Apple selling refurbished iPads, MacBooks, and iPods on eBay?
Using the name "refurbished outlet" the hardware giant could be selling used products in its own eBay store -- and some states don't have to pay taxes.
Maybe it's that Black Friday shopping time of year or maybe Apple is trying an experiment, but it appears that the company now may be selling its refurbished products on eBay.
According to 9to5Mac, which noticed the site a few weeks ago, the eBay store has been up for about a month, and many aspects of it exactly mimic Apple's Web store. For example, the refurbished products are the exact same price and come with the same perks as the Apple Store, like a one-year warranty, original OS, and "final quality inspection by Apple."
Operating under the guise of "refurbished outlet," this seller has a 99.7 percent approval rating and has received comments like, "Great product, awesome price, Apple backed warranty!! This rocks." Neither Apple nor eBay has confirmed that this is an Apple-run store on eBay, however.
As of now, 23 items are for sale in the store, including 15
One bonus 9to5Mac points out is that, unlike the online Apple Store, the eBay store only charges taxes in a few states, including California, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, and Texas, and Washington, D.C.
CNET contacted Apple and eBay for confirmation. We'll update the story when we get more information.