eBay - page 2

7 questions to ask before buying a used phone

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how to buy a used phone
If you want to buy a used phone, you should take some precautions.
Photo: dulnan/Flickr CC

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, checking prices could give you a serious case of sticker shock. Both the iPhone 7 and Google’s Pixel start at $649 and go up from there, with a top-of-the-line iPhone 7 Plus selling for $969.

If you’re OK with having something that’s a little less than the latest model, going with a used phone can save you a bundle. The downside? Getting a good deal — and a phone that works — takes more effort than buying a new phone off the store shelf. If you’re willing to put in some legwork to save cash, here’s what you need to know about buying a used cell phone — and seven questions to ask before doing so.

On eBay, a Galaxy Note 7 box is worth more than the phone

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galaxy note 7
There's some consolation for Note 7 owners.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Now that Samsung has asked for all Galaxy Note 7 units to be returned and ceased production, the device is worthless. Even if you decide to keep yours (which you shouldn’t), it’s going to have no resale value. But you might be surprised to learn that its box has.

Some Note 7 owners have already taken to selling their packaging on eBay, and some listings are calling for as much as $60.

Jet black iPhone 7 Plus is a hot item on eBay

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eBay icon
Sold out everywhere, the iPhone 7 Plus is hot on eBay.
Photo: Leander Kahney

With the new iPhone 7 Plus sold out worldwide, some owners are turning a pretty profit on Craigslist and eBay.

There’s a brisk trade in brand new iPhone 7 devices, especially the Plus models in jet black, with many selling for almost twice their retail value.

This premium jet black 256GB iPhone 7 Plus, for example, just sold for $1,775 on eBay, with 29 bids. That’s $806 above retail.

Woz and other tech icons sign anti-Trump open letter

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wozniak
Woz joins Silicon Valley's anti-Trump crusade.
Photo: Reddit

Silicon Valley is uniting against presumed GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump in an open letter today that calls out the candidate for his “anger, bigotry, fear of new ideas and new people, and a fundamental belief that America is weak and in decline.”

The letter is signed by some of the biggest names in the tech industry, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mark Pincus at Zinga, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, Vint Cerf and dozens of others.

10 biggest tech shopping myths, busted

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10 Tech Shopping Myths
It's time to debunk these 10 common myths about buying tech gear.
Photo: Jarmoluk/Pixabay

One of the best things about living in the digital age is the ease with which you can compare prices. It’s never been easier to find great deals, especially on technology. But even though finding discounted gadgets is pretty easy, some people still end up overpaying for tech because they’ve put their faith in misguided shopping myths.

If you’re looking to save money and get the most value for your dollar, make sure you don’t fall victim to one of these common misconceptions about buying electronics. Read on to learn more about the biggest tech shopping myths out there, why we believe them, and why those myths are just dead wrong. Our guide busts some Apple-specific myths, as well as some more general misconceptions about how to save money when shopping for gadgets.

iPhone 6 prototype pops up on eBay with crazy price tag

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$_57
The iPhone 6 prototype runs Apple's in-house debugging software.
Photo: niftynina

If you’re an Apple fan, eBay is a great place to pick up rare bits of Cupertino paraphernalia — whether it’s a vintage Apple jacket of the kind Drake wore at last year’s WWDC, or Steve Jobs’ high school yearbook.

Well, if you’re on the lookout for an even rarer Apple collector’s item — and have more than $4,999 to spend — you may want to check out an auction for an apparent iPhone 6 prototype, running Apple’s in-house debugging software called SwitchBoard, and boasting a red lightning dock port.

iPad Pro and iPhone 6s hit new lows in this week’s best Apple deals

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deal news collage
Looking for hot deals on Apple gear? You found 'em!
Photos: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac, Apple, Logitech

Micro Center comes out swinging this week with a pair of all-time lows on Apple devices (although you’ll need to find them at a store near you). Or, you could grab the best price we’ve ever seen for a new, unlocked iPhone 6s.

See these hot Apple deals and more in this week’s roundup of the best bargains on Apple gear.

This week’s hottest deals on iPad Pro, Apple accessories, more

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These deals are hot, hot, hot!
These deals are hot, hot, hot!
Photos: Apple

One of Apple’s hottest products — the powerful new 9.7-inch iPad Pro, which Cult of Mac called the most important iPad since the original — is already selling at a discount.

We’ve got the scoop on that sale — plus sweet deals on other great gear, including refurbished MacBooks and spiffy Apple accessories — in this roundup of the best Apple deals you’ll find online this week.

Woz will pop the cork on some bubbly with you if price is right

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The dinner conversation could be interesting.
The dinner conversation could be interesting.
Photo: Cult of Mac file

We have a ready shortlist when asked which famous person with whom we most want as a dinner date.

So if Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is on that list, he will happily dine with you and three friends and even throw in a bottle of champaign tied to Apple’s history – that is, if you are the winning bidder.

Rare Apple III Plus still works (thanks to good karma)

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This Apple III Plus still works after spending the 1980s scheduling yoga classes at a spiritual retreat center.
This Apple III Plus still works after spending the 1980s scheduling yoga classes at a spiritual retreat center.
Photo: Yogaville/eBay

As far as computers go, the Apple III was a rather rotten Apple. The first 14,000 were recalled with hardware problems galore and even with bugs eventually worked out, Apple never could erase the computer’s “lemon” label.

But if you’re willing to give the Apple III a second chance, there is a working one for sale, complete with manuals, startup disks and, quite possibly, the good karma of a famous swami.

Half of everything brings out the saw in this divorce

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iPhone saw
You want the iPhone 5?. Your half coming right up.
Gif: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

It’s hard to say whether one man’s eBay page indicates he’s bitter about his divorce or has taken the division of property too literally.

A German man used saws to divide possessions shared with his estrange wife, giving her half and selling his half on eBay.

Everything, from an iPhone and MacBook Pro to dining room chairs, the mailbox, a teddy bear and their car, was subject to his interpretation of splitting things 50-50.

Want to look like Drake? eBay has your vintage Apple jacket

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Drake talks Apple Music at WWDC.
Drake talks Apple Music at WWDC.
Photo: Apple

While Eddy Cue was busy winning this year’s worst-dressed award for WWDC 2015, hip-hop icon Drake surprised us all by hitting the stage with a vintage Apple jacket that oozed fashion from every stitch.

The hip-hop icon said he used “this tool called the internet” to score his dope threads, and you can, too, thanks to a number of eBay auctions that are selling vintage Apple jackets just like Drake’s. We haven’t found one yet with the exact same brown leather sleeves, but you can score an all-black Apple jacket that looks pretty similar for $350. If that’s out of your price range there are a bunch of other stylish options.

Check out some of the awesome Apple jackets below:

Greenpeace awards Apple straight A’s for energy policy

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Apple employees can make thousands selling their login info.
Apple's upcoming Campus 2 is basically a big monument to its energy policy. Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

A new report from environmental organization Greenpeace has given Apple top marks for its policies and movement toward renewable energy.

The 72-page document by senior policy analyst Gary Cook and media officer David Pomerantz serves as an evaluation of current corporate activities, a summary of the state of renewable tech and progress, and a roadmap for how to institute less wasteful programs moving forward.

Apple, which is currently building an environmentally friendly second campus in Cupertino was one of three “Green Internet Innovators” shown on the graphic below, which groups companies from least to most environmentally friendly.

On eBay and Craigslist, every Apple Watch is pure gold

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Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The Apple Watch is a hot ticket on eBay and Craigslist as owners cash in on long wait times. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo:

With shipping dates for new Apple Watch orders slipping to July and beyond, some owners are selling their devices in hopes of turning a quick profit.

It seems to be working. There’s a brisk trade of Apple Watches on eBay and Craigslist, with some used devices fetching up to twice their retail value.

“I am wearing the watch as we speak,” said one seller, who identified himself as Ben and has a stainless steel Apple Watch on Craigslist for more than $200 over the list price.

“I’ve been wearing the Watch since I posted that hoping to get a small profit,” he said. “Part of me hoped nobody would offer me the extra few hundred because I really wanted to wear this gorgeous first-gen product! I haven’t worn a watch in 10 years.”

Buy it now? Rare original Apple-1 shows up on eBay

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Yep, this could belong to you. Photo: eBay/auctioncause2

If you think an Apple Watch Edition is rare, you should try getting your hands on an Apple-1 computer.

Only 63 are known to exist, but you can nab one now — provided you cough up the necessary cash. A working Apple-1, owned by its original purchaser and his family for more than 36 years, has appeared on eBay and is currently carrying a bid of $20,600.

Classified thermal-imaging and night-vision goodies land on eBay

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This night vision device, missing from a $750 million military program, can be yours on eBay for just over $16,000. Photo: eBay
This night-vision device, missing from a $750 million military program, can be yours on eBay for just over $16,000. Photo: The Night Vision Warehouse/eBay

If you search long enough, you can find anything on eBay and Craigslist. That includes lost, expensive military equipment that helps soldiers find roadside bombs.

The Intercept, an investigative reporting website founded by Glenn Greenwald, obtained a Navy intelligence document detailing thermal-optic-imaging and night-vision devices that wound up on a number of websites for sale, including eBay, Craigslist, texasguntalk.com and sportsfisherman.com.

Steve Jobs’ high school yearbook lands on eBay for $13,000

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Jobspic
The luscious hair didn't last into the Apple years, unfortunately. Photo: Homestead High School

 

Have you always wanted to own a piece of Steve Jobs history, while also disposing of $13,000 in a hurry?

If so, you may be the perfect buyer for an eBay copy of the high school yearbook for Steve Jobs’ graduating class, in which the long-haired future Apple co-founder looks more on course to be voted “Most likely to start a progressive rock band” than “Most likely to become CEO of the world’s most valuable company.”

Carrying a Buy It Now price of $12,999.98 (or an opening bid value of $4,999.98), the book currently belongs to a fellow student at Homestead High School, who spoke with Cult of Mac about the sale.

This old computer fetched nearly $23,000 on eBay

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A Commodore International working computer prototype sold on Ebay for $22,862.01. Photo: Thomas Conte/Flicr
A Commodore International working computer prototype sold on eBay for $22,862.01. Photo: Thomas Conté/Flickr CC

Computer users of a certain age remember the Commodore 64. Millions brought the future into their homes with this, their first personal computer.

And if you still have a Commodore 64, dust it off and make sure it’s not a Commodore 65. A model with the higher digit sold on eBay Sunday for close to $23,000.

The 64 still holds sales records. It outsold IBM and Apple during the early 1980s, in part because it sold in retail stores and not just electronics or computer stores.

But the 65? It never made into the stores.

Here’s one good reason not to buy a MacBook on eBay

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Here's something to be worried about when you buy a used MacBook on eBay. Photo: Alex Heath / Cult of Mac
Here's something to be worried about when you buy a used MacBook on eBay. Photo: Alex Heath/Cult of Mac

When it comes to buying Apple products, you should make sure a deal isn’t too good to be true when you sign up for it.

A U.K. man who purchased a MacBook on eBay for a bargain price was surprised by what arrived in the mail — not a laptop but a black-and-white photograph of a MacBook.

eBay is planning an Apple Watch app

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Digital Crown
eBay is planning an Apple Watch app. Photo: Apple
Photo: Apple

At least one of the big boys is planning on developing an app for the Apple Watch. eBay has posted an ad listing, looking for a developer to help them come up with a bidding app for Cupertino’s new smartwatch.

eBay raids Apple for payment talent to work on possible Apple Pay rival

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Apple Pay is setting the gold standard for mobile payments. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Post-Apple Pay, everyone is looking to Cupertino when it comes to innovation in the mobile payment sector. eBay is no different — with the online auction company starting up a new division, designed especially to develop payment-related technology.

And wouldn’t you know it? It’s filling it with ex-Apple folk.