those you would receive if you purchased the identical model from another retailer. Yet, it can be hazardous to purchase from a retailer other than Apple.
For instance, you may purchase reconditioned Macs on Amazon US and Amazon UK. But, these Macs typically have a very low purchase quality and are not ones we would advise.
We will go over a few more places that sell refurbished Macs and MacBooks below, but before making a purchase from any of them, we strongly advise that you carry out the same due diligence that Apple does. Otherwise, you won’t be much better off than if you had purchased a used Mac, which is something we don’t advise.
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Where to Buy Refurbished Macs
Reselling used, refurbished Macs is not exclusive to Apple. Moreover, the following vendors may sell you a refurbished or reconditioned Mac:
Inside the US:
- Apple
- Amazon
- Back Market
- Best Buy
- Decluttr
- Gainsaver
- OWC
- Mac Of All Trades
- Refurb. me
In the UK:
- Apple
- Amazon’s Certified Refurbished Store
- BackMarket
- Hoxton Macs
- Laptops Direct
- MacFinder
- Mac 4 Sale
- Music Magpie