To buy or not to buy? Used 2011 Macbook Pro 15

So this local seller I know is having financial issues and has to liquidate a lot of his apple products.
He has the following Macbook Pro 15:

i7 2.2 (2720)
4gb ddr3 1333
128gb ssd
1gb gddr5 ati 6750
hd 1680x1050 matte screen

9 months apple care

He is asking $1300 for it, I have never been too keen or into Apple products but it sounded like a good deal and figured it was worth giving a shot since I am a CS major and a good deal of people in my department are using MBPs.

What do you guys think?

 

Seems like a good price if everything checks out.

 

I took a look at it today and it was in flawless condition, any other opinions?

 

Amazing price. Upgraded screen and SSD is just gravy.

Even if you don't need it, it'll fetch 1800-2000 on eBay easy.

Heck, a base model 2011 15 is worth 1300 used.

 

I find it a bit shady that the seller is offering that setup for such a low price. Base price of a new one is 1800, and a the ssd drive brings the price to 2100. Check the devices that osx reports to see if they line up with what the seller is selling.

 

The price doesn't even make sense. if it's legit, i would take it.

I doubt it's legit unless you know for a fact the seller is stupid. He bought it 3 months ago for probably 2400 after tax. Now he is trying to sell it desperately for 1300? He could just put it on ebay and sell it for $2000 in 24 hours.

 

What are some common things the OP should check out? Just trying to incite more input.

I mean, if you were physically there checking out the MBP I'd say it is safe. You could check the hardware, the screen, the battery, etc. I don't know any scams...

 

Hey guys, I went back and looked at the hardware and everything checked out. The video card, ssd, and everything else as promised was there so I took the plunge and picked it up!

pretty happy with the purchase since you guys said it was a steal!

 

Just a "steal"? IMHO, the price for that config is probably the deal of the century! Anyway, congrats on your purchase.

 

Just wondering if it came with box and accessories. You got a great deal if its legit.

 

Great deal. Was going to suggest to check the serial on apples site to check the AppleCare. You can still do that to see how old the Mbp is and if it's still good for warranty which I suspect it is. Damn good deal congrats!

 

Dude! The low end 2011 version is $1500 on Apple's Refurb site!!! You got the high end version + high res screen + SSD. Yeah, deal of the century! One lucky guy.

 

So even better news, I thought I made a mistake by not checking the serial for apple care (figured it would be at least 6 month left for an early 2011 model) but I just typed it in on the apple site and it has apple care until June 8, 2014!

 

This'll go for twice the price on ebay easily. I feel pretty bad for the guy.

Actually wait, June 8th? That means purchase was within 30 days. Any reason he didn't just RETURN the laptop?

Sounds fishy.

Hide yo wife, hide yo kids.

 

I think it wasn't returnable as he trashed the case, he gave me all installation cd's and the black envelope with the micro fiber cloth and manuals.

 

Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.

 

well hopefully no one shows up looking for it later if it was stolen and just had to be moved quick... if its all legit, you got a great deal.

 

The sale seems a bit suspect to me. They bought the laptop on the 8th and ran into financial troubles less than a month later? My guess is that they probably bought it with a stolen credit card and looking for some quick cash hence the low sale price.

 

I agree. This *screams* stolen property.

 

I also agree this sounds like a scam, why?

It's a local seller (should have accurate information if it was a legit purchase), the machine has a 9 month warranty and it was supposedly purchased within 30 days. And the potential buyer finds out the warranty ends in 2014. Caveat emptor !!!

 

Not going to lie, I'm a bit jealous.
You definitely got the deal of the century.

 

I agree, I was definitely a skeptic when I first picked up the laptop. He explained to me that he was filing bankruptcy and his lawyer told him to liquidate his assets to cover some of his debt which seemed like a legitimate enough story. Also the fact that he had no longer had any transportation made me kind of feel for the guy.

However due to the fact he had no transportation, I had to meet him at his apartment complex (always a no-no for local deals as I didn't want to get mugged, but the place seemed like a nice neighborhood and in broad daylight I felt a bit more secure).

The only conclusion I could draw was that this guy was probably going through a midlife crisis (judging from the two dozen diet coke cans on his coffee table while watching "Wipeout") and spent a bit more than he could afford. I think this laptop might have been his wife's since I spoke to a woman through a couple of emails and then ultimately him. It seems fishy but I don't see an unlegitimate seller giving out his home address either, maybe I am too trusting but I thought he was pretty honest.

@Steven, Guildwards FTW! My FoW Ranger w/ chaos gloves would get along with your assasin

 

^does he have another mbp?

 

Nope but he did have an ipad and apple tv

 

Give 'em $50 for the iPad. 9 months warranty I'm assuming?

 

If you're going to offer a price, offer a fair one. Lowballing a guy who is filing for bankruptcy is pretty conniving.

 

If you bothered to read the first post, I stated this was his asking price and that I was not even into Apple products but at that kind of price even though I am student and jobless went out on a limb to make the deal happen. If wanted to ask more then so be it and I wouldn't bother as I am not keen impulse buys. I did not lowball him, he even felt like I was doing him a favor getting cold hard cash to him in a days notice. So before you start throwing words out, read and understand the situation. Thanks.

 

I think you're misunderstanding me. I'm referring to the poster above me who I've quoted above.

 

Consideriing I sold mine for $1550 two months ago, I say it's a great deal. Forum member here was even willing to offer more for it (US$1800) if I was a little more patient (was hesitant to ship all over to the States and lost the deal). Speaking of which, where is the facepalm pic when I need it? Can't imagine it not being a quick seller even if was $1500.

 

I hate to threadjack but I am attempting to sell my wife's mid-2010 MacBook Pro 17" (i7 2.66GHz, 500GB HD) that is in pretty decent condition. I have NO idea how much I should be asking for it on eBay. We want to sell it quickly but I don't want to get bent-over either. What is a good, fair price for it? All boxes, all cables, CDs, etc will come with it.

I appreciate any input!

 

That question belongs here.

 

You'll need to provide us with more details in order for an accurate estimate.

Does it have the Hi Res Screen (1680 x 1050)? Which Nvidia GT330m video card does it have (256MB or 512MB)?

 

It has the 1920x1200 screen and the 512MB version of the GT330 gpu.

 

How much Apple Care/warranty is remaining?

 

I honestly have no idea. It was purchased almost exactly one year ago from today.

 

I apologize for the misunderstanding then, and I retract my previous statement. I didn't even notice the post above that

 

I'd look through ebay at completed auctions for your model, and list it around what they've sold for with a "best offer" option. Then someone will either buy it at the price they've sold for up front, or you can review offers as they come in until you get one you're satisfied with.

I'd go craigslist over ebay any day of the week, but since you asked specifically about ebay, thats what I would do.

 

Apple users are so "srs" sometimes. Was the "9 months" part not a dead giveaway to a lightearted post? Live, laugh, love. You're forgetting at least one of the qualities.

A 2.66 with an upgraded screen should go for 1400-1500 on ebay. Assuming you didn't upgrade anything else. This depends on your eBay feedback though; if your feedback is triple digits, with a long history of selling, you'll get more potential buyers and generally a higher selling price, generally ~5% (maybe $50-$100 in this case) higher than someone with 10-50 feedback. If you've got applecare, then you might get another $100 on top of that.

Here's a couple 15" that I was tracking in the past month out of curiosity (expect a $50-$100 premium with a 17" over these):

Apple MacBook Pro (MC373LL/A) (15.4", 2.66GHz, 500GB... - eBay (item 110701828395 end time Jun-21-11 20:49:52 PDT)

Apple Macbook Pro 15in i7 2.66ghz dual core - eBay (item 190546440019 end time Jun-21-11 11:38:47 PDT)

Apple® MacBook® Pro 15-inch Glossy Intel® Core? i7 2.66 - eBay (item 260801697806 end time Jun-21-11 17:47:40 PDT)

Macbook Pro 15" i7 2.66ghz 6GB ram 7200 RPM Anti-Glare - eBay (item 140565816919 end time Jun-20-11 15:49:15 PDT)

Or if you get really lucky... like this guy:

Apple Macbook Pro 2.66Ghz 4GB Ram 15 inch 320GB HD - eBay (item 270767696454 end time Jun-23-11 21:32:15 PDT)