is it safe to buy a refurbished Imac?

14 years ago

Hi Han,

I don't know much about iMac's but I did work for a large computer company many moons ago. They used to sell their refurbished pc's.

In my experience a refurbished pc could have been a pc that was returned because the customer wasn't happy with it for some reason.

The pc is fine, it's practically new but they can't sell it as new.

Other times it may have been returned because of a faulty part - memory chip, power supply or whatever. The part is replaced and it's practically brand new but has to be sold as a refurbished pc.

If I was buying a imac and there was a big enough difference in the price between a new one and a refurbished machine, then I would take it.

Hope that helps,

Dave

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Han Fan

14 years ago

Thanks guys

but I really wanna hear from a Mac user..

Han
p.s. I been working with PC too long...

Originally Posted by DavidMeade

Hi Han,

I don't know much about iMac's but I did work for a large computer company many moons ago. They used to sell their refurbished pc's.

In my experience a refurbished pc could have been a pc that was returned because the customer wasn't happy with it for some reason.

The pc is fine, it's practically new but they can't sell it as new.

Other times it may have been returned because of a faulty part - memory chip, power supply or whatever. The part is replaced and it's practically brand new but has to be sold as a refurbished pc.

If I was buying a imac and there was a big enough difference in the price between a new one and a refurbished machine, then I would take it.

Hope that helps,

Dave

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garyk1968

14 years ago

if its refurb from apple no issue whatsoever. You just get it in a plain white box as opposed to a fancy one!

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Han Fan

14 years ago

Please don't make this into a Mac Vs PC battle...

I am looking for advice to get the right iMac...for my needs

Thanks

Han

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Doug Taylor

14 years ago

Han, I was looking for a MacBook Pro over the summer and went to the Apple store and asked the same questions you are asking. They replied that a refurbished Mac would be one that has been returned or a model that has been updated etc. They said the warranty was the same as buying a new computer so I felt like the risk was low.

This was what I was going to do as the savings was quite a bit but my son offered me a deal on his 6 month old macbook pro I just could not pass up.

I would go to an Apple store if you have one close enough or contact Apple and ask.

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Han Fan

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Doug Taylor

Han, I was looking for a MacBook Pro over the summer and went to the Apple store and asked the same questions you are asking. They replied that a refurbished Mac would be one that has been returned or a model that has been updated etc. They said the warranty was the same as buying a new computer so I felt like the risk was low.

This was what I was going to do as the savings was quite a bit but my son offered me a deal on his 6 month old macbook pro I just could not pass up.

I would go to an Apple store if you have one close enough or contact Apple and ask.

I actually went to the new apple store today..
people there are super friendly...

the manager end up talking to me for at least an hour...

Han

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BrianMcLeod

14 years ago

Refurbs from Apple are a good way to save money and they come with the same warranty as new.

I've bought many new Macs and a few refurbs over the years. I've never had a problem with any of the refurbs while I have had a brand new machine burn up the power supply.

Apple replaced it instantly at the Apple Store - all good.

I've also bought USED Macs over the years without a single issue or regret. In fact, if you're brave about such things you can often snag a nicely tricked out machine with extra RAM, HD, etc and save a bundle that way.

As always, it comes down to the machine and the seller being honest, but I'm a careful buyer.

The quality of the build and standardization (read closed architecture) of Apple's hardware really tends to work in your favor here.

All things being equal, I'd say go for it.

Brian

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Dexx

14 years ago

I just got my first Mac ever this past July, and it was a refurbished 27" i7...saved about $400 on the deal...works and looks perfect!

No dead pixels, nothing...as opposed to buying a "new" computer that ends up having all those things...

A refurbished product HAS been looked over with a magnifying glass as opposed to the thousands that just get randomly checked thoroughly...

Is it a 100% guarantee everything will be perfect...not with electronics...but its damn up there!

Food for thought =)

~Dexx

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entrepenerd

14 years ago

Like was said above -- if you're buying refurbed straight from Apple, have no fear. I bought a refurbished Powerbook about 5 years ago from Apple and it's still going strong.

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Han Fan

14 years ago

What if I brought from Macmall, tiger direct, any
other resellers?

Will this still be covered?

the Apple store person wasn't sure

Han

Originally Posted by entrepenerd

Like was said above -- if you're buying refurbed straight from Apple, have no fear. I bought a refurbished Powerbook about 5 years ago from Apple and it's still going strong.

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Han Fan

14 years ago

So, should I still get the Apple care plan?

for 3 years?

or that's waste of money?

Han

Originally Posted by Dexx

I just got my first Mac ever this past July, and it was a refurbished 27" i7...saved about $400 on the deal...works and looks perfect!

No dead pixels, nothing...as opposed to buying a "new" computer that ends up having all those things...

A refurbished product HAS been looked over with a magnifying glass as opposed to the thousands that just get randomly checked thoroughly...

Is it a 100% guarantee everything will be perfect...not with electronics...but its damn up there!

Food for thought =)

~Dexx

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jasondinner 14 years ago

I'll answer this with a resounding YES!!!!

It's SOOOOOO worth it.

Especially now with my 15" MBP... I'm having major issues with it
and still have 260 days left of Apple Care.

They will practically refurbish this sucka.

I just got a 17" MBP and got apple care again.

For me, Apple Care is mandatory. It just makes good sense. They will
fix anything and everything for FREE without asking questions for 3 years!!

Do it.

DO IT!!

- Jason

Originally Posted by Han Fan

So, should I still get the Apple care plan?

for 3 years?

or that's waste of money?

Han
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Valerio

14 years ago

Refurbished Mac are great deal! I've setup an entire graphic/web design studio with them, and saved a lot of money.
Had an issue with a 27" iMac (some dust between the glass and the monitor, you can't remove it): called Apple - they assigned me a tracking number - UPS called me the day after and they came to pick up the iMac - after 3 days I had my money back on my credit card.

If you have any issue with Apple, be sure that you'll be respected as a customer.

All the Macs I got where perfectly boxed and new.

I strongly suggest you to get one, especially 1 or two month after they update the line.

Regards,
Valerio

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Han Fan

14 years ago

Sweet, I can't wait to jump into the Mac world...

What type of computing power do I need

I am want the 27 inch screen version..

store manager said, the quad core, instead the dual core...

if I am going to do about of a lot of video editing..creating...

I don't want to broke my bank yet, I don't want to be waiting on video rending (like my stupid PC, can't do anything else)...

I want able to do other tasks while it's creating a 30 or 60 minutes video...

What is your suggestions?

also,

What software does it come with?

What software do I need as IM?

iwork?
screenflow?
vmware?
what's for graphics?

Is apple site the best way to get refurbished?

any help would be great..

Han

Originally Posted by Valerio

Refurbished Mac are great deal! I've setup an entire graphic/web design studio with them, and saved a lot of money.
Had an issue with a 27" iMac (some dust between the glass and the monitor, you can't remove it): called Apple - they assigned me a tracking number - UPS called me the day after and they came to pick up the iMac - after 3 days I had my money back on my credit card.

If you have any issue with Apple, be sure that you'll be respected as a customer.

All the Macs I got where perfectly boxed and new.

I strongly suggest you to get one, especially 1 or two month after they update the line.

Regards,
Valerio

Thanks

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goldmedal

14 years ago

I've sold mac's and pc's for years in my day job, and while I can say refurbished items are fine MOST of the time, you do run into problems now and then. The best advice I can give is do not buy a refurbished monitor of anykind. Imac, notebook, etc.....these items have screens built in. If there's a screen, avoid it. It's the most expensive thing to fix/replace.

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Han Fan

14 years ago

Originally Posted by goldmedal

I've sold mac's and pc's for years in my day job, and while I can say refurbished items are fine MOST of the time, you do run into problems now and then. The best advice I can give is do not buy a refurbished monitor of anykind. Imac, notebook, etc.....these items have screens built in. If there's a screen, avoid it. It's the most expensive thing to fix/replace.

If apple has the same warranty as a new machine ..that shouldn't be an issue..

Han

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Carl Hughes

14 years ago

No matter what machine you buy (I refurbish computers) there are no guarantees that everything will work perfect forever and ever Amen...with that said as has been mentioned above if you get one from mac with warranty and all you can rest assured that it has been thoroughly checked out...if you buy used from an individual let the buyer beware. it comes down to what is the savings worth to you?...one more note if you buy on eBay make sure you use PayPal so you have some protection that way...Good luck

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salegurus 14 years ago

Just got an iMac refurb 2 weeks ago, also got extended applecare just for piece of mind. As far as i know Mac products are pricy to fix if anything goes wrong. Must say i am very impressed, it takes some getting used to but it's worth it.

I still have my PC Laptop and iv'e installed Parallels on the iMac, running OSX and Win 7 makes a big difference, you can switch between the 2 OS seemlessly. I have some great IM tools that only run on Win so i need to use both.

Using on Mac:
Screenflow
Market Samurai
Pixelmator
MS Office Mac
Acrobat Mac

PC:
Scrapebox
Magic Submitter
MAR
Nitro
Dragon Naturally Speaking
Elements 8

Cheers
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mavericace

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Han Fan

Hi Mac Warriors,

I am thinking about getting a 27" inch Imac.. doing mainly IM work

video creation
power-point (keynote)
video podcast
graphic design

Should I get a brand new one?

or

Is it safe to get a refurbished one to save money?

What software does it come with?

What software do I need purchase?

What is the best place to get a Imac?

Many thanks in advance

Han
p.s. I am a PC user, no clue about difference between different iMac's.

I think, It is not safe to buy refurbished Imacs, some of the parts of that refurbished Imacs are recondition, and inferior.

Thanks

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Han Fan

14 years ago

Okay guys,

thank so much for your support..

I end up purchasing this one...

https://www.expercom.com/product_detail.html?p=710532

let me know If I made a good choose..

thanks

Han

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is it safe to buy a refurbished Imac?

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