Before you take the plunge and hand over your money, take your time...!

We are often asked what we look for when purchasing a used MacBook or iMac. Doing your homework in advance, and exercising some common sense are often key to making a smart choice. The marketplace is filled with horror stories about transactions that didn't turn out as planned, from computers that ended up being stolen, to hidden damage to the system that wasn't discovered until after the fact. We have helped many clients overcome these issues afterwards, though often at additional cost to what they've already paid for a computer that was supposed to be in perfect working order. With this in mind, there's no one way to completely protect yourself 100% of the time when buying from strangers, or off of sites like Kijiji or Ebay. It's hard to seperate the legitimate sellers from the dishonest sellers. However there are many ways you can be smarter about your purchase, avoid hidden problems, and not experience the misery of unforseen expenses. Simple questions like "Will the seller offer a warranty or trial period" to ensure the computer is working as advertised, or "Will the seller give you his/her physical address and land line phone number" to contact if there's a problem, may go a long way to getting started on the right foot. If relying on a hotmail address and meeting at a coffee shop, you may have to accept that you might never see the seller again or even be able to contact them in the event of a major issue. Sometimes buying something known to need a part (such as a battery) can represent a great opportunity financially if you're willing to put in the work to source the replacement part, and as long as it's not something major such as a logic board, etc. In these cases you still want to test the rest of the machine to be sure that this is the only thing that's going to need your attention. A quick note about computers that have been spilled on. On occasion you'll see computers advertised that have been spilled on. In some cases they no longer power on, in others they still function. Know what you're getting into. If a computer was spilled on, and is still working, that doesn't guarantee that it will continue to do so. Logic boards that have been spilled on need to be professionally cleaned with specialized cleaning tools and chemicals. If not cleaned properly, the spill often leaves a residue on the board that can contribute to corrosion over time, over heating issues, shorting issues, and ultimately premature computer failure. Buying computers that have been spilled on often don't end up being the great buy they sometimes appear to be. These sorts of purchase decisions should be left to advanced users with a high degree of information and knowledge on how to deal with these sorts of computers. They do not represent good purchases for the average computer user. 

Lastly, don't get suckered into paying more than what would be considered reasonable. Research what current pricing is (there are some links in our helpful links section). All sorts of machines are advertised with having $1000's of dollars worth of software installed on them, hence a higher asking price. Never agree to pay more for this software unless it includes the original discs for this software, and the serial numbers that came with it. Even if the software was installed from a legitimate source, if you don't have the original discs, it's not considered to be legitimate. The majority of this software will have come from torrent, and download sites to begin with.  

Below is an article we wrote recently on the basic methods we use when physically assessing any used computer we have an interest in purchasing. Hopefully you'll find it helpful.

Theft:

Before you even go look at a used computer, you want to find out if the owner is the original owner, or if they're the second or even third owner. We typically shy away from any computer that is being sold "for a friend", or that was "given to me by a friend" etc. It's just a bit of a red flag for us. Does the owner have the box, or any of the software that came with it? Many of us throw away boxes, and lose DVDs, but if either of these things exist, it improves the odds you're buying a legitimate machine. Next, does the owner know anything about the computer? You don't need to be an expert about computers to know some of the quirks about your computer, know how long the battery lasts, what its history is, how it works, etc. Someone who knows nothing about their computer may be hiding something, the biggest worry being was it stolen! We never buy a computer that doesn't have a charger (or at least the broken charger)... that's usually another red flag. The excuses usually range from the cat shredded it to they're keeping it, to they gave it to a friend, and finally another favorite of ours they lost it while moving. Reality says if they lost it, or it was broken, how is it possible the battery still has a charge on it? Macbook batteries don't last forever. Unfortunately there likely is the odd individual that's legitimately telling the truth about their charger being missing or damaged. We just find the percentage being honest is relatively low to those being dishonest in this case, and not worth the risk. 

Computer Function:

Let's assume that the above checks out, and the worry about theft has been removed. Moving on, you need to check out the computer in its entirety. An honest seller will let you take your time, ask questions, test all its features before making a decision. Do take your time. This is an important, and often expensive investment you're making. You need more than five minutes to be sure, and you'll be thankful you spend the extra time in the long run. First off you want the computer shut down. When you power it on, does it make a "chime" sound, indicating that the settings and hardware check out properly? If it doesn't chime, you can reset the PRAM (google it, it's just holding down a set of keys for several seconds). If it now chimes, the first part checks out, time to move on. If you can't get it to chime at all even after resetting the PRAM, that's a potential warning sign of sorts to keep in mind as you go over the rest of the computer. Let it boot. Now it's booted. If it's password protected, does the owner know the password (believe it or not we've had some people not know the password to their own computer, which screams it's stolen and it's time to abandon this deal). When you have access to a fully booted operating system on the computer, first go up to the apple in the top left corner and select "about this mac". The processor speed and RAM information will pop up. Does it match what you expected it to be? Then select "more info". Up will come everything about the macbook. Down the left column will be a list of the hardware in this particular computer. When you click on any category, information will display in the right hand column. Here you want to pay attention to a few things. First go down to "Power". Up on the right will display information on the battery. Look at the "cycles" of the battery. A brand new battery on a macbook holds anywhere from 5000-5500MAH (Milliamp Hours...just a fancy way to show how much power a battery holds. Over time, the maximum charge a battery can hold slowly reduces itself, hence battery life slowly reduces itself. You hope that the battery has at least 4000+ MAH or you'll likely be into a new battery sooner rather than later. Also check the "status" below the cycle count. It should say "normal". If it says "check battery" or "Replace Soon", those are pretty self explanatory as to what that means. Now scroll down the left column to "serial ATA" and click on it to verify in the right hand column that the hard drive is the size you're being told it is. Just be aware for example that a 250GB hard drive isn't always going to say 250GB. It may say 240GB or something close. For example, a 120GB hard drive often reports itself as either 112GBs or 118GBs... It's just the way the computer calculates size...but it would still be a 120GB drive. Just have a look. Next go up to Disc Burning. Have a look if it burns CDs, and DVDs. Some burn both formats, other drives only burn CDs, but let you play DVDs. If there are types under CD and DVD, it's a superdrive burner. Now you can exit out of the system profiler. You don't need anything more in there. Bring a DVD movie with you. Stick it in the drive, let it load, and verify that the movie comes up and plays. Often in a non-functioning DVD drive, it will look and sound like it's loading and spinning up but just won't quite make it to that stage. If the movie plays, the drive is likely alright. Keep in mind that the slot loading media drives being used these days are often loud. That in itself isn't necessarily a warning sign of trouble. 

The final things you want to test are the keyboard, the bluetooth connection, wifi and the actual screen. The wifi connection is reasonably easy. Does the computer connect to the internet? If you're in a public place with no wifi, does the wifi connection at least turn on by clicking on it in the top right corner? The bluetooth connection is fairly easy as well. You should be able to turn it on an off in the top right corner. Its symbol is beside the wifi symbol. The keyboard is easy to test. Just load the program "textedit" which is located in the "Applications" folder. Once loaded, try all the keys out and make sure they all register properly. To check the screen for hidden blemishes, dead pixels, etc., go back to the apple in the top left corner and click "system preferences", then select "desktop and screen saver". The "Change Background" screen should come up. In the left hand column, select "solid colours" and then on the right click on the light grey option. Minimize or close everything so you can get a good look at the screen for imperfections, etc. There are many other ways to test a computer, as well as other things you can test. This is just a basic outline of where to start, and is the method we follow. At the end of the day, you have to trust your gut and not be blinded by price or a great story. Be pragmatic. If something doesn't feel right, trust your instincts. There will be more deals that come along. Don't be pressured into feeling like this will be your only chance to own a computer at a great price, and don't be so excited to own one that you forget to do your part to make sure it's the right one for you.