Post by Steven W on Aug 9, 2019 6:17:57 GMT
Morning all! I have been buying and selling second hand Apple stuff for almost 30 years. I'm not a dealer, I just have a penchant for buying stuff when I see it cheap. I thought I'd post in BM as I have a few tips for you in case you are looking around.
Want a bargain? Facebook marketplace is great, I've had tons of stuff off there, most recently a G4 iMac (an extremely dusty one!) that needed disassembling, blowing out with compressed air, I upgraded to max RAM 2GB, used Open Firmware to force Leopard on it and installed an airport express card. I completely disassembled the keyboard, fully cleaned & retrobrited it. The shopping bill?
Computer with mouse, keyboard & speakers: £20!
RAM: £5 & £6
Airport Express: (Unbelivably still brand new, sealed in a box!): £14 delivered
Salon bleaching cream: £3
Total spend: £48
Resaleable value: Debateable, anywhere from £20 to £150! (Use advanced find on eBay for sold listings of iMac G4)
What's the point? I literally hate leaving old Mac stuff on FaceBook, I never know when I might need it!
Other buys:
Apple watch 4 44mm with face protectors & rugged strap/case, current model, retails on Apple Store for £580 (with case). 3 months old. Purchase price: £350.00
Apple pro keyboard & mouse (the one that came with the G4 graphite): £5
Apple Pro keyboard only (as above): £1!!
iPhone 7 128GB, up for £200, purchase price £180 (this still goes for up to £250!
Apple cinema display (old, old type adapter, price: Free!)
Other stuff I'm looking for: 1.25ghz dual CPU MDD G4, the fastest G4 to still boot OS 9. These come up for peanuts.
Why am I typing this?
There are tons of bargains to be had, but there are also some pitfalls. As much as I love Apple stuff, there are times when I baulk at the price and I literally cannot justify the expense. For example. I want to upgrade to an iPhone XR, this seems to be the best buy out of the current range, but £750? When you have Android phones that outperform it for half the price? Now on FB for about £450. I'm waiting until the new line up is announced next month, hang on for the Christmas rush, then in January when everyone is skint I'll buy an XR outright for about £300 second hand!
The problem now on FB is the amount of fakes. You can buy iPhones, airpods etc from Chinese sites like Aliexpress (even the iPhone 11!), cheap clones for peanuts. When they arrive, sealed in the box, you would never know they are not the real thing. The airpods are everywhere on FB marketplace, they are now not worth the risk buying second hand. Besides, the number 1 fault with them is wax build up making them quiet & who wants someone elses ear wax in their ears?!
Tips to avoid fakes:
Always ask the seller for the serial number & go to the Apple warranty checker
Ask to see a photo of original receipt or ask when they bought it, see if the dates tie up
Always look at the sellers FB profile. I chat to people extensively to suss them out. Do not buy from people with brand new profiles! I tend to only buy from people with 5 plus years on there.
Other FB tips include slightly stalkerish stuff such as looking at their photos to get a measure of who they are (if they allow it, you would be surprised what people allow others to see!) Buy local, buy from people you may have mutual "friends" with.
This is kinda awkward, but if buying something expensive, explain to them you want to do a full test of the kit before you buy and it will take up to an hour so ask them to set it up before you get there (use Apple Hardware test disks on old kit)
For iPods, iPhones, check the amount of battery cycles & capacity in the settings. A phone may look mint but have a crap battery.
And, if you buy a lemon, don't be an arse & sell the lemon on unless you are honest with the buyer! Building up a rapport on marketplace is important!
I hope this helps you all keep the vintage Apple buying scene alive. I can't leave old Macs lying around in lofts & basements, they all need some love!
Love the podcast, always listen, cheers all!
Steven.
Want a bargain? Facebook marketplace is great, I've had tons of stuff off there, most recently a G4 iMac (an extremely dusty one!) that needed disassembling, blowing out with compressed air, I upgraded to max RAM 2GB, used Open Firmware to force Leopard on it and installed an airport express card. I completely disassembled the keyboard, fully cleaned & retrobrited it. The shopping bill?
Computer with mouse, keyboard & speakers: £20!
RAM: £5 & £6
Airport Express: (Unbelivably still brand new, sealed in a box!): £14 delivered
Salon bleaching cream: £3
Total spend: £48
Resaleable value: Debateable, anywhere from £20 to £150! (Use advanced find on eBay for sold listings of iMac G4)
What's the point? I literally hate leaving old Mac stuff on FaceBook, I never know when I might need it!
Other buys:
Apple watch 4 44mm with face protectors & rugged strap/case, current model, retails on Apple Store for £580 (with case). 3 months old. Purchase price: £350.00
Apple pro keyboard & mouse (the one that came with the G4 graphite): £5
Apple Pro keyboard only (as above): £1!!
iPhone 7 128GB, up for £200, purchase price £180 (this still goes for up to £250!
Apple cinema display (old, old type adapter, price: Free!)
Other stuff I'm looking for: 1.25ghz dual CPU MDD G4, the fastest G4 to still boot OS 9. These come up for peanuts.
Why am I typing this?
There are tons of bargains to be had, but there are also some pitfalls. As much as I love Apple stuff, there are times when I baulk at the price and I literally cannot justify the expense. For example. I want to upgrade to an iPhone XR, this seems to be the best buy out of the current range, but £750? When you have Android phones that outperform it for half the price? Now on FB for about £450. I'm waiting until the new line up is announced next month, hang on for the Christmas rush, then in January when everyone is skint I'll buy an XR outright for about £300 second hand!
The problem now on FB is the amount of fakes. You can buy iPhones, airpods etc from Chinese sites like Aliexpress (even the iPhone 11!), cheap clones for peanuts. When they arrive, sealed in the box, you would never know they are not the real thing. The airpods are everywhere on FB marketplace, they are now not worth the risk buying second hand. Besides, the number 1 fault with them is wax build up making them quiet & who wants someone elses ear wax in their ears?!
Tips to avoid fakes:
Always ask the seller for the serial number & go to the Apple warranty checker
Ask to see a photo of original receipt or ask when they bought it, see if the dates tie up
Always look at the sellers FB profile. I chat to people extensively to suss them out. Do not buy from people with brand new profiles! I tend to only buy from people with 5 plus years on there.
Other FB tips include slightly stalkerish stuff such as looking at their photos to get a measure of who they are (if they allow it, you would be surprised what people allow others to see!) Buy local, buy from people you may have mutual "friends" with.
This is kinda awkward, but if buying something expensive, explain to them you want to do a full test of the kit before you buy and it will take up to an hour so ask them to set it up before you get there (use Apple Hardware test disks on old kit)
For iPods, iPhones, check the amount of battery cycles & capacity in the settings. A phone may look mint but have a crap battery.
And, if you buy a lemon, don't be an arse & sell the lemon on unless you are honest with the buyer! Building up a rapport on marketplace is important!
I hope this helps you all keep the vintage Apple buying scene alive. I can't leave old Macs lying around in lofts & basements, they all need some love!
Love the podcast, always listen, cheers all!
Steven.