If factory-sealed/brand-new MBP from EBAY is stolen, then what??

i just bought a MBP off of Ebay. Its claimed to be factory-sealed, and it looks like it when I got it. Should I call Apple and give them the serial number for them to verify? And in the case that it was stolen, what is Apple gonna do? Can I still use the laptop?

 

Buying stolen goods is both illegal and violate eBay ToS. Why are you suspecting it to be stolen? A lot of things today can't very be check if it's stolen or not and most likely aren't enforce regularly. I would just say, if it's something new and the price different isn't much any way why would you take a chance buying it from ebay? You won't get proper warranty that way. and if it's stolen then you won't get support from Apple. I guess you can just write to apple a
and ask, and if it's stolen good then you can contact ebay/seller and ask for proper refund, just make sure you have the response from apple ready.

 

I called Apple with this question before I purchased an Apple MacBook Air. Apple indicated to me they have no way to check and see if a serial number is stolen and said I should contact my local law enforcement.

 

how much did you pay for it / what model is it?

 

It's a brand new Oct/2011 MD311LL/A 17" for roughly $1800. The transaction was completed in-person, and the seller seems genuine and honest. I do not suspect it was stolen, but I'm trying to say there's always a chance it is. So, I was wondering if people who buy new MBPs from EBAY (or wherever) take that extra effort to verify with Apple that it's a legit item. Reason I'm asking is if I do decide to buy AppleCare for it, I don't want to be denied of it if I bring it into store and they say it's not legit.

 

i dont know about contacting law enforcement if it's just something I bought on ebay without having hard suspicion that it's a stolen item. That's going overboard and overly paranoid!

 

I should have put a "rolls eyes" on my post because the point is that there's no national or international database of stolen serial numbers. If you go to local law, the best they can probably do is check their inventory of known stolen or recovered items.

Since Apple isn't tracking anything, they aren't going to deny you AppleCare purchase and service.

In other words, crime pays.

Realistically, if the machine is sealed in the box and unused, it is unlikely it's stolen unless it got hijacked from a retail location or partner. I'd bet Apple would know about serial numbers on a large theft of a tractor trailer of Macs. Other than that, it's really unlikely anyone is going to questions anything.

On the other hand, if someone on a college campus is trying to sell a notebook with no power adaptor or anything else, it's probably hot.

 

With no indication that the item is stolen, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

because it is factory sealed i wouldnt worry about it. my concern is the used macs that like someone is selling from a college campus address. then you really dont know.

 

Great point. In college I had a Macbook Pro that I tried to sell on Craigslist. A guy texted me interested in buying it and I met him and he checked the serial number on the back and walked off, telling me he was an undercover campus cop checking to see if it was a stolen one.