A new MacBook Pro isn’t that cheap. One of the new Retina-equipped models will cost you at least $1,300, and that’s just for the entry-level model. However, you don’t need to buy a new one, as a used model can be much cheaper and still perform admirably depending on the tasks you plan to do.
Apple has slashed the price of the MacBook Air to just $899 for the entry-level model; This could be the company’s first step towards having cheaper entry-level MacBooks to buy. Until then, users needed to find creative ways to spend as little as possible on a new or used MacBook.
That said, there are a few methods you can try to get a MacBook Pro for a fraction of the price you’d pay for a brand new model.
Apple Refurbished Store
First place we’d recommend checking out a cheaper MacBook Pro Apple’s Refurbished StoreHere you can get used models directly from Apple for a few hundred dollars off.
Inventory is always changing, but right now you can get a 2012 Retina-equipped MacBook Pro for as low as $1,059 for a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of flash storage; that’s $440 less than yours. If it was brand new he would have paid for it.
Arguably, Apple offers some of the best refurbished products around. Many of the Apple products I’ve purchased over the years have been refurbished, including gifts for other people for Christmas or birthdays, and guess what? They will never know the difference between refurbished and brand new.
This is because when Apple receives a defective product, they repair what the problem is and then replace the battery with a brand new one and also replace the all aluminum shell with a brand new one. This means you will get a brand new product from Apple at a pretty good discount.
Granted, the hardware was somewhat flawed at one point, but Apple fixed it so you’re still left with a fully functional, good-as-new device for less than it would have cost if it were new in the box.
eBay
While you prefer to buy expensive items from reputable sources, you can’t beat deals on eBay where you can get points. However, you’ll need to be extra careful when browsing MacBook Pros on eBay because there are so many sellers out there looking to take a stroll.
Remember the guy who bought the Xbox One photo for $615? He thought he was buying a real Xbox One console, but was duped. Granted, he read the description but assumed what he was bidding on was an actual Xbox One console. To avoid riddles like this, make sure you read the description thoroughly and it’s the right item you want to bid on.
eBay sellers like to trick buyers by putting good pressure in the description or simply saying “Xbox One box” in hopes that naive bidders will overlook the fact that this is just the box for sale. We’ve also seen sellers list fake iPhones, and while they usually make it clear that this isn’t a real iPhone, it’s important to read the description rather than relying on photos alone. Not all eBay sellers are bad. In fact, you seldom encounter a rogue, but they are out there, so be careful.
Craigslist
Craigslist is perhaps one of the sketchiest places to buy consumer electronics, but when used with care, you can find a lot on a used MacBook Pro.
We’ve discussed many times how Craigslist is a hotbed for scams, but there are also a lot of good guys who really want to sell you their old MacBook Pros they no longer need, and since Craiglist is often full of vendors they’re usually willing to give you a lot if they just want to get rid of their old hardware.
Social media
If you’re not confident in finding a legit MacBook Pro on eBay or Craigslist, perhaps the next best solution is to ask your friends and search through various social networking services.
Simply sharing how you are in a used MacBook Pro market will automatically turn all your friends into people trying to help you find a good deal. Especially if none of your friends have a MacBook Pro to sell to you, but they may know another friend who is selling it. From there you can connect and buy your new computer.
I’ve found that usually only your closest friends help with this, so don’t expect every single one of your Facebook friends to keep their eyes peeled for a MacBook Pro deal for you, but at least the word is out.
