I've been listing a few MacBooks on Craigslist and always include the model number and full specs. I always get a bunch of people asking "What year was your MacBook?" or some similar question.

That the question doesn't clear anything up. It isn't clear if they want to know the model designation(ie. Mid-2007) or the purchase date of the computer which could be up to 2 years after. Plus the full specs are there, if you know that you can easily determine the year range that it was sold or the model designation.

So what are these people trying to figure out?

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C(-)ris



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/2012 11:46PM by C(-)ris.

Been there. Simple. They want to know how old it is.

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

Include a link to everymac with auction?

Nice thing is everymac has a Estimated Current Retail that way, way overpriced. makes you look like you are selling it for a deal...

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The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs [www.fakesteve.net]

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Black
Been there. Simple. They want to know how old it is.

Only the original purchaser would know the purchase date...maybe, if they kept the reciept or had a really good memory. Anyone else would just be guessing.

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C(-)ris

Doesn't Apple track when it first phoned home?

Put the serial number in here for the production date. Usually sold within weeks of production date.

[www.chipmunk.nl]

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Ken Sp.
Put the serial number in here for the production date. Usually sold within weeks of production date.

[www.chipmunk.nl]

Usually but no guarantee. Plenty of places have stock that sits on shelves, or is refurbished at a later date. Sometimes the closeout models have production dates more than a year before the sales date.

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C(-)ris

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C(-)ris

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Black
Been there. Simple. They want to know how old it is.

Only the original purchaser would know the purchase date...maybe, if they kept the reciept or had a really good memory. Anyone else would just be guessing.

Sorry, first post from Touch from a bar, pathetic struggle to get a sentence out, nuance lost....

What I was trying to say is that these are people that don't know macs, don't know computers really, are not terribly interested in researching (imagine you were trying to get info from Everymac, even just by following a link someone's provided you, and have barely any reference-- the page would just be overwhelming.)

More than likely they've figured out about what a new mac would cost, and they're trying to make a general judgement as to what extent the item you're offering might be old and outdated and making a general and not well educated guess as to how far off of new price it should be based on this info. They don't care about your 2006 mac that was first sold and used in 2008-- they want to know that it's 2006 technology.

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

A snarky response would be:

It's a unique collector's item built by Charles Babbage and Lady Ada Lovelace (No relation to Linda). While it may not run the latest version of OSX, it does come with a few extra gears and a quart of oil.

Generally, when I sell Macs, I have a checklist that follows what I'd like to know:

* Put the Model Number from the System Information (e.g., MacBookPro8,3), the year of release (Early 2011), and the time you purchased it (Spring 2011).
* Note if you bought it new or used yourself.
* As noted, include a link to the EveryMac.com page for the model.
* Under the heading "I've made a lot of special modifications myself..." list whatever you added (RAM, HD, etc) beyond specs.
* What OS will be installed on the machine prior to shipping (I nuke and pave (and re-pave using the security erase); I try to get it to where when the buyer starts up they see the "Welcome" thing).
* Any software that will be included.
* What will come in the box.
* If the original purchase box is what it will be packed in.
* Any notes of interest (e.g., used by a non-smoker in a smoke-free office). (Cue Batty's "I've seen things" speech...)

Including the price you paid is personal preference; that's seeable on the EveryMac page anyway. I always add as much RAM as I can and sometimes get a bigger/better HD at some point (not always).

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2012 08:56AM by Zoidberg.

Black's got it on the nose...

Most people now realize that there is more than just GHZ to consider and some even realize that 2.0GHz macbooks were mad in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, yet are very different computers...

supplying am everymac link doesn't help most people - many are suspicious of ANY external link

You wanna buy a car? you want to know the model year - many buyers see it just this way...

it's not an unreasonable request.

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[www.giyf.com]

All that said, the way you've been doing it could ultimately hurt your bottom line, but also could cut down on headaches as you're weeding out the most uninformed buyers.

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

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decay
it's not an unreasonable request.

They could figure it out themselves from the specs. Even in the 2Ghz machines that there are 4 or 5 models of, the video card and ram speeds tell you what model it is.

Seems like lazyness to me. If they are so suspicious about what it is why wouldn't they look it up themselves?

What would you say about the current Mac Pro? Call it a 2010 or a 2012? I'll say it is a 2012 since it is the current shipping model, but it still is 2 year old technology.

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C(-)ris



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/2012 11:38AM by C(-)ris.

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C(-)ris

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decay
it's not an unreasonable request.

They could figure it out themselves from the specs. Even in the 2Ghz machines that there are 4 or 5 models of, the video card and ram speeds tell you what model it is.

Seems like lazyness to me. If they are so suspicious about what it is why wouldn't they look it up themselves?

What would you say about the current Mac Pro? Call it a 2010 or a 2012? I'll say it is a 2012 since it is the current shipping model, but it still is 2 year old technology.

Yes, they're lazy. Theoretically I'm open to selling used items to lazy people, but they only get one chance when it comes to making arrangements time.
The best answer for those people is probably "this model was in production from __/__ to __/__."

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MR/F Guestmap: [www.mapservices.org]

as a seller, don't you want to help someone make a purchase?

is adding a year that hard? it's 4 characters.

a 2012 Mac Pro is a 2012 Mac Pro, no matter the technology it is made up of.

suspicious? i don't know that i'd call them suspicious, but when buying on craigslist, it does make sense to clarify facts of the item you're interested in.

Yes, it's laziness on the part of the buyer - what does that matter? I understand what you are doing Chris - I used to do the same. You want to show the machine in it's best light by highlighting the features and benefits of the computer. And starting out with saying that the computer was made in 2007 and is indeed five years old is a big negative in many buyer's mind. You supply them with the means to find this info on their own, but not the actual info - and this is info they want.

I don't think this approach is helpful anymore. These days I copy and paste this line straight from everymac, "Identifiers: Mid-2007 - MB061LL/A - MacBook2,1 - A1181"

that has EVERYTHING they want to know as far as model is concerned. I also list all of the specs, the everymac link and this apple link (http://support.apple.com/kb/SP18) since many have never heard of everymac and have no reason to trust anything it says.

is adding a year that hard? it's 4 characters.

This.

Or you could say, It's the current selling model, I've had it for six months" or "it's two years old".

Or you could start the ad with "IF YOU'RE STUPID AND LAZY, DON'T WASTE MY PRECIOUS TIME".

Or you could post a link to a web site you created to quiz potential buyers and let them know that they are indeed smart enough to buy your gear. Or not.


Yes, it's laziness on the part of the buyer

Maybe, maybe not.

A lot of uniformed buyers would no idea that they could piece together that information to find out what they want to know. Roughly akin to "Here's the VIN number, use that to find out what year the car was made. Don't be so lazy".

And all that cool Mac info still doesn't tell the buyer whether the item was purchased on Day One when it was introduced, or a year and a half later from some reseller clearing out old stock.

Now if they're being jerks and are the type that judge a car by kicking it's tires, maybe you should say "Buh-byeee".

If a seller decides a potential buyer is too stupid and/or lazy decode info and therefore be worthy of buying a precious Mac, that't their choice.

At least temper the condescension with a bit of objectivity.

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