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The Used iPad Guide: How to and What Model to Buy

Is that used iPad really worth it?

Buying a used iPad is a great way to save a bit of money, but just like when you shop for a used car, you need to know a few things for the process to go smoothly. You also want to get a good deal on the iPad, which means picking out a model that isn’t obsolete and sells for a reasonable price

Apple has sold more than 400 million iPads as of early 2020. Many of them are still functioning and are waiting for a new home—yours.

Where to Buy a Used iPad

If you have a friend, a relative, or a friend-of-a-friend who is selling an iPad, you have this part solved. Buying from someone you know reduces the stress of the exchange. You still need to buy the right iPad for a reasonable price and review what to do during and after the exchange. Other possibilities include:

• Refurbished from Apple: A refurbished iPad is one that was returned to Apple and repaired. If you buy a refurbished unit directly from Apple, you save money and—more importantly—receive the same one-year warranty from Apple as a new iPad carries. However, you may be able to buy at a lower price elsewhere.
• Buy from eBay: One great thing about eBay is that there exists a layer between you and the buyer. This lets you rely on eBay if the item you receive isn’t the same as the description. However, be aware of any shipping costs.
• Buy from Amazon: Yes, Amazon has a used marketplace. If you search for an iPad, you can see both new and used prices. The used price is the cheapest overall cost, which combines both the cost of the iPad and any shipping costs.
• Buy from Craigslist: The internet version of a classified ads section of the paper, you can buy and sell almost anything on Craigslist. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees when you buy on Craigslist. If you are thinking about buying an iPad from Craigslist, read this Craigslist guide, which goes over specifics about the Craigslist process.

Which iPad to Buy

While it is important to decide on the best place to buy a used iPad, the most essential part of the process is making sure you buy the right iPad for you. You don’t want to get stuck with an iPad that is limited within a year or two.

The current 2020 lineup consists of the following:

• iPad Pro, 4th generation, 12.9 inch and 11 inch
• iPad Air, 3rd generation, 10.5 inch
• iPad, 7th generation, 10.2 inch
• iPad Mini, 5th generation, 7.9 inch

These are the models that cost the most, are the most powerful, and offer the most features. They are also iPads that Apple will support for years to come. The nearer you come to these models and generations, the more longevity you can expect from a used iPad.

The 3rd-generation iPad’s life span was just 221 days. It was the last iPad to support the old 30-pin dock connector. It was replaced by the iPad 4 with a Lightning connector.

• The iPad 4: The 4th-generation iPad is also obsolete; proceed with caution. It is best used as a web browser or an e-book reader. If you find one cheap enough and your needs are minimal, it may be worth it, but like other early iPads, it no longer supports new apps or app updates to older apps.
• The 5th- and 6th-Generation iPad. If you can’t afford an iPad Pro model, the recent versions of the iPad are your next best bets. They are new enough to enjoy a decent life span and are cheaper than the iPad Pro models.
• The iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 2, iPad Mini 3, and iPad Mini 4. This series of iPad models represents the iPad Air and iPad Air 2, with the 7.9-inch iPad Mini models mimicking their bigger brothers in terms of features and processing power. The iPad Mini 4 is the equivalent of an iPad Air 2, while the Mini 2 and Mini 3 are essentially the same as an iPad Air. With the 7th-generation iPad available new for just $329 from Apple, look for a deep discount on these older models. While they won’t support the Apple Pencil or the smart keyboard, they do just about anything any other iPad can do. However, only the iPad Mini 4 is still supported by Apple; the other models are classified as obsolete.
• The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-Generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro and 9.7-inch and 11-inch iPad Pro. The previous models of the iPad Pro are still wicked fast. You can expect Apple and developers to support them for years to come. They are more expensive than older models, but they have longevity.

What to Do During a Purchase

If you are buying from Craigslist or a similar person-to-person purchase, there are a few things you should do before exchanging money. You don’t want to get home only to find out something is wrong with the device.

• Examine the iPad to see if it appears to be in good shape. Check the screen for any cracks and the case for any dents. A small dent in the outer casing of the iPad isn’t a big deal, but any crack on the screen is a deal breaker. Do not buy an iPad with a cracked screen, even if it is only a small crack outside of the normal display. A small crack tends to lead to a bigger crack, and you may be surprised by how quickly that small crack can turn into a shattered screen.
• When you are buying on Craigslist, check the model number advertised to make sure it matches the iPad model you are buying. If the person you are buying from seems uncertain of the model or if you are uncertain of the person you are buying it from, double-checking the model number is a good idea. You can find the iPad’s model number by opening the Settings app, going to General, and choosing About. You can compare the model name against the list of models.
• Launch a few apps, including the Notes app, which gives you an opportunity to use the on-screen keyboard. If you have Wi-Fi access, open the Safari web browser and go to several websites.
• Plug the iPad into a wall outlet and confirm the battery icon in the upper-right corner shows a lightning bolt, which means it is charging. This indicates the port at the bottom of the iPad is in good working order.
• After you check everything out, reset the iPad. Even if the iPad was restored to factory default when you picked it up, you should reset it again before the purchase is complete. It doesn’t take long to reset, and it is worth the hassle in knowing that all of the important switches, such as Find My iPad, are turned off when you take possession.

After You Buy a Previously Owned iPad

As important as it is to turn off Find My iPad when you are buying a used iPad, it is just as important to turn it on again after you take possession and set it up for your use. The setup process should prompt you to do so, but if it didn’t, turn the feature on by going to Settings and flipping the Find My iPad switch. Find My iPad doesn’t just locate the iPad if it is missing; it also allows you to put it in lost mode or reset it remotely.

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Question: Q: Buying used Imac advice?

Just came back from the genius bar and the verdict is in: My trusty 2008 Imac’s hard drive is failing. It still kind of works, but after using the machine for a while I keep getting the endless beach ball and everything just slows to a crawl.

So, I’m thinking about buying another one instead of spending money fixing the old machine. Unfortunately, I don’t have much money to spend, so now I’m looking at Ebay auctions to see if I can find a good used Imac there. I’d like to upgrade and get a newer version, if possible, but ideally not spend much more than 300-400$. Perhaps more if it’s really worth it.

I’d love to be able to get an Imac that will run El Capitan, and hopefully have the capacity to upgrade to newer operating versions as well, if they become available. My old one is running Snow Leopard, which Chrome will soon no longer support. It would also be good to be able to run the latest — or at least close to the latest — versions of software. I might consider getting Photoshop, for example, and Final Cut Pro X, which doesn’t run at all on my old machine. I’ve been looking at some: I Mac Mid 2011 21.5″ MC309LL/A 2.50Ghz i5 500GB 4GB Ram most of which seem to go around 350-450$ and look pretty good.

Or could I also consider an older computer with an older, but faster, processor? Or the newer the processor, the better, no matter how fast? What about graphics cards, for something like Photoshop or FCPX, would a newer computer be much preferable to an older one? An older computer may be cheaper overall, so if it doesn’t make much of a difference in performance, perhaps it would be a better choice. Or if I can get an old one that was a very expensive model when it first sold, perhaps it would be just as good as a cheaper, newer version.

Anyway, just looking for some input before I’ll decide what to do. As my old computer is still running for now, I may have at least a bit of time to find a good model. Would also consider an even newer model than 2011, if it would make a big difference. And does anyone know a good, trusted seller on Ebay who might have a bunch of Imacs available?

Thanks for any help or suggestions!

iMac, Mac OS X (10.6.8), 2.4 GHZ Intel Core Duo 6GB RAM

Posted on Mar 25, 2016 9:12 PM

Helpful answers

Well, I’d only buy a used computer from someone local and/or a business that offers some assurance. I wouldn’t trust anyone from ebay with a computer; first, you have no idea what shape the machine or harddrive and other components would be in and they all appear to try to sell it with the latest OS which violates the licensing terms. A used Mac needs to be sold with the OS it originally came with which means the seller needs to wipe the drive and reinstall the original OS. That is the only way they can disassociate the machine with their Apple ID or you will not be able to reinstall or update the apps. So, ask them if they will sell it with the original OS — if that is Snow Leopard or earlier, they should give you the install disks. If it’s Lion or later, there are no disks and they need to use internet recovery to get back to the original OS.

Also, remember that newer iMacs cannot be upgraded later (only the RAM on 27″), so you’re stuck with whatever you got. So, ask lots of questions and be very careful. If you do get it locally, try to see if you can take it to the Genius Bar for an evaluation.

Mar 25, 2016 10:21 PM

The reason that these licensing things are in place now is because Apple started to only make OS versions available for download. In order to protect themselves against theft, they require an Apple ID and password to download the OS or apps. When you check the app store, it can tell which apps are on your computer or you’ve downloaded before and anything you download is tied to your Apple ID forever. The license is not transferable even if the download is free. So that is where the problems come from: anything you do at the app store requires an Apple ID and if the installed OS is still tied to the previous owner, you’ll encounter problems. But, if they erase the drive and reinstall the original OS, there are no problems. If it’s Lion or later, it’s easy — you can just use Internet Recovery (built in to the OS) to boot from, erase the hard drive and reinstall the original OS from Apple’s servers directly.

If the machine came with Snow Leopard or earlier, you can buy a retail disk at the Apple store — as long as any disk is a newer OS version than what the Mac came with, it should be fine. Also be aware that the only legal OS versions can be obtained from Apple directly — anyone selling you a bootable USB stick is selling an illegal copy.

And I agree, it’s confusing and complicated, but it’s not all that bad once you get used to it.

Mar 25, 2016 11:23 PM

There’s more to the conversation

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Well, I’d only buy a used computer from someone local and/or a business that offers some assurance. I wouldn’t trust anyone from ebay with a computer; first, you have no idea what shape the machine or harddrive and other components would be in and they all appear to try to sell it with the latest OS which violates the licensing terms. A used Mac needs to be sold with the OS it originally came with which means the seller needs to wipe the drive and reinstall the original OS. That is the only way they can disassociate the machine with their Apple ID or you will not be able to reinstall or update the apps. So, ask them if they will sell it with the original OS — if that is Snow Leopard or earlier, they should give you the install disks. If it’s Lion or later, there are no disks and they need to use internet recovery to get back to the original OS.

Also, remember that newer iMacs cannot be upgraded later (only the RAM on 27″), so you’re stuck with whatever you got. So, ask lots of questions and be very careful. If you do get it locally, try to see if you can take it to the Genius Bar for an evaluation.

Mar 25, 2016 10:21 PM

Okay, thanks for that info, I didn’t know any of this. So, if I bought a used computer that now runs Yosemite, but was originally sold with Snow Leopard or Lion, I would not be able to upgrade it to El Capitan ever? Could I reinstall Snow Leopard with a bought disk (not the original ones that came with a computer, one I bought to upgrade my old computer from Leopard)? Or would the original seller have to do all of this? Or could I erase the HD, then install Snow Leopard or perhaps even Leopard first (I should still have the original disks for that one.) How about installing and upgrading non-Apple software, such as Microsoft Word? Would that be affected also?

That’s very strange, not sure why they are doing this. Many people probably don’t have the original disks anymore, but still want to sell their computer. Why are they making it so complicated? 😟 I’d love to buy locally, but not sure where there is a good store that sells these older computers (I’m in Los Angeles.) Most stores sell only newer models.

I bought a used 2006 (white) Imac that came with Snow Leopard on Ebay for my mom, and it worked great for her. I was able to update Snow Leopard to its newest version and install some other apps without a problem. There are a number of trusted stores on Ebay with at least 14 day return guarantee, so maybe it’s still worth a try if I pay attention to what OS is installed.

Mar 25, 2016 10:21 PM

The reason that these licensing things are in place now is because Apple started to only make OS versions available for download. In order to protect themselves against theft, they require an Apple ID and password to download the OS or apps. When you check the app store, it can tell which apps are on your computer or you’ve downloaded before and anything you download is tied to your Apple ID forever. The license is not transferable even if the download is free. So that is where the problems come from: anything you do at the app store requires an Apple ID and if the installed OS is still tied to the previous owner, you’ll encounter problems. But, if they erase the drive and reinstall the original OS, there are no problems. If it’s Lion or later, it’s easy — you can just use Internet Recovery (built in to the OS) to boot from, erase the hard drive and reinstall the original OS from Apple’s servers directly.

If the machine came with Snow Leopard or earlier, you can buy a retail disk at the Apple store — as long as any disk is a newer OS version than what the Mac came with, it should be fine. Also be aware that the only legal OS versions can be obtained from Apple directly — anyone selling you a bootable USB stick is selling an illegal copy.

And I agree, it’s confusing and complicated, but it’s not all that bad once you get used to it.

Mar 25, 2016 11:23 PM

Looks like the machines I was looking at had Snow Leopard as their original OS. There is one that says it has Yosemite installed now. So, I could get that one, turn it on using the Yosemite OS it comes with, then erase the disk and use my Snow Leopard CD I bought from the Apple store to install? Then from there upgrade back to Yosemite or El Capitan? Is there an «Erase and Install» feature for Snow Leopard (there used to be for Leopard or earlier, that might be the simplest thing to do)? Or would I have to erase the disk first, then pop in the CD and install? Will the CD work if I have erased the disk first? What if I bought a computer that originally came with Lion? Could I erase and install Snow Leopard on it, or could I only install Lion? Can I use the Internet Recovery feature for Lion if I don’t have the Apple ID from the previous owner?

Sorry for lots of questions, but it’s best to know everything in advance. 🙂 Thanks for your help!

Mar 25, 2016 11:23 PM

You need to make sure that the machine can run the older system as Macs cannot boot from any OS older than what they came with. For that you need to know either the serial number or model identifier so you can look it up (unless the seller has a purchase receipt with the details) — why? Because some models came with, say, 10.6.3 and, a few months later, same model, but came with 10.6.8 — that one would not be able to boot from 10.6.3 (and that is what the retail install DVD at the Apple store has).

If the disk you have is your original install disk for your Mac, it would only work if the other Mac had exactly the same build number as those disks are machine specific. If you have the retail disk from the store, remember it is 10.6.3, so the machine would have had to come with 10.6.2 or earlier.

If you do go that route and the Mac can run SL, then you would need to insert the disk, hold down the C key which will let you boot from it. Once booted into that installer, stop right after the language selection and choose Disk Utility in the menu. Erase the hard drive from there; when finished, resume the install.

However, here is another warning (and I dealt with that on my mid 2010 iMac): if the Mac has had a firmware update to accommodate the recovery process which was introduced with Lion, then you may (or may not) be able to boot into that Snow Leopard disk and may or may not be able to erase from that disk. My attempts to use internet recovery on mine (with the firmware update) were unsuccessful three times out of 5 because that recovery is coded to reinstall the original OS — which, in this case, it can’t because Snow leopard was never available for download. So, sometimes it did not work at all; the other two times it installed Lion.

There are so many variables with a machine from that era that it would be easier to find a machine that already had Lion as its original OS. That way, if the seller doesn’t do what they are supposed to do, you should be able to use internet recovery by booting up while holding Command + Option + R for quite some time until you see a progress bar. Release the keys and wait until it has connected to Apple’s servers — you will see a Utilities window. Choose Disk Utility and erase the entire drive. When finished, choose to reinstall OS X — that should get you to whatever OS was original. From there you can update to El Capitan.

And if you want El Capitan, 4 GB of RAM is the absolute minimum — 8 is better and if you do video/graphics work, 12 or 16 is good. New OS versions like lots of RAM.

And, installing any newer OS will automatically install a hidden recovery partition which you can access if you need to reinstall the OS (that took the place of the install DVDs).

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