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iPad mini purchase

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Donna Santiago

Newbie
I'm thinking of buying an iPad mini 4 or 5.
eBay has models at a decent price. Here's my question. They have an open box items for purchase. Has anyone done the open box?
I'm concerned about the condition of items purchased this way. Any problems encountered? Opinions would be most welcome
 
If I were picky I'd note that "Android Devices" isn't really the place to ask questions about an iPad ;).

However, the bigger problem is that it's impossible to answer your question because you've not supplied enough information. "eBay" can mean anything from an alternative outlet for a reputable store or an honest private seller through to grey imports through to a scam artist peddling fake goods or stolen devices. So whatever experience someone else has of an open box or a sealed box purchase may have no relevance to the particular ad you are looking at: who is selling will matter far more than open vs sealed.
 
I moved this to the Off Topic forum as it isn't about Android, and quite honestly, isn't even about Apple. Seems more of a discussion about purchasing and seller trustworthiness. :)

Anywho, I've purchased refurbished and or open box products in the past. For open box, either personally inspect it in a store or buy from a seller or a platform where there is someone to arbitrate any dispute. You don't want to find out that all that is in the "open box" is a rock to make it feel right and have no one to fall back on. I believe e-Bay will help in settling disputes. My purchases have been through Amazon, which would make me whole if there was an issue.
 
I'm seeing open box prices from $220 U.S. and up while refurb mini's seem to be around $90. With eBay you don't buy the product, you buy the seller, so make sure as @Hadron states that you buy from a reputable source.

You could also buy from Woot! (Amazon's liquidation outlet) They have minis for $99. I've bought from them in the past and am generally pleased with the products. I did get a dog of a laptop once that had too many problems out of the box, but seeing that they are Amazon, the return and refund was quick and easy. You may not be so lucky with an eBay seller if you have a problem.
 
Like they said... it all depends. I bought a used samsung watch over ebay about two years ago and it's still ticking. I can't kill the thing. I did buy my iPad off of Ebay, though, and it was fine. Good luck.

PS: Please don't hesitate to ask any question you want, here. If it's in the wrong place, we just move it to the right area. Why? We want to get your questions answered by the most people who would have the most knowledge to answer your question. We are here to help. We don't judge. Thank you for asking your question!

Steven
 
Thanks all. I appreciate the advice. I have a Samsung galaxy 10.1 tablet which is 7-9 years old but it's really slow. I'll take your advice and go with Amazon because they guarantee good service and protection plan. A bit costly but I wanted a smaller size and easy to travel with.
Regards
 
Donna Santiago said:
Thanks all. I appreciate the advice. I have a Samsung galaxy 10.1 tablet which is 7-9 years old but it's really slow. I'll take your advice and go with Amazon because they guarantee good service and protection plan. A bit costly but I wanted a smaller size and easy to travel with.
Regards
Click to expand...

Good... one thing I didn't say was that I struggle with Apple Operating System...There are things I can do with Android that I can't do with Apple products. If you want specifics, lemme know.
 
Donna Santiago said:
Yes I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on this
Click to expand...

Apple OS (iOS) is pretty closed. Therefore there are things I can't with it to organize my files. For example, on my Samsung Note 8 (Android), I can use the Google Drive app to snap a picture (which instantly converts to .pdf) of a receipt I need to backup for tax purposes. I run a business. On the iPad Drive app, there is no way to use the app to take an image of and upload the file as pdf. You have to go through extra steps and upload the file as an actual picture (jpg file).

Then, after I upload the pdf file to Drive, I can go into the pdf and "Send a copy" to an entirely different app. I use Box.com as a backup cloud storage to my drive. In case something happens to either one, I'm covered. If something happens, and all I have is the one cloud drive, I'm in deep trouble with the IRS and State for tax purposes.

Using Drive on my iPad, I can't use the Drive to Send a copy to my Box.com app. This is a major problem for me. This alone is probably why I'll never get an iPhone. You have their proprietary file manager app and it is TERRIBLE.... at least for my purposes.

This is only one example of how iOS is a "walled garden". All this is to protect me and give me data security, but for me, a power user? It's too much. I need the flexibility to handle my data quickly and easily between apps.

Maybe others have other examples?

Steven
 
Donna Santiago said:
Yes I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on this
Click to expand...

I can give you a couple of my thoughts about iOS. It's mainly the walled garden and country restrictions, like without a VPN, I probably wouldn't be posting here. Basically Apple complies with everything that the Chinese govt(the CCP) decrees, Google usually doesn't(so far).

Also no support for lossless FLAC audio. A good percentage of my music collection is in FLAC. Both of which are a definite deal breaker for my uses of a smart-phone or tablet.
 
Last edited:
lunatic59 said:
I'm seeing open box prices from $220 U.S. and up while refurb mini's seem to be around $90. With eBay you don't buy the product, you buy the seller, so make sure as @Hadron states that you buy from a reputable source.

You could also buy from Woot! (Amazon's liquidation outlet) They have minis for $99. I've bought from them in the past and am generally pleased with the products. I did get a dog of a laptop once that had too many problems out of the box, but seeing that they are Amazon, the return and refund was quick and easy. You may not be so lucky with an eBay seller if you have a problem.
Click to expand...


I been a Woot user for several years and i agree.
 
Hi y'all. I appreciate your advice. I did look on woot but they only had iPad mini 2 series. Too old for the new iOS update scheduled for this year. I was able to get it at national distributors under Google purchase mini 5 new plus 10.00 promo code/free shipping total savings came to $30.00 cheaper from other sites. My Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet works with no real bad issues except everything's way slow. I watch a lot of videos and when it works.. it's still great display and sound. When it doesn't, I gotta fuss to get downloads/ buffering. I'm not an apple fan. I did have an iPhone 5 but gave it to my husband.
I dig Android phones. I like free apps on play store lots of good stuff. Next phone I wanna get is a unlocked Android phone cause I hate all the useless bloatware on Carrier phones. I got TMobile so any ideas about this pros/cons would be appreciated. Cheers 😊
 
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