Why does mac sell refurbished computers

Quality third party retailers, such as mac of all trades, carefully test and bring back equipment back to factory standards before sending and selling. It is much harder to know if a used Apple product has undergone extensive refurbishing when purchased from eBay, Amazon, or Craigslist. Moreover, the warranties are typically shorter. Another priority is verifying your potential seller is reputable. The best thing to do is a Google search and read the reviews. Third party providers, like mac of all trades, have thousands of satisfied customer reviews proving its long-term success in the industry.

Founded in , few refurbished retailers have been around for even five years, let alone over twenty years. Checking the return policy is a good safeguard as well. A consumer-friendly return policy allows returns free of consequence for any reason.

Mac of all trades offers a day, no hassle return policy in the rare event you want a refund. How did the previous owner treat their computer? Did they wipe the hard drive before they sold it? Conventional hard disk drives only last for so long. How much longer will you have before the hard drive fails due to wear and tear on the moving parts? Are the video and network cards still in good condition with lots of life in them? Many people think deleting all the files on a hard drive is enough to erase their sensitive data and prepare a used computer for the next user.

These files can use up memory and slow performance. A reliable seller of renewed MacBooks, like us here at RenewedMacs. Of course, wiping the hard drive also erases the operating system. We then test the install to ensure it is running properly. We also test all components for performance and optimization. Refurbished Macs might be cheaper than their new counterparts, but they still cost a decent amount of money.

Buying a refurbished computer without a warranty period puts you at risk of losing your investment. Apple has a stringent testing process for all its refurbished Macs. Both the hardware and the software will be put through their paces. Should a part fail the test, Apple will either replace or fix it, depending on the severity of the problem. Of course, you'd expect the exterior of a second-hand Mac to receive a buffing prior to receiving it. However, what's less known is that the refurb process also cleans the internals.

This removes dust from fans, drives, and CPUs, and cleans dirt away from ports. Additionally, the cleaner will scrape away any gunk that accumulated under the keyboard keys. Naturally, the machine also goes through sterilization to kills germs and other nasty bacteria. When a company prepares a refurbished Mac, it completely wipes the storage disk.

And we're not talking about merely deleting the user accounts—they format the entire drive and reinstall the operating system. Aside from the privacy issues, this is also important from a legal standpoint. You don't want to find yourself on the hook because a previous, unknown owner was doing something unlawful with his or her machine.

Make sure the refurbished Mac you want to buy has official Apple certification. There are too many unscrupulous online stores and individual sellers who will claim a product has been refurbished when in practice, they only did a quick fix-up job in their bedroom. Yet after a quick search on eBay for the same MacBook Pro model, I found that the prices didn't stray too far from the ones from Apple's Refurbished Mac store, and some were even more expensive.

At the same time, Apple's Refurbished Mac store isn't the best place for some older devices. For example, you won't find the iPhone 6S, released in For some devices, eBay or another third-party site is your only option. But for others, especially older Mac computers, I'd recommend checking out Apple's Refurbished Mac store before buying a used unit from a third party or a brand-new model from Apple's main site. There are also limited quantities of Apple's refurbished devices, so it's not a guarantee that you'll get the model you want.

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