MAC.BID - Akron — Local services in Akron

BUYER BEWARE. Some things may be a deal, but there are a lot of problems here that are growing worse with time, not better.

If you're buying more expensive stuff, that buyer's fee gets pretty pricey pretty quick. Sometimes it turns a good deal into a bad one. Keep an eye on the price. But overall, for small items, it is definitely worth it.

The more we use it we have definitely had some issues with unreported damage or missing parts. I now try to shop only for Like New items for the most part.

And yes, you can get the membership and then you get a free return each month. But if you buy a significant amount, you will definitely have cause to return more than one item a month. So you decide which items you want to eat the cost of and which one do you want to try to get your money back on.

And yes, they say to inspect it before you buy. That's a great cop out. Unless you live right next door, are you going to drive 40 minutes each way to go and look at something? If it's big bucks then yes, but not for every little thing. So that's how they get you there. Because they know you don't have time to make countless trips to discover what they should have reported and didn't. And I'm talking about damage that is significant, blatant and obvious if you open the carton. They are SUPPOSED to be opening the carton and inspecting. But we have bought numerous things now that have had damage significant enough to make the item unusable. And others may technically be usable, but the damage is so bad that you wonder about the safety. It's getting rarer to get accurate reporting of dented/crushed items, damaged wood, etc.

And finally yes, you can buy the insurance to make sure you get your money back, but that is some EXPENSIVE insurance. You will end up out of pocket so much money- like A LOT of money - that you might as well just go by new. In the long run, you will end up paying a lot for the insurance to return items that they SHOULD have disclosed were defective or missing parts before the auction and you will be out all that money for nothing. Why should you have to pay them because they failed to do their job and accurately report the condition of the item? If they failed to report it correctly, the return should be free.

They are also getting worse about posting things as open box and mentioning the damage in the description. It should be listed as damaged, not open box, if there is damage.

I hope that they work out the kinks because this is a great idea, especially from an environmental standpoint. But for now, it is very much a BUYER BEWARE situation. And if you can't check it ahead of time - which is tremendously unreasonable for most people - then assume that it will be damaged, defective or missing parts (even if it doesn't say that in the description) and bid accordingly.

If you only shop for small items and pay small amounts, you won't be out so much money if you end up buying defective junk. Use caution and just bid what you wouldn't mind losing if it turns out to be broken, which is very little for most people. With the auction fee and buyers premium, every dollar item comes out to nearly $5. So even if you get it for a dollar, ask yourself if you're OK throwing away $5 on it if it turns out to be unusable. And how many $5 bills do you want to lose?

Like I said, BUYER BEWARE. But occasionally you can still score something useful, especially if you don't mind it being a scratch/dent item.

ETA: I read your reply. But if you read .y review, you'd know that not one thing you replied about changed the truth of what I spoke to. I am aware of your policies and how they have changed over time as well as how they protect you, but not so much the buyer. I am pointing out the issues for the buyers who may not be familiar with your company. We have been buying with MAC Bid for many years. But there are changes and missed bits of information that are growing worse. Over time, I expect these kinks to grow better, not worse. My reduced review is specifically because the problems have grown...

I started investigating M@C Discount (M@C Bid) after a friend sold me an open box item that he paid $15 for, sold to me for $30 and cost retail $150. I did my due diligence and checked out the BBB, any number of websites referencing the company and decided to take a chance on bidding on a few small items at auction. I also bought the monthly membership as they make transfers to my local Akron warehouse from 4 other locations free of charge on those items that are transfer-eligible (not everything is, so pay attention!) They also give you 1 free return no questions asked, on a rolling monthly date ( example, October 15th to November 14th). You can also purchase no-fault return assurance on almost all items for $5 each. I won some auction bids (remember, you are buying, not winning!) and then had some questions that weren't in the FAQ's on their website. I called after their opening hours at 10 AM and got the auto attendant hold, and about 30 seconds later Stephanie answered and (after I asked) she told me I was calling their offices in South Carolina. I proceeded to ask my questions and she explained everything to my satisfaction, and even helped me to set up some shortcuts on the website, like auto-transfers and pickup locations. She was genuinely helpful and kind. I have since called back 2 more times and talked with Julie and Angela, and to my surprise each call was as enjoyable as the first. My next step was to go to the warehouse, and I was gratified to find that the people there were also very helpful, courteous and pleasant to work with. I want to personally thank Barry, who works at check-in, Olori who works in returns, Tyree, who works in protected pickup, Jermaine and Ray, who work in check-out, one young lady whose name I didn't ask but who has the biggest smile and the kindest attitude, and the manager Kevin. There are several more kind people who gave me their full attention and service when I needed it, and whose name I hope to yet learn. I cannot stress how friendly and helpful all of these folks have been to me, and I have now been at that location on 6 occasions, all of which have been excellent experiences. I also have had occasion to pick up at the Warren, Boardman, Butler and Canton locations, all of which was peopled with the same like-minded demeanors as I found in Akron. This "coincidence" can be no accident, and reeks of a service oriented, people first corporate culture that cannot be feigned or counterfeited. I have now purchased almost 300 separate items, bought and returned about 10% as damaged or missing parts (with the Buyers Assurance) and inspected another 20% pre-auction that I passed on due to the same reasons (their disclosures give you fair warning that open box can mean damaged or missing parts so Caveat Emptor!) So far I have spent about 5k, realized about a 62% savings average over retail, and made about 33% profit average on items I re-sold so far ( and I expect those averages to go up since I started buying higher priced items). Those are significant numbers and I believe that they can be duplicated by anyone who knows how to comparison shop, has a great deal of self control (this site is not for those with poor impulse control, and you know who you are ;-) , knows what can and can't be resold easily, and who has some discretionary time and money to invest. I would also recommend this business to anyone who is looking to purchase specific items for personal consumption, as you can search for what you want to get some UH-mazing deals, if you have the time and patience! A heartfelt thank you goes from me to everyone in the SC office and the Akron warehouse, as it has truly been an enjoyable experience to work with all of you. You will be hearing from or seeing...

Do not use them. They are a fraudulent company and scam artists. They mark everything “open box” and then bury in their verbiage “we don’t inspect open box items”. You will get the wrong item for sure and they will do nothing to help you fix it. I bought a video game. Clearly states Mario kart game. Pick it up. Case is empty. Will they help? No. It was “open box” so they didn’t inspect it. Had no problem advertising it as a game tho. Bought an appliance. $200 unit. Pick it up. It’s a $50 off brand version of the appliance. Both listings had photos of the wrong promised item. Both listings had links to research the item and it took you to an Amazon listing of the item you think you are buying and then they scam you. You pick up and it’s the wrong item or the item is missing. This is complete fraud. I’ve reported to the BBB and the attorney generals office. There is no way they aren’t either knowingly advertising an expensive nice item and then switching it out on you or the employees are taking small things like games knowing MAC bids won’t do anything to help the customer. At the very least, they know they have something cheap and they advertise it as something nicer to make more then screw you. Don’t buy. Fun to give your kid Mario kart that he’s been asking for and he opens it and...