4 Apple Products You Should Avoid Buying Used

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Apple's gadgets are considered some of the best in almost every category in which they exist, even though they're typically more expensive than alternatives. Apple's pricey nature is in part due to the company's high-quality standards, which are evident in the quality of both its hardware and software. If you want to get Apple's products for less, you can take advantage of our frugal electronic shopping tips. That way, you can acquire its devices without emptying your bank account. 

The most obvious way to get Apple products for less is by buying them used or refurbished. However, despite the potential savings that you will benefit from if you choose to go the used route, not every Apple product is worth buying used. There are certain Apple products that you shouldn't buy from someone else for various reasons, including repairability. If you'd like a more affordable way to get started in Apple's ecosystem, you can buy most of its products used, but avoid these four.

Easily some of the best earbuds that you can buy, the biggest drawback around AirPods is that they are expensive. The basic AirPods 4 retail for $129 (or $179 for the model with Active Noise Cancellation), while the more premium AirPods Pro 3 go for $249. Regardless of which model you're looking for, you shouldn't consider used AirPods for two reasons. The main reason is that Apple doesn't provide a way to check the battery health of AirPods. As a result, you have no way of checking how much the battery has degraded. If the battery health is poor, you might need a replacement soon after you buy them to listen to audio for longer without running out of charge. 

An AirPods battery replacement will set you back by $49 regardless of the model, which means you might spend a significant amount of the price you paid for the used AirPods just to replace the batteries. Additionally, the price difference between buying used and new AirPods might be less than you think. If you decide to buy used AirPods Pro 3, for example, you probably won't save more than $50 over buying new. That gap shrinks even further when you consider the regular discounts offered on new AirPods Pro 3 at Amazon.

If there's a device that people likely use the most and is exposed to more wear and tear, it's the Apple Watch. Since many users don't have a screen protector on their watch, and most don't put a case on it like they would a smartphone, finding a used Apple Watch that is still in pristine condition might be tough. The previous owner likely had it on their wrist every single moment of the day and even night (except when charging), to track all the health and fitness metrics that the watch supports. While wearing the watch so frequently, it's bound to pick up dents or scratches. The Apple Watch subreddit has dozens of posts of people complaining about scratching their watches, and this is enough proof that keeping the watch in mint condition is an uphill task. If you do decide to buy a used Apple Watch, you will likely get a device that isn't in the best condition.

Battery life is another reason you shouldn't buy a second-hand Apple Watch. Straight out of the box, the Apple Watch doesn't offer the best battery life, and, as a result, you might need to charge the device every single day. If you're buying an Apple Watch owned by someone else in the past, it will have worse battery health than a new one. Over time, you might need a battery replacement, which costs $99 for most Apple Watch models. When you consider this, you're better off buying a brand-new Apple Watch in pristine condition with no scratches and perfect battery health.

The Apple Pencil is another Apple product that you should also stay away from if you're shopping in the used market. The regular USB-C Apple Pencil costs $79, while the Pro version will run you down by $129. Buying one used might seem attractive at first, but you'll be making a mistake. The Apple Pencil has an internal battery, and because Apple doesn't provide a way to check the health of that battery, you can't know how long it'll last on a single charge. That means you may be disappointed to find out that the Apple Pencil you got for less doesn't hold power for long. 

The tip of the Apple Pencil might also need replacing, which is an extra cost. If you instead buy it directly from Apple, you won't have to worry about the battery or the tips for years — and the company offers free engraving as well. The last, and perhaps most important, point against buying a used Apple Pencil is the lack of repairability. In fact, Apple doesn't even list the stylus under its Product Service and Repair Information page. So if you're sold a faulty one for cheap, you wouldn't have a way out. That lack of repairability is a big concern because if something goes wrong, you have no way of bringing the accessory back to life.

The same risk applies to other Apple accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse, both of which have internal batteries and cannot be repaired. We advise against buying them used because of that, even though keyboards and mice don't get as much wear and tear as the Apple Pencil.

Apple switched to using in-house silicon processors in its laptops in 2020, launching new MacBook Air and Pro models powered by the M1 chip. Years later, you'll now find Intel-based MacBooks in the used market selling for a lot less, making them attractive for anyone on a tight budget. For example, while writing this article, we spotted a 15-inch MacBook Pro with 32 GB of memory and 1 TB of storage going for just $599 on eBay. That might seem like a steal considering Apple's expensive memory and storage upgrades, but Apple's M-series chips are way better than the Intel processors that powered older MacBooks. 

You should avoid used Intel-powered MacBooks because buying new is better. This is because Apple's laptops with M-series chips are more powerful, efficient, and run more quietly than Intel-based ones. If you want a cheap Apple laptop on a budget that offers more than enough performance for basic tasks, then you should consider the $599 MacBook Neo that is powered by an iPhone chip. However, if you need something more powerful, you can pick a used MacBook with an M-series chip. For example, the M2 MacBook Air can frequently be found between $500 and $600 new from official retailers — a much more compelling deal than the $599 Intel MacBook Pro.

Buying a used product is great for saving money, but certain devices expose you to additional risks. To compile this list, we based our selection on the price difference between buying new and used, the repairability of a product in case something goes wrong, and the cost to repair certain parts. Based on these three factors, you should avoid buying the listed Apple products from the used market because going brand-new is the best option.

We also added Intel-based Macs to our selection because they're old at this point and are very slow compared to laptops powered by Apple's in-house chips. We did so to ensure that no one would go on to buy these laptops in the used market.