Cheap Apple Mac mini

Hi

Thinking about getting a mac mini. Just searched google shopping and it returned:-

http://magicexpress.eu/product/apple-mac-mini-mc270b...

What's the catch, why only £273. Is this too good to be true?

Possibly because of...

We are a FREE TAX Company (Offshore Corporation), this is why we can practice the most competitive prices for electronics on the Internet.

They don't seem to list any company information any where and the domain registrant uses a free @live.com email address. Edit: It states off-shore but the registrant is in France.

I'd be vary wary.. as there are a few red flags right there.

Also... seems it has been asked before, but is too good to be true.
http://www.hotukdeals.com/misc/anyone-used-http-magi...

Matt

Edited by uno (Mon 18-Apr-11 18:59:55)

As I thought.

Thing is I'd like a mac to play about with and to use to learn how to make iphone apps but I simply can't justify ~£612.

I'll have to keep any eye out on eBay.

Build a cheap PC that can be made to run Mac OS. The basic specs needed are pretty basic indeed. My Dell Mini 9 (cost under £200 new and would cost lots less now second hand) runs it wonderfully. There are lists of netbooks, laptops, PCs and motherboards out there showing the extent to which they can be made to run OS X with the right bootloader.

The payment options say it all, bank transfer, e-check, e-voucher, Ukash and Toneo. The credit card icons are just there for show, that site does not accept credit cards, only anonymous cash payments, the site only ships with EMS, the Chinese post office.

SCAM SCAM SCAM

Certainly looks too good to be true and in this case it probably is.

That's true but I gave up on that idea last time I tried it (2006?). OS X would install and then boot but only once. I have no idea what the stability of any 'fake' mac system would be and it's not worth the time messing about, I'd rather buy a real mac.

Where to start?

If you go through the purchasing process:

You can use fake information.
It doesn't check postcodes.
Payment options do not include debit or credit cards, only bank wire transfer and some other odd payment systems.

Even if it did turn out to be legit, which it isn't, you'd have to pay import duty @ 3.5% and 20% VAT to get it delivered, which would take the total up to £360 approx.

Stay well clear, complete scam by the looks of it.

Look out for a refurb on the Apple Store. You have to check every day as they come and go rather quickly.

You'd probably get about £100 off.

A refurb Macbook is only about £100 more at about £730:

http://store.apple.com/uk/product/FC516B/A?mco=MTg0N...

Edited by deleted (Tue 19-Apr-11 08:20:34)

I have a used, boxed Mac MIni that I have just decided to sell for £300. Let me know here if you are interested. It's a 1.83GHz core 2 duo, with 1GB ram and 80GB hard drive. I can put more memory or a bigger hard drive in for the cost of the parts.