Macpreneur

7 Ways To Get Apple Gear For Your Solopreneur Business (Rebroadcast)

• Damien Schreurs • Episode 110

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In this episode, you'll learn about 7 effective ways to get Apple gear for your solopreneur business.

Video & show notes available at https://macpreneur.com/episode110

Highlights:

  • [00:00] Introduction
  • [01:01] Buying Directly from Apple
  • [04:17] Apple Premium Resellers
  • [06:26] Apple Authorized Resellers
  • [08:21] Amazon: An Authorized Reseller
  • [12:16] Exploring eBay for Apple Products
  • [13:02] Classified Ads and Local Options
  • [13:41] Leasing Apple Gear
  • [16:13] Summary
  • [17:08] August 2024 Contest
  • [17:56] Next and outro

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MP110 - 7 Ways To Get Apple Gear For Your Business (Rebroadcast)


Introduction

Are you about to buy new Apple gear but you're not sure where to find the best deals?

Today's your lucky day, as I will rebroadcast episode thirty-six, which originally aired on May 26, 2019, and covered 7 ways to get Apple gear for your business.

It's part of what I retroactively called Season 1, and I apologize in advance for the lower production quality.

Quoting Pat Flynn, one of my virtual mentors, "you've got to be cringe before they binge."

Stick around till the end as I will talk about the contest that is currently taking place during the month of August.

For now, let's jump into the DeLorean of Back to the Future, let's punch in May 26th, 2019, and as soon as the intro will be completed, enjoy a blast from the past.


Buying Directly from Apple

The first way to get Apple gear for your business is directly from Apple. In roughly 25 countries, they have a little bit more than 500 flagship Apple stores.

If I look at Wikipedia, in the top five, obviously, there is the US number one with a little bit more than 270 stores. Then number two is China, with a little bit more than 40 stores. Then we have the UK, Canada, and Australia.

They are only available in 25 countries. So if you're unlucky, like me in Luxembourg, to not have an Apple store, there is still an option to buy directly from Apple, and it is through the online store.

So from apple.com, and then you can choose your country. Then you are able to buy Apple gear and also through the iOS app that you can download for your iPhone and your iPad. Just log in with your Apple ID, and then you will be able to browse the Apple Store Catalog and order your device.

This is really great because it's available worldwide.

A big advantage of buying directly from Apple is that you have the ability to preorder devices. And I remember when the iPhone 8 Plus was launched, I was able to preorder it from my iPhone 6 at the time, from the Apple Store app on the iPhone.

And so a week later, I had my new iPhone 8 Plus with the capacity that I wanted in the color that I wanted just in time before doing a big trip to the US.

Another advantage of buying directly from Apple is that you have the most customization options and also, depending on the stock levels, it's one of the fastest deliveries you can get.

Another advantage, now we're talking about the flagship stores, the brick and mortar stores, is that if you're not sure which device you need or you'd like to buy, you have the possibility to talk with very well-trained Apple staff. So usually, you will find in those stores the people who know the best the Apple products and are among the best to give you advice.

You will hardly find deals; Apple doesn't do discounts except for students and the education market. So on new devices, you won't find flash sales, for instance, Apple doesn't do that.

What you can find, but only for some countries, is that you could find refurbished items. So if you scroll down from the apple.com website, you might see a refurbished section and there you will be able to buy refurbished iPhones, iPads, or Macs, obviously depending on availability.

So that's one way to get certified refurbished products at a low price.


Apple Premium Resellers

Next up, so number two to get Apple products is through an Apple Premium reseller.

They have been vetted by Apple and they get the same marketing material and devices as what they offer in flagship Apple stores. So it's the closest you can get to a genuine Apple experience. In Luxembourg, for instance, we have an Apple premium reseller.

And if you enter this kind of store, it's almost impossible to tell the difference between an Apple store and this one, except obviously that they have their own outfits. So, but when you look at the tables, the presentation of the products, and when you have big pictures on the walls, this is almost the exact replica of a flagship Apple store.

They can also sell third-party products and accessories, but they will not sell other computers or other smartphone manufacturers.

You can get limited deals depending on the stock that they have, but usually they have very little inventory because as a premium reseller, they actually order devices directly from Apple.

So they tend to have limited stock anyway.

Like Apple, they will offer discounts for the education market and for students, and you will also find discounts for accessories and other brands.

You have the same customization options as when you go directly through Apple, but the delivery time will be slightly longer than with Apple because the devices will ship to the store and then you will have to go to the store to pick up the device.

Now when you have the choice between different Apple premium resellers, I would say prefer one that is also an Apple authorized service provider because you will only have one shop to go to for both ordering or buying the device, but also for repairs.


Apple Authorized Resellers

Next up, we have number three. Now we have Apple authorized resellers.

The big difference with the premium resellers is that the authorized resellers are selling Apple products alongside many other brands, including computers and mobile devices.

The disadvantage is that they have limited staff who really know about Apple products. They may only have one or two people maximum in the store.

Additionally, the Apple products will not be as well displayed as they would be in Apple premium resellers or flagship stores. You will have limited customization options and will have to buy whatever they have in stock.

However, the advantage is that usually they have more deals, and bigger deals, than if you go with Apple or premium resellers. The reason is that they often need to get rid of old inventory. This is the time you should look for, as it is when you have the opportunity to get maybe the last generation device at a very interesting price with discounts ranging from 20 to sometimes 30 percent, which you will never get directly from Apple.

They also sometimes sell refurbished products, which also come with substantial discounts.

However, very few Apple authorized resellers are also Apple authorized service providers.

Therefore, you will need to find an Apple authorized service provider whenever you have an issue or need to get your device repaired.


Amazon: An Authorized Reseller

Okay, next up, number four, Amazon.

So technically speaking, Amazon is an Apple authorized reseller, but it only sells online, and Amazon cut a deal with Apple last November, actually.

And since that deal, only Apple authorized resellers can list Apple products on Amazon. This is a big change compared to previously. And the deal that Apple and Amazon have cut together is that actually Apple controls the way Apple products are displayed on Amazon.

So Amazon is actually displaying material that is coming directly from Apple, and it is very similar to what you see on the official Apple store.

The biggest advantage of buying from Amazon is that they offer really great discounts, even on newly released products. So at the time of recording, the 2019 MacBook Pro refresh is out and Amazon is already giving deals on them.

They did the same with the latest generation MacBook Airs and the latest generation iMacs. When they were out, immediately Amazon was offering discounts on them.

Now we have to pay attention because it's really, for me, the best option for devices that have limited to almost no customization options.

So, the iPhone, where you only have the storage capacity, iPad as well as Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods. This is, for me, the best option to buy a device.

Now for Macs, usually, they sell the entry-level model with the lowest amount of RAM. And what you can configure is the processor and the hard drive. And sometimes you don't have the full set of configuration options as you would from the Apple store.

So pay attention, you might not be able to find on Amazon the device that you actually want with the memory that you want, with the hard drive that you want, and so on.

Now, if the device that you're looking for is in stock, it's as quick as Apple, and it can even be quicker if you're an Amazon Prime customer.

The big disadvantage, of course, of Amazon is that they do not offer any repair or service options. So the same way that for other Apple authorized resellers is that you will need to contact Apple directly. If you have an Apple store nearby, or you will need to find an Apple authorized service provider near you whenever you have a hardware problem with your device.

Personally, I think that Apple is shooting itself in the foot by cutting this deal with Amazon because until then for me, the options outside the premium resellers or the flagship stores I would not have considered them. But now this is the first time that I'm actually really considering buying almost exclusively from Amazon, looking at the deals that Amazon is offering.

And also, we don't have the date yet, but sometimes mid-July, Amazon will have its Prime Day. It's a day where they do really usually colossal discounts and if you don't need an Apple device right now and you're listening to this episode around the July period in 2019, then I would say wait for Amazon Prime Day because you might actually find a really great offer from Amazon for an Apple product.


Exploring eBay for Apple Products

Okay. Number five. We cannot escape eBay. eBay is a major online platform like Amazon, available worldwide. You can find new, but also refurbished and used devices on eBay. The advantage of eBay is that you have the ability to find much less expensive devices.

The thing is, it's much riskier as well than the other options. So, pay very close attention to the seller's reputation. It's worth checking eBay, but in a business context, I would not recommend buying from eBay.

But still, I think it's important to know that it's a way to get Apple products.


Classified Ads and Local Options

Next up, number six, the classified section of your local newspaper. But you can also find dedicated websites. The most well-known, I would say, is Craigslist. But there are also other websites. A lot of local clones, I would say, of Craigslist everywhere.

What you will find there is mostly used devices. It's very rare that you will find brand new devices still in their sealed box and so on. Again, it's very risky, but it's worth checking, especially if you're not looking for a new device.


Leasing Apple Gear

And then number 7, the last one, and that's something that I think we tend to overlook, and I, I'm I've been overlooking it for a while. It's the leasing option.

So rather than buying a device for your business, you would sign a leasing contract. And the biggest advantage of the leasing option is that it offers better cash flow management. You only pay monthly, and that means that you don't have to get a big sum of money out of your business to buy devices.

This is especially interesting if you need to buy multiple devices at once. Usually, we're talking about a three-year contract, so keep that in mind. And a big advantage of the leasing option is that you have the possibility to upgrade your device at the end of the contract at no charge.

So you continue to pay your monthly fees. And three years after having used the device, boom, you can get a new one.

Another option is that you could buy at a, obviously a very, very small price, the device that you leased and you can get it at the end. The thing is, if you calculate how much it will cost, it will be more expensive than buying the device outright, but it usually includes support and maintenance.

So the leasing contract, if you select a good one, should actually cover any repair, any maintenance, and also, you should get phone support, email support, and sometimes even on-site support included in the price.

If this is an option that you'd like to consider, look for a company that allows you to customize the device as much as possible. Sometimes you're locked, you cannot change the memory, you can change, you cannot change the hard drive or the processor, but there are companies who give you many options and you can really fine-tune the device that you want to lease.

And also look in the contract whether when the Mac gets repaired that you get a loan Mac in the meantime, so this is also very useful.


Summary

So, to summarize, there are seven ways to get Apple gear for your business. 

First, you can purchase directly from Apple through a flagship store or their online store, which is available worldwide.

Second, you can visit Apple premium resellers, who offer an experience closest to the Apple genuine experience for countries or regions where there are no flagship stores.

Third, you can utilize Apple authorized resellers, where you will find better deals but no customization options.

One example of such an authorized reseller is Amazon. It is a special case as it only sells online, but you can find good deals there, especially on new devices.

Lastly, you can explore eBay classified ads and leasing options.


August 2024 Contest

Before concluding this episode, there's one more thing I'd like to mention.

If you're listening to this in August 2024, you have the chance to win a 1-hour Mac coaching call with me, worth two hundred dollars.

To participate in the prize draw, it's very simple. Rate and review Macpreneur in Apple Podcasts by visiting macpreneur.com/review.

This will direct you to the show page. Scroll down to the bottom where you will be able to rate and review the show.

Take a screenshot and send it to me by email. The address is damien(at)macpreneur.com.

You have until August 31st, 2024, at midnight Pacific time. Beginning of September, I will randomly select one of you and announce the winner. 

Once again, visit macpreneur.com/review.


Next and outro

In the next episode, I will rebroadcast Episode 45, which covered the three kinds of operating system updates on Apple Gear.

So, make sure to subscribe or follow this podcast to get it automatically next week. And until next time, I'm Damien Schreurs, wishing you a great day.

Thank you for listening to the Macpreneur Podcast. If you've enjoyed the show, please leave a review and share it with a friend right now.