Overpriced Mac minis eBay was flooded In light of the lack of commercially available machines that have become a viable means of running AI models on a device like OpenClaw.
this week, reports The $599 base model M4 Mac mini with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is sold out on Apple’s retail site, with no shipping or in-store pickup options. The deficiencies have been there ever since extended to other configurations of the base model regardless of the selected memory size. This is the first time that the basic model has sold out points of sale noted. Meanwhile, models with higher storage (512 GB and above) can only be shipped from June.
As a result, eBay became a secondary market for these highly sought-after computers. The site sells various configurations of the M4 Mac mini for a higher price than buying directly from Apple, which is no longer an option.
Apple’s energy-efficient Mac minis have become popular devices for testing and running AI models at home. OpenClaw crazy, but now extends to OpenClaw alternatives like ZeroClaw, to other AI tools from Anthropic and OpenAI, Confusion Computer, or else specialized domestic models. Unlike some PCs, Mac minis also run silently and are more reliable for 24/7 use than laptop computers.
The scarcity of devices also comes with it an industry-wide memory shortage and plans to upgrade the Mac mini Bloomberg. However, updating product lines has not previously caused shortages.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This perfect storm of supply chain stress and increased demand for AI-enabled machines has driven up the prices of used consumer electronics.
As of Friday morning, base M4 models with the 16B RAM/256GB SSD configuration were selling for $715 to $795 for a new, “open box” model, and $979 for a “premium” refurbished version. Some “slightly used, used” Mac minis with this configuration were selling for around $700 — $100 more than the price of a new base model.
There was also a single listing for the new $925 M4 Mac mini with the same 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage; list was warned in bright red text: “The last one.”
Although you can still get a reasonably priced repair if you’re careful (or win an eBay auction where the bidding starts at a lower price point), it looks like demand for the device will keep prices down until Apple’s supply chain is updated.
Now that the Mac mini is no longer available, Apple is also seeing increased demand for Mac Studio. That is the computer it is now sold in several configurations.
as Ars Technica noted that you can still get MacBook Pros with 128GB of RAM and larger SSDs in a few weeks, and even the new and popular MacBook Neo will still ship in 2-3 weeks. This suggests that the real problem is consumer demand for the Mac mini itself.
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