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You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > How do I buy/get old Macs fix them up and resell them?

How do I buy/get old Macs fix them up and resell them?
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Mac Write
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Oct 30, 2011, 07:08 PM
 
I remember years ago someone on here getting old Macs from a local recycling place, fixing them up and then reselling them.

I am seriously thinking of this idea today so I can actually make a living. Has anyone here done it? How does it work etc? I am seriously interested in the idea.
Get busy living or get busy dying
--Stephen King
     
Big Mac
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Oct 30, 2011, 11:15 PM
 
I think you're pretty limited in that arena because components like motherboards come from Apple. Also, I think Apple has forced authorized techs to send in more of the hardware for repair by Apple instead of letting them do it on site. If you want to get into the field you'd probably be best off working for an Apple authorized retailer/repair company.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
Shaddim
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Oct 30, 2011, 11:26 PM
 
Places like Small Dog buy pallets and pallets of older Macs, or the ones that have been returned under warranty, directly from Apple. I think they just make a per pallet bid and get them in one lump sum, then they refurbish them and sell them. The shop I co-own looked into it, but it was pretty tough to get our foot in the door and become a bidder.

That aside, my shop gets a lot of older Macs, usually ones that have been abandoned or sold to us for cheap, because the owner didn't want to pay to have them fixed. We fix them up and sell them for a decent profit, maybe 30-50% over our cost. We had a great little black Macbook that I picked up over there for my nephew, I just had the logic board replaced and it's as good as new now.
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Mac Write  (op)
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Oct 31, 2011, 01:20 AM
 
i remember the thread were he got 50 iMac's from a computer recycling place and then fixed them up and resold them for $150/each on eBay (those were CRT iMacs). I live in Vancouver and thought maybe I could find older Macs people don't want for cheap then fix them up, make sure they have enough RAM etc and then resell them.
Get busy living or get busy dying
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Waragainstsleep
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Oct 31, 2011, 05:48 AM
 
I can't speak to the US market for this sort of thing but over here its getting pretty competitive. Unless you are connected and have a good supply, its very difficult to make a living doing this. Having a repair shop helps no end as you have a supply coming to you, but sourcing them yourself as a sole trader is much harder because there are lots of others doing it, many of them also have shops and therefore more resources etc etc.

You can try buying a broken one on eBay and seeing if you can fix it (Thats how I got my MBP a couple of years ago) but people lie on eBay auctions so it can be very hit or miss. I've been burned once or twice and ended up with liquid damaged write offs with no hope of repair, and it seems to be getting more common.

I've never heard of Apple selling pallets of broken Macs, if they are recent they just tend to refurbish them themselves.
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
ShortcutToMoncton
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Oct 31, 2011, 07:27 AM
 
You'll never make a living selling old electronics. Especially computers. I'd think of another idea.
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olePigeon
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Oct 31, 2011, 12:17 PM
 
Actually, there's significant money to be maid in electronics recycling, especially right now with a lot of small businesses going under. However, from what I understand, electronics recycling is a cutthroat business. It's almost mafia like with companies fiercely competitive over territory. And it's not just electronics recyclers you have to worry about, but precious metal people as well as metal recyclers. The "We Buy Gold" places probably are run by the mob.

It's relatively easy to set up shop and get licensed (even in California), but it's very difficult to get involved in a meaningful way. If you're intent on doing it, you should start it off as a hobby, first. Decide if it's something you want to devote more time to.

Also, do some serious research on prices and trends. A CRT iMac is not worth $150. $10, maybe, not $150.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
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Mac Write  (op)
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Nov 1, 2011, 06:42 PM
 
The $150 price was like 10 years ago.
Get busy living or get busy dying
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