Mac BidReviews 144

I have had more negative things to say than I should. A lot of the items i noticed when researching them have a higher price than what they actually are in store. Things I buy that say like new are broken or missing parts. A pack of t-shirts that said like new had slices in them. Most recently I used the instant win on 2 items. Both time it took the money from my account but then kept the item up for bid and I needed up not getting the item. I'm sick of spending hard earned money on crap. I may as well just buy it brand new from the store at full price.

I strongly advise against purchasing pallets from Mac.Bids. The items are primarily broken Amazon returns or incomplete products that belong in a dumpster. I wasted both time and money dealing with what turned out to be essentially garbage.

Over the past year I have purchased over 100 items from Macbids so I do have some experience with the company and have picked up at 6 different locations. First off, most of the employees are kids doing warehouse work and it shows. If you are going to buy anything here, study the photos as best you can to see what you are buying. Here's a quick example of one auction where I was bidding for a paper shredder that had a couple of low quality photos. I could clearly see that the factory box was in good shape but the picture looking down into the box showed plastic wrap and little else. Luck was on my side (maybe) because I won the auction and with the costs and fees I had less than 20 bucks into a 200 dollar shredder. The warehouse was 35 minutes away but still worth it to me. I picked it up, brought it home and set it next to my desk while I got my razor knife. Upon opening the box, I was the proud owner of a 200 dollar "baby Breville"! Yes, a 62 year old bachelor can always find a use for a baby bottle maker. Let that be a lesson to their self description about how hard they work to look at each item to determine its condition, that's a joke. Another time I bought a 60" vanity top with a single bowl sink. It was at the Pittsburgh Mills location so I had to drive an hour for it. When I got there and they wheeled it out it was broken into 3 big pieces and looked nothing like the picture. I got a so called manager who gave me a hard time because I didn't buy the "insurance" and he didn't think I should get a refund. He told me that he had to throw people out the day before for causing problems in the warehouse. They will let you inspect the items before you bid and if you are 5 minutes from the warehouse with plenty of time, you could walk the warehouse to inspect items. Without a employee watching over potential bidders we all know what will happen. At least on ebay you can see many pictures of the items you want and are guaranteed your money back if the item is not what was in the pictures. I am one of those people who can fix anything and don't mind if I have to do a little work to repair something. The deals are only good if you walk away happy so be fully prepared for a nightmare. Or you can just pay the extortion fee to be able to return the item. THAT IS PURE PROFIT FOR THEM!

Although Mac.Bid terms are somewhat transparent, use a calculator before bidding! Remember to calculate the final winning price+15% buyers premium + $3 lot fee+ Sales tax= Final Cost. So, if an item sells for $10, you will be paying $15.91 (TN). That's a 159% of the winning bid.

Out of the 5 items I won, only 1 was usable. All others were either badly used or missing parts. It appears if you can't take buyers insurance on an item, most likely it's in bad shape. I was allowed 1 courtesy return and when I returned the item and told them the issue, I was told the workers are new and that item should have been put on a pallet sale? It's obvious they just try to auction anything they can with the expectations that most people won't personably review the items. WTF

9 out of 10 things are broken, missing parts, unusable. They literally take your money and have you take their trash. There is no regulation so they purposely try to trick you into thinking the stuff you buy is good when it isn't. It's almost all junk.

Please be advised that Mac Bid does NOT honor their Membership Return Policy - even if the items are broken, missing pieces, listed incorrectly, or not described properly. It took 10 days for customer service to get back via email. Customer Service is terrible. Monroeville location employees are super disrespectful.

I have bought quite a few items from Mac Bid on their Turbo Auctions and had them shipped to me. They have shorted me on a couple of orders, they sent the wrong items one time, and sent items worth way less than what I paid for. They don't send you tracking numbers or tell you when your items are shipped, so you can't manage the deliveries, and to top it all off, their customer service is non-existent. They don't answer the phone, they don't call back when you leave a message and when you finally get through they tell you they are taking care of the issue and then nothing happens.
I've been waiting over two weeks for them to send the last several items on and order that they shorted me on. At my insistence, they gave me tracking numbers for the items to be shipped. I received those tracking numbers 15 days ago and the UPS tracking site tells me they have not yet received the items from the shipper. This is 15 days since they gave me the tracking numbers and nearly 5 weeks since the other items in the original shipment arrived. This is not the only issue with customer service. One of their options for reaching customer service is by email. I have sent them numerous emails and I have NEVER gotten a response. They are the worst!

I won 4 bags of dog food at Mac auction mesa az. I went to pick up and could only find one bag. Thaw manager issued a refund on the 3 bags not found. The auction will take the money from your account the day after you won! However they tell you it will take 7 to 10 days to get your money back. Total bs. Buyer beware of Mac auctions!

When you see a picture of your item in the "open box", you aren't necessarily seeing what you are getting. I bought a vacuum, that had enough tape on the box, that I couldn't have opened without a knife. Got home, opened the box, and found a vacuum easily 5 years old. It was filthy (no bag was ever used in the attached cloth bag), the handle was permanently broken off, and the cord was shredded and almost pulled out of the vacuum. Any and all of those issues would have been noticed while the box was open. I also bought a duffle bag, at almost the actual price of a new one after fees/tax were added on. (The retail listed was inflated compared to my looking which is why I bid a bit higher.) There is a decent sized tear in the fabric through an outside pouch that goes into the next 2 layers; the pull-up metal handle is completely broken off, and it has clearly been used as send-through luggage on many a flight because it's filthy. These are things that couldn't have been missed if anyone had even remotely looked. I know I could have paid another $7 per item for the assurance, but that can add up. I would have been much better off shopping at a yard sale where I could actually see the item and test it before leaving my few dollars there. I resent the fact that they are selling items that are clearly not usable with no disclosure. Open Box shouldn't be such a risk. Very disappointed and won't be going back.

Mac bid i guess is ok for purchasing small items. Big box. Not so much.
I won a bid a year ago on a piece of furniture. It was so damaged the employees went on there own to find a manager. They did refund the purchase.
One off. I get it. I went to pick up a bike the description said it was functional. It had No batteries and missing a tire. Ok they returned the money
Today I went to pick up a Dryer. They loaded a washer on my vehicle.It was listed as a dryer, Thats what I bid on. This is the last time i will be back.; Refunded the money I think since it was just a few hours ago.
You save a little money, most of the retail prices they state are when originally new and with there fees at the very best you get half off occasionally.
If you value your time.I would not recommend.
This will not be a verified review. I completely understand why they want me to fill out and post all this stuff to verify. Just curious if you just wasted 4 hours for nothing.Threw away your old dryer. And now have to go through verifying your experience.
Just thought Id share..

If you buy anything electronic, do not buy it without the insurance. I bought a $20.00 item and did not purchase the $7.00 insurance - and regretting it. The item does not work/does not light. Open Box- can mean opened and not functioning. I thought open box would assume it means it would be working. Not quite the deals they sell, if the item is broke. Buyer Beware.

If you're unfamiliar with "buying a pig in a poke" I suggest that you Google it because it describes Mac Bid perfectly. Most items are listed as "open box" which to many people means that the item was looked at, perhaps used once or twice, and then returned. But the definition of "open box" on the website says that it means the object is anywhere between "like new" and smashed into pieces. I bought an electric chainsaw that looked good in the photos but was heavily used. I got a ceiling light that was smashed. And you have no recourse unless it doesn't meet the description. A set of food storage bins was missing the lids and they allowed a return ONLY IF I HADN'T REMOVED IT FROM THE WAREHOUSE YET. On the other had I have gotten some brand new items still in the packaging. I'd strongly recommend you inspect higher priced items before you bid. You really are buying a pig in a poke.
You should also know they charge additional fees. Lot Fee - There is a $3 lot fee for each item, a
Buyers Premium - 15% of the final bid price, and Sales Tax. Finally there's a transfer fee of $5 if the object you'll be buying is located in a different warehouse than where you're picking up.

Employee rude bad service they close at 6pm I got there at 5:45pm Ruben (employee) told me we are close, event wen the sign shows 6pm close
I ask for supervisor he told me to contact customer service, i ask let me get the number he told me find it on line, employee walk in next to me and he laugh WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW
NOT RECOMMENDED

MAC,BID's on-line Bid process is deceptive because it hides the fact that mac.bid will charge a %15 "buyer's premium" charge on the winning bid.

In addition to the "Bid price", the "final cost" of the current winning bid should be shown on the "Bid Page" to make it clear to the bidder that they will be paying an additional "$3 Lot Fee" plus %15 in addition to their Bid.

I was bidding on a specific off white chunky knit throw - paid 39 $ for a crappy orange polyester blanket Didn't realize till I opened it at home Whomp - never again Mac bid

Selling and reselling JUNK. Knowingly overstating value of items in order to get higher bids. They sell items that a visibly broke. I'm hoping it catches up with them soon!

Carts are scarce, warehouses are stripped and dimly lit with ridiculously inconvenient hours and distant unless you happen to live near one were your item is located, otherwise expect a substantial "Tran$$$fer Fee".
There is no Actual distinction to between their Condition Codes labeled "Like New", "Open Box" and "Damaged". Almost everything I have purchased was damaged to some extent and often complete trash with no recourse or return.
By the time they finish with a universal $3 fee, tacking on an another 15% fee (?), a $7 and up-up-up buyer protection fee and a $5 and up-up-up transfer fee it becomes completely ridiculous to take the substantial risk on most items.
Pray your not used to Nordstrom's, because on top of the ridiculous cost escalations, travel and risk, the warehouse conditions are apocalyptic. Finding your item(s) and uncovering them from the mountain of debris is also an unpleasant adventure. Expect long arrival and parting lines.
In the end I am happy to pay for convenience, zero risk, a predictable fair deal with easy returns, no travel-delivered to my door and no lugging filthy boxes. Overall I rate my experience as poor and expensive.

I like mac bid. However, I purchased an item open box that was defective. I returned it stating it was defective under the insurance program. I paid $10 for the insurance. By all appearances, it was relabeled and resold as an open box item. It was an item that required hard wiring and solar to properly test. How many times can you sell a "reported defective" item and at least make $10 insuring it if not much more by selling a "reported defective" item as open box? I was told it would be listed as "damaged". This was not the case. This appears to be unethical.