[mhuie]

I'm looking to purchase a 17" powerbook

I was wondering if I purchase one on ebay (thats brand new), can I take it to the Apple retail store if theres something wrong or defective? Or will I just have to deal with the standard tech support?

I'm a student so I'm looking at the educational discount. The main price difference is between ebay and apple store is tax which is ~250.

Lastly, do I need to purchase the notebook from the school bookstore to get the educational discount? Can I just go to an Apple retail store with my student credentials?

TIA

[nate_02]

If you do purchase one on ebay, you can take it in to any Apple Store for service. I would personally purchase one from the Apple Store, but many people have successful PB purchases on ebay.

If you do purchase from Apple, you can qualify for the student discount online, or at a retail store. If you go into the store, I think you need, a student ID, or schedule, and a driver's lisence.

[iREZ]

Just do your homework when buying anything from ebay.

[madmacgames]

Originally posted by iREZ:
Just do your homework when buying anything from ebay.

You should do that when buying anything for anyplace.

[MacnTX]

You might try Amazon.com. They offer free shipping and no sales tax (in all but 3 states) on PowerBooks and iBooks. They also have a $150 mail-in rebate on all models right now too. I bought my 17" PB there back in July and was more than satisfied with their service. It ended up costing me a lot less from Amazon than it would have cost from Apple even with the education discount. Plus Amazon is an Apple Authorized Reseller too, so no worries about warranty service if you ever need it.

[NeilCharter]

I would also consider buying from an out of state retailer that will bundle stuff like more memory, a carrying case, computer lock and a printer.

The edu discount will give you 250 off the retail, but you will still have to pay sales tax (depending on whether you state has it).

When I bought my 17 in PB, it came with all the goodies above and I didn't have to pay a dime in tax. Having the memory upgraded for free to 1 GB was my main concern, but the carrying case has proved to be very useful too. Since you're in college I would imagine you would want to chain your mac down sometimes, so a lock could come in handy.

Add it all up - which is the cheapest deal? I definitely recommend adding another 500 megs of ram for your beast, it will improve performance markedly - so factor that cost in if you get by the machine from Apple.

Personally I wouldn't buy a new machine from an Ebay reseller - it's not worth the risk IMHO.

Good luck and, when you get it, enjoy the PB as much as I have enjoyed mine.

Neil

[MichaelNH]

Most states have a "use tax"..... where you plan on using the product is where you pay the tax... the online vendors that don't charge you the tax up front, assume you are going to pay the sales tax come tax season.... if you don't, it's tax evasion. It's a tax loophole that doesn't mean you don't pay.... it just means you don't pay right then and there... you still have the responsibility to pay your state the tax you owe.

[NeilCharter]

MichealNH: That is a fair statement. However in this case, does a student end up being liable for such taxes when they file considering that their income is generally quite low?

[LordJohnWhorfin]

On top of the $150 off coupon, don't forget that you can get an easy extra 1.57% from simply using their new search engine A9.com, and if you use an Amazon credit card you also get 3% off (and an extra $30 coupon if you sign up for one). Soon they'll be paying you to buy Apple laptops!

[MacOasis]

Originally posted by mhuie:
I'm looking to purchase a 17" powerbook

I was wondering if I purchase one on ebay (thats brand new),

I'm a student so I'm looking at the educational discount. The main price difference is between ebay and apple store is tax which is ~250.

TIA

Deal with a reputable LOCAL dealer - many times they can give discounts on merchandice and memory upgrades or software that Apple, online resellers, or catalog discounters cannot.
We need to support these guys so they still have a local presence where Apple corporate stores cannot or will not go, plus they have the added benefit (to you) of being there when you need them.

Often I have contemplated the "deals" of MacMall etc., but when I read the fine print on the "free" stuff and realized that:
1) I have to pay for the freebies up front
2) they use el-cheepo memory
3) the freebie is usually a discontinued item
4) I have to pay $30 for memnory installation (yeah, RIGHT!), and
5) wait for up to two months for my "rebate" while they use my money to make more,

and you begin to see that it's not REALLY a deal.

Help support your independant Apple dealer and their economy by making your purchase locally - they will appreciate it, and you will make a new friend.

[Person Man]

Originally posted by NeilCharter:
MichealNH: That is a fair statement. However in this case, does a student end up being liable for such taxes when they file considering that their income is generally quite low?

Yes. Students still pay state sales tax in their own home state, so they are expected to pay the use tax as well.

One interesting thing is what happens when you are travelling in another state and buy something there (and pay that state's sales tax)... when you bring that home, should you pay the use tax in your own state? (Keep in mind that if you do this, then you're being taxed TWICE on the same item). Is there a way that you could apply for a refund on the other state's tax if you have to pay the use tax? Interesting questions to think about...

[NeilCharter]

originally posted by Person Man
Yes. Students still pay state sales tax in their own home state, so they are expected to pay the use tax as well.

One interesting thing is what happens when you are travelling in another state and buy something there (and pay that state's sales tax)... when you bring that home, should you pay the use tax in your own state? (Keep in mind that if you do this, then you're being taxed TWICE on the same item). Is there a way that you could apply for a refund on the other state's tax if you have to pay the use tax? Interesting questions to think about...

IMHO the whole internet tax thing is a mess. The Federal gov't have decided to stay out of that for the time being. But the States like CA see revenue. My problem with it is how do you collect it? Do I seriously have to keep a tab on all my internet purchases throughout the year? The States see the revenue opportunity but they have not come up with a decent way to collect it. Either do a deal with the other states to collect the sales tax when the order is placed or have the vendors notify the purchaser's State of a sale and the value of the item.
In CA, it is true that you can pay sales tax twice. A good example is if you move to CA and bring in your car. Even if the car is several years old, you have to pay a sales tax when registering the vehicle. I understand the law is designed to stop people buying cars out of state, but it affects a lot more people than that.

orignially posted by MasOasis:
Deal with a reputable LOCAL dealer - many times they can give discounts on merchandice and memory upgrades or software that Apple, online resellers, or catalog discounters cannot.
We need to support these guys so they still have a local presence where Apple corporate stores cannot or will not go, plus they have the added benefit (to you) of being there when you need them.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with you on this matter. There are many places available to buy a mac and many reasons why people want to buy from specific places.

The original poster wanted the cheapest possible option:

online vendors offer bundled items - sure you have to pay for some of the items first and get a rebate or pay and installation fee. But in my opinon it was worth it. And I got that deal with a newly updated PB, not a discontinued one. I haven't seen any issues with my bundled memory.

For those who want to deal with Apple directly, there are the Apple Stores (online and retail). It will cost them more, but for a newbie it may be worth it.

Other retail vendors offer equally good service and local convenience. Again for people who want or need that service then that is good.

I personally haven't enjoyed the best of experiences with local resellers. They tended to be expensive and condescending. That was especially true when I had to have an Apple approved warranty service done on a new machine.

I don't want to see independent mac stores close. I think they are an essential part of making Apple successful since they can provide a personal service to customers who need it.

But there are many mac users like myself who know a lot about the options available for purchasing a new machine. Does it make sense to pay more than you need to? I don't think so. There are plenty of others who are willing to do so for the piece of mind.

The choices are there and it is up to the individual to choose what they want to do.

[Drakino]

I second the recommendation of going to a local reseller. Getting to know my local one has been very helpful over the time I have been a Mac owner.

Repairs there also take way less time then with Apple, since they fix everything in the store. Two repairs on my Powerbook (white spots, and a broken USB port) and both times I didn't have access to my machine for 20 minutes. Much better then several days of shipping and waiting.

[maxx9photo]

I bought mine used (PB 12" rev B) on eBay and soon after I add the applecare cause it's going out of warranty in november. The applecare I also bought on eBay ($250) and everything is like you buy on applestore except you saved $$$ from tax and offcourse their price is much higher. But do yourself homework before placing bid and check the seller feedback as you might know it already.