Check these six things before you pay.

A fair price is only half of a good used Mac. Ask the seller for each of these. It works the same for every model on this site.

• Find My is off

  Ask for a photo of the Find My screen showing it turned off, taken while the Mac is online. A listing that says iCloud locked or activation lock can be a paperweight.

• About This Mac matches the title

  The chip, memory, and storage in a photo of About This Mac should match the title. Sellers mix up 8GB and 16GB, and memory cannot be added later.

• Ask for the battery cycle count

  The path is System Settings, Battery, Battery Health. Under a few hundred cycles is healthy on a machine from the last three years. A 2020 or 2021 MacBook over about 1,000 cycles should be cheaper. Apple rates these batteries for about 1,000 cycles.

• Skip parts and too-cheap listings

  Walk away from titles with for parts, cracked, as-is, or logic board. A price far under the usual range on the model page is a reason to read harder, not a reason to rush.

• Prefer a seller who takes returns

  eBay’s Money Back Guarantee covers items that are not as described. A return window makes the battery gamble smaller.

• Check for a management profile

  A school or company Mac can stay enrolled in device management. Ask for System Settings, General, Device Management. You want that screen empty.