In a world where MacBooks stand as highly sought-after laptops, their hefty price tag often presents an obstacle for many potential users. However, one can easily overcome this by buying a refurbished MacBook.
In case you’ve never bought a refurbished product before, it’s natural to be hesitant about getting on. That’s why, in this guide, I’ll explain everything you need to know about buying refurbished MacBooks, followed by a list of the reliable places where you can find them.
- Things to consider when buying a refurbished MacBook
- Best places to buy refurbished Macs
- Why should I buy a refurbished MacBook?
Things to consider when buying a refurbished MacBook
- Warranty and return policy: You must ensure that the MacBook has a warranty and a return policy in place if you ever run into any issues.
- Seller’s reputation: Buy refurbished Macs from a trusted seller. There are many scammers out there, so it’s important to do your research.
- The condition of the Mac: You must inspect a refurbished MacBook for physical damage, including scratches, dents, cracks, and dead pixels. Also, make sure that all the ports and buttons are working properly.
- Battery Health: Batteries degrade over time, so it’s a good idea to only buy a refurbished MacBook with at least 80% or higher battery health.
- Compare the prices: You should compare the price of a refurbished MacBook to the cost of a brand-new MacBook with similar hardware specifications before you purchase it. Sometimes, the price difference between a refurbished and a new MacBook might not be significant.
- The age of the Mac: You must consider how old the MacBook is and what its original price was. Refurbished Macs are normally available at a discount, but you don’t want to buy one that’s too old or obsolete.
Best places to buy refurbished Macs
From Apple’s first-party refurbished store to third-party platforms, there are a handful of places to get a refurbished MacBook. Here are our top picks for places to buy a refurbished MacBook
1. Apple Refurbished Store
The Apple Refurbished Store is one of the best places to where you can buy a refurbished MacBook. Although it’s a bit more expensive than most other resellers, Apple carefully inspects each MacBook and restores it to almost pristine condition with genuine Apple parts. Therefore, refurbished MacBooks bought from Apple are often indistinguishable from new ones.
Every refurbished MacBook you purchase from Apple is covered under their standard one-year warranty, which offers replacement or refund for a major failure. Additionally, refurbished MacBooks are also eligible for extended warranty coverage offered by Apple by purchasing an applicable AppleCare+ plan.
The biggest benefit to buying a refurbished MacBook from Apple is that you can easily find great deals on almost all recent MacBook Pro or Air models. Moreover, along with MacBooks, the Apple Refurbished Store also sells other Apple products, such as iPhones, iPads, and iMacs, as well as accessories such as cases, chargers, and cables.
In a nutshell, if you are looking for some fantastic deals, the Apple Refurbished Store is a great place to start. You can be confident that you are getting a device with the same quality and warranty as a new one.
Visit: Apple Refurbished Store
2. Best Buy
Best Buy is probably the second-best place from where you can purchase refurbished MacBooks. They offer a large selection of refurbished Apple products under its Geek Squad certified program. Here, you can easily find reasonably recent models of MacBooks at comparatively lower prices and have them delivered to your doorstep.
All devices must pass through a thorough product testing, sanitization, and cosmetic grading process before they can be repaired and sold as a Geek Squad Certified refurbished product. Moreover, all refurbished devices are refundable under a 15-day return policy and offer one year of warranty.
Along with a refurbished MacBook, you also get up to three months of free subscriptions for paid services, including iCloud+, Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple News. Moreover, you can even subscribe to Best Buy’s total tech service package for 24×7 tech support and additional damage protection.
Visit: Best Buy
3. Amazon Renewed
Amazon sells almost everything that you can think of, including refurbished MacBooks from verified third-party resellers. All devices that are sold through the Amazon Renewed program are inspected, tested, cleaned, and refurbished by quality resellers.
One can easily find great deals on recent models of refurbished Macbooks at Amazon for much lower prices compared to the Apple Refurbished Store. All refurbished MacBooks purchased through Amazon are backed by a 90-day Renewed Guarantee. Apart from that, all renewed products are eligible for free shipping and come with all the necessary accessories in the box.
Visit: Amazon
4. Back Market
Back Market is undoubtedly one of the best platforms from where you can buy refurbished MacBooks or other electronic gadgets like iPhones, iPads, gaming consoles, and much more. Everything they sell is clearly graded as either Fair, Good, or Excellent, so you know exactly what you are getting.
Back Market’s in-house experts meticulously test and renew each device before they are sold. However, they also sell devices that are refurbished by Apple themselves. Whichever device you choose, everything you buy from Back Market offers a 1-year warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee.
If that’s not great enough, all refurbished products they sell are eligible for free shipping. And for those who want to save more, Back Market lets you trade in your old tech for cash.
Visit: Black Market
5. OWC
OWC, or Other World Computing, is yet another trustworthy platform from where you can get a refurbished MacBook. All refurbished MacBooks sold by OWC are inspected and tested by Apple-certified technicians, so you can be confident that you are getting a device that’s free of defects.
Every Apple purchase from OWC comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee, free tech support, and a 90-day warranty. However, you can also purchase two years of additional damage protection from them.
Apart from their online marketplace, OWC has several stores across the U.S. where you can find and purchase a MacBook. Moreover, OWC also lets you trade in your older machine for a fair offer, so you can save some bucks.
Visit: OWC’s MacSales.com
6. RefurbMe
RefurbMe is an excellent aggregator platform that lets users compare new or refurbished MacBooks from multiple sellers in one place. Rather than directly selling the product, RefurbMe redirects you to more than ten certified refurbishers and sellers that deal with Apple devices.
You can use custom filters to conveniently sort MacBooks according to their condition, warranty coverage, price, and so on. Additionally, RefurbMe also allows you to track price drops on all products using its price alert feature.
Visit: refurb.me
7. Swappa
Swappa is an online community for buying new and refurbished gadgets. Here, buyers and sellers connect directly, and all devices must be fully functional to be sold or listed. The platform has an in-house customer service team that ensures all the devices meet their strict quality standards.
On Swappa, you can easily find the newest models of refurbished or used MacBooks, including the 15-inch MacBook Air. However, on the downside, none of Swappa’s devices are covered under manufacturer warranties unless explicitly stated in the product description.
Visit: Swappa
Why should I buy a refurbished MacBook?
- Save money: Refurbished MacBooks are generally available at much lower prices than new ones. Depending on the model and condition, you can save up to 30 percent or more on a refurbished MacBook.
- Get a great product: Refurbished MacBooks are thoroughly tested and restored to almost brand-new condition by Apple or authorized sellers. Moreover, they often come with the same one-year warranty as a new MacBook, so you can be confident about the device’s overall quality.
- Help the environment: When you buy a refurbished MacBook, you also contribute towards reducing the carbon emissions related to manufacturing.
- Resale value: Most Apple products tend to retain their value even after years of their initial launch. If you ever decide to upgrade down the line, you can often sell your refurbished MacBook for a decent resale value.
Signing off…
Whether you are looking for a MacBook Pro to handle intensive tasks like video editing or a MacBook Air to get you through college, refurbished MacBooks are a great option.
If you agree with this, visit one of the places suggested above and share your experience with us!
Also read:
- Things to check before buying a used iPhone
- Best places to buy refurbished Apple Watch
- Best places to buy refurbished iPhones
🗣️ Our site is supported by our readers like you. When you purchase through our links, we earn a small commission. Read Disclaimer.