AppleInsider › Forums › Mac Hardware › Current Mac Hardware › Buy at Apple Store, or MacMall?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Buy at Apple Store, or MacMall?

post #1 of 36
4/15/07 at 8:41pm
Thread Starter 
Maybe I'm missing something, but it appears I could save around $300 on a Mac Pro by buying from MacMall.

Why is there such a price difference? Is Apple merely making a better profit if we buy from their store?

Does it take any longer to get a "stock" Mac Pro from MacMall than from the Apple Store?
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 36
4/16/07 at 7:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

Maybe I'm missing something, but it appears I could save around $300 on a Mac Pro by buying from MacMall.

Why is there such a price difference? Is Apple merely making a better profit if we buy from their store?

Does it take any longer to get a "stock" Mac Pro from MacMall than from the Apple Store?

on line store has no tax?
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 36
4/16/07 at 9:19am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe_the_dragon View Post

on line store has no tax?

Both the Apple store and MacMall are online stores.

I've seen some online stores add the tax.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 36
4/16/07 at 9:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

Maybe I'm missing something, but it appears I could save around $300 on a Mac Pro by buying from MacMall.

Why is there such a price difference? Is Apple merely making a better profit if we buy from their store?

Does it take any longer to get a "stock" Mac Pro from MacMall than from the Apple Store?

First, is their shipping charge from Mac Mall, if so what? Apple is free. . Second, did you go all the way to checkout at Mac Mall? Sometimes, on online stores until you go to checkout, you don't see "rebates" factored into price. If there are rebates check carefully.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 36
4/16/07 at 10:49am
Thread Starter 
Thanks. I went through the checkout at Mac Mall.

They have mail-in rebates. I didn't see any tax included in the transaction.

The Apple Store quoted taxes.

I just got the money I've been expecting, and I plan on buying a Mac Pro and Mac Book Pro.

We have a new Best Buy in town, and I plan on checking with them tomorrow.

If they have the "stock" versions of these computers in the store, I'll likely buy them both there.

I've been waiting a long time.

I plan on adding more memory and hard drives to the Mac Pro later.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 36
4/16/07 at 11:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

Thanks. I went through the checkout at Mac Mall.

They have mail-in rebates. I didn't see any tax included in the transaction.

The Apple Store quoted taxes.

I just got the money I've been expecting, and I plan on buying a Mac Pro and Mac Book Pro.

We have a new Best Buy in town, and I plan on checking with them tomorrow.

If they have the "stock" versions of these computers in the store, I'll likely buy them both there.

I've been waiting a long time.

I plan on adding more memory and hard drives to the Mac Pro later.


Best Buy??? They usually have the worst prices except occasionally for specials. I use BB to look but never to buy. Maybe with their new Mac tie-in, they'll match the Apple store, but lower? I don't think so.

MacMall may be in no tax NH, I forget but they may not charge taxes. You should be able to determine on website. Something for you to consider since your final bill is going to be ~6k. Re memory and other upgrades, online offers good prices better than Apple.
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 36
4/16/07 at 12:06pm
Thread Starter 
I think you're missing the point.

I'm talking about the prices at the Apple Online store, and the Mac Mall Online store.

The price of the Mac Pro at the Mac Mall is about $300 cheaper than the Apple online store.

The Mac Mall also has a mail in rebate. The Apple store does not.

The online Apple store listed tax when I went to the shopping cart. The Mac Mall did not.

I just called my local Best Buy. They do NOT have any Macintoshes. I'm not surprised because it appears to be a very small store. I hadn't been able to visit them yet because I don't have a car.
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 36
4/16/07 at 12:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

I think you're missing the point.

I'm talking about the prices at the Apple Online store, and the Mac Mall Online store.

The price of the Mac Pro at the Mac Mall is about $300 cheaper than the Apple online store.

The Mac Mall also has a mail in rebate. The Apple store does not.

The online Apple store listed tax when I went to the shopping cart. The Mac Mall did not.

I just called my local Best Buy. They do NOT have any Macintoshes. I'm not surprised because it appears to be a very small store. I hadn't been able to visit them yet because I don't have a car.

Cool.Good luck. I thought you said you might buy at BB.
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 36
4/16/07 at 1:46pm
Quote:
MacMall may be in no tax NH, I forget but they may not charge taxes.

MacMall is not in New Hampshire, but Mac/PC Connection is (in fact, they are right down the road from me).

As for taxes, New Hampshire does not have any sales tax.
francism@mac.com
Reply
francism@mac.com
Reply
post #10 of 36
4/16/07 at 1:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

Maybe I'm missing something, but it appears I could save around $300 on a Mac Pro by buying from MacMall.

If you want something custom (like a different drive or more memory) you have to go through Apple.com. Be aware that once you order a modified Mac, it's YOURS. No returns unless its DOA. If you buy a stock Mac and it goes bad you can exchange it at your local Apple store.

If you buy from Apple.com, you can become a student (they don't check) and get a discount too.

If you buy from MacMall, the prices seem to be similar but they often throw in bonus software or hardware.

I'd buy with AMEX because they seem to back you up if something goes wrong. \
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 36
4/16/07 at 2:18pm
Thread Starter 
I'm looking at the various possibilities of where to buy my Mac(s).

I live in a small town of Maine, so my options for local stores are rather limited.

I thought of the new local Best Buy store since it is close. I called, and they don't carry Macs.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 36
4/16/07 at 2:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

I live in a small town of Maine, so my options for local stores are rather limited. I thought of the new local Best Buy store since it is close. I called, and they don't carry Macs.

I don't trust the Best Buys, Circuit Cities or CompUSAs anymore. I think they sell returned items or the stuff that is older than is being produced right now.

I bought from Apple.com and had my machine in two days.

Where are you in Maine? My family is from Oakland!
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 36
4/16/07 at 2:51pm
Thread Starter 
I'm in Lewiston, about 50 miles from Portland.
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 36
4/16/07 at 2:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

I'm in Lewiston, about 50 miles from Portland.

My cousins live in Scarborough now. I love Oakland. I know all the fishing holes on Messalonskee.

Buy from Apple.com (through their educational link).
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 36
4/16/07 at 4:48pm
Thread Starter 
I'm not originally from Maine... I don't know the areas you're talking about. I pretty much hang out in my area.

I'm leaning toward the Apple site now, and trying to moderate my impulses a bit.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 36
4/17/07 at 7:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

I'm not originally from Maine... I don't know the areas you're talking about. I pretty much hang out in my area.

You've got to get out more.
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 36
4/17/07 at 9:01am
Thread Starter 
Yes, you're right.
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 36
4/17/07 at 5:40pm
My last 2 major purchases were made at the local Apple Store and Apple's website. When buying Apple stuff I only deal with HQ.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 36
4/17/07 at 6:15pm
Retailers like MacMall usually throw in shitty deals like, "Buy a mac and we will give you a FREE PRINTER!! OMG!"

What they don't tell you is that these "free" printers have tiny ass ink cartridges which you have to pay through the nose to replace every time they run out. LAME.
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 36
4/18/07 at 6:44am
Thread Starter 
I just ordered my 24" iMac with 2 GB RAM, and a 500 GB hard drive.

I'm so excited.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 36
4/18/07 at 7:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

I just ordered my 24" iMac with 2 GB RAM, and a 500 GB hard drive.

Sweet! That is a nice animal there!
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 36
4/18/07 at 7:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

I just ordered my 24" iMac with 2 GB RAM, and a 500 GB hard drive.

I'm so excited.

Congrats! Apple ,Mac Mall or other?

Quote:
Originally Posted by icfireball View Post

Retailers like MacMall usually throw in shitty deals like, "Buy a mac and we will give you a FREE PRINTER!! OMG!"

What they don't tell you is that these "free" printers have tiny ass ink cartridges which you have to pay through the nose to replace every time they run out. LAME.

Icy, I rarely ever print to paper anymore. Except for days like yesterday (IRS day), almost everything gets printed to a PDF file. Saves a lot of trees, no need to pay for overpriced ink cartridges and reduces clutter.
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 36
4/18/07 at 7:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfe2211 View Post

Icy, I rarely ever print to paper anymore. Except for days like yesterday (IRS day), almost everything gets printed to a PDF file.

You use Acrobat or something else?
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 36
4/18/07 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KiNGME View Post

You use Acrobat or something else?

Acrobat Writer on the Wintels, built in PDF printer on the Mac. Recently, I've been using the PDF function in Papers , a great little Mac App for us scientists.
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 36
4/18/07 at 7:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfe2211 View Post

Acrobat Writer on the Wintels, built in PDF printer on the Mac. Recently, I've been using the PDF function in Papers , a great little Mac App for us scientists.

There's a BUILT IN PDF printer on my MacBook Pro?! COOL!
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 36
4/18/07 at 7:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KiNGME View Post

There's a BUILT IN PDF printer on my MacBook Pro?! COOL!

Yeah King, it's a Mac! Despite the lack of software for Macs, you don't have to fork out $100 for Acrobat writer as you do on an XP Wintel.
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 36
4/18/07 at 7:49pm
Thread Starter 
I ordered the computer from the Apple store.

It's the 24" iMac with 2 GB of RAM, 500 GB hard drive.

I've already ordered 2 Fantom 500 GB external hard drives (Firewire) to go with it.

I want plenty of room for my projects.
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 36
4/18/07 at 7:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

I ordered the computer from the Apple store.

It's the 24" iMac with 2 GB of RAM, 500 GB hard drive.

I've already ordered 2 Fantom 500 GB external hard drives (Firewire) to go with it.

I want plenty of room for my projects.

Cool. Welcome to the party.
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 36
4/18/07 at 10:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

It's the 24" iMac with 2 GB of RAM, 500 GB hard drive. I've already ordered 2 Fantom 500 GB external hard drives (Firewire) to go with it.

1. Welcome back from the dark side!
2. Can I borrow your bank account for a while?! You definately have more cash than I have and you need!

Quote:
Originally Posted by lfe2211 View Post

Yeah King, it's a Mac! Despite the lack of software for Macs, you don't have to fork out $100 for Acrobat writer as you do on an XP Wintel.

Actually, I think it's more. A few months ago I bought a PDF writer (that actually lets you edit a PDF file) for something like $89 and I thought it was a bargain.
Reply
Reply
post #30 of 36
4/19/07 at 9:31am
FYI, if you purchase products from online stores, they dont charge sales tax inless they are in your home state or if they have any outlets in your state. Techincly you are supposed to clam this on your tax return but I dont think most states have anyway of finding out or dont care if its not a substantal amount of money.

Apple charges sales tax online because they have outlets (Apple Stores) in almost every state. If your state doenst have an Apple Store, then they cant charge you sales tax.
Reply
Reply
post #31 of 36
4/19/07 at 9:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacSuperiority View Post

FYI, if you purchase products from online stores, they dont charge sales tax inless they are in your home state or if they have any outlets in your state. Techincly you are supposed to clam this on your tax return but I dont think most states have anyway of finding out or dont care if its not a substantal amount of money.

Apple charges sales tax online because they have outlets (Apple Stores) in almost every state. If your state doenst have an Apple Store, then they cant charge you sales tax.

Apple can charge sales tax if they aren't in your state, but they cannot be required to do so unless they do have a presence.

Use tax is required for out of state purchases that aren't charged sales tax, but as you say, it is hard to enforce. As such, my state has a very low cost amnesty program so you aren't asked to track the items under $1000 each. I am supposed to declare use tax for items over $1000, but outside of a car, which is taxed on title transfer instead, that issue hasn't come up yet for me.
Reply
Reply
post #32 of 36
4/19/07 at 10:29pm
Go to Alaska!

No Sales tax!

W00t!
Reply
Reply
post #33 of 36
1/19/09 at 11:13pm
.... No spamming ....
Reply
Reply
post #34 of 36
8/24/09 at 6:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soul_Survivor View Post

my 24" iMac with 2 GB RAM, and a 500 GB hard drive.

didn't realize Apple still had any refurbs after all this time.



Quote:
Originally Posted by KiNGME View Post

There's a BUILT IN PDF printer on my MacBook Pro?! COOL!

in Tiger if you do print preview it uses PDF and you can do a save as to keep a copy. or in leopard there's a 'save as PDF' function in the print window
Reply
Reply
post #35 of 36
8/24/09 at 7:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna View Post

in Tiger if you do print preview it uses PDF and you can do a save as to keep a copy. or in leopard there's a 'save as PDF' function in the print window

Yes, it's very nifty. It really cuts down on paper use and improve organization, or at least make it easy to find.
Reply
Reply
post #36 of 36
8/25/09 at 6:18am
Going to your site and clicking on the following button sends me to the Apple Store which tells me that the price is the same as if I didn't activate the "Activate Button". I see no "storewide coupons and promo codes." What's the trick here?

Activate Coupon
8% Off + Free Shipping
Up to 8% Discount for Students, Teachers with Free Shipping
ADS
Reply
ADS
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Current Mac Hardware
AppleInsider › Forums › Mac Hardware › Current Mac Hardware › Buy at Apple Store, or MacMall?