Evan Kleiman
- 2002.10.31
It seems like now the common "don't get ripped off on eBay" articles are
a dime a dozen on the various Internet magazines, even including
this one. All of these articles give you tips on how to protect
your money on eBay, namely your PayPal account, which seems to be
ripping people off with a creative new way each and every day
now.
But none of this articles specifically address the issue of
buying a computer on eBay. Computers are probably the most easily
wrecked item in shipping, and most of the times the people selling
them don't even know about the product their peddling. I've heard
dozens of computer buying horror stories, so let's try to prevent
some of them in the future.
Never Buy from a Know-Nothing
The number one problem I've noticed on eBay's computer bidding
pages is a lack of information on the seller's part. I've seen
pages with phrases such as "My friend gave me this aqua and clear
Apple for me to sell, it boots, I think." This should be a red
light for anyone buying a computer.
If you've read any other Mac Daniel
column, you know of the many problems that can occur with a Mac -
or any computer, for that matter - and the guy selling this "aqua
and clear" computer probably doesn't even know how to tell if his
computer has one of these problems.
Also, if you've read any Mac Daniel columns, you know how hard
it can be to fix a computer problem that you've created, let alone
one that someone else has created. So beware of the advertisement
page for a computer that looks like its current owner has no clue
what's going on.
On a good page, the seller should clearly state the processor
speed, memory, hard drive capacity, operating system, and any other
pertinent information about the computer. Another good thing to
look for is information on how the computer was used. While most
computers are just from home use, you could be buying an extra
computer from a school or business after upgrading. While there's
nothing wrong with buying from them, because their support was
probably better than most home users, it could have taken a pretty
good beating in the office or classroom, so it might not be in the
best shape.
Customizing your computer is cool, but do it yourself
There's an old saying that goes, "if you want something done
right, do it yourself." With anything regarding customizing or
upgrading your computer, this is also the case.
Often times on eBay you'll see a killer deal on a G3/400, tons
of RAM, floppy drive, the whole deal. To the uninformed buyer, this
seems like a great deal. However, the Low End Mac reader realizes
that this is probably a G3/266 or something that has been either
upgraded with a new CPU or has even been over clocked, among other
possibilities. Of course, there really isn't anything wrong with
upgrading an older Mac (hence this site). However, like the saying
says, if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself.
Never trust anyone else's upgrades, customization, or other
handiwork.
The major downside of eBay is not knowing the history of a
product, so your prospective Mac could have been upgraded by some
sixteen-year-old computer whiz trying to push more out of his
computer, while ultimately making it fast or more functional, but
losing much reliability in the process. Of course, no offense to
any sixteen-year-old computer whiz out there that might be reading
this. I, being one, too, have my own basement full of wrecked Power
Macs.
Pictures are worth a thousand words - or dollars
While you can't actually be there to actually inspect your
product when bidding on eBay, pictures can be a real help. Most
good sellers will provide pictures of the outside of the computer
and any extra peripherals. Another good help on a selling page is a
picture of the computer turned on, showing the "About This Mac"
screen. It provides a good insight into system software, memory,
and operating systems, depending on what type of computer you're
buying.
Another thing that helps while looking at pictures of Macs for
sale is that you're actually looking at a picture of the Macintosh
you're waiting to buy. While this might seem absurd, many eBay
auction pages have pictures of the model you're prospectively
buying, but these pictures seem rather Apple-esque. This is
probably because they are. Many people who are too lazy to take
pictures on their own or who have no access to a scanner or digital
camera to do this.
While this doesn't really reflect on the computer itself, just
don't expect to see a mint condition Blue and White G3 just because
the picture was copied from Apple.com
Speaking of Stealing: Illegal Software
Many computers you'll look at on eBay will include massive
amounts of software, usually those like Photoshop, Office, Toast,
and others. Unfortunately, unless you're getting the original box
and CDs that came with these programs, you're probably not getting
them legally.
When selling their old computer, many users will install all of
their new computer's software on the old computer. The seller will
usually include some small disclaimer of how the software isn't
legal on the bottom of the page. It's not legal, and the software
isn't really yours. This is definitely something you should take
into consideration when purchasing a used computer through
eBay.
A good way to tell if you're getting illegal software is to just
ask, or, usually if a computer from 1999 (i.e. a blue and white G3)
includes the latest software (i.e., Jaguar). Of course, the chances
of getting caught and/or prosecuted is debatable, as well as the
morality of this issue, but nonetheless, it's still something you
shouldn't be doing,.
An End Note: Mac Users Aren't Jerks
Many of the computer rip-off horror stories we hear lately are
from people buying bargain PCs from some eBay-based company. The
common eBay-based Internet PC vendor selling shady computers and
the Mac user trying to get rid of an extra Mac around his or her
house are very different sellers. (Admit it, everyone has a compact
Mac under their desk or in their basement. If you don't, eBay does
have a nice selection).
