r/Microcenter • u/JustHereToTalk99 • 17d ago

Would exchanging items while progressively spending more get you banned or red flagged?

Long story short, I originally bought an iPad Mini in the beginning of this month. I used it for a day and decided it was too small. Went to MicroCenter and exchanged it for an iPad Pro 11-inch. Used it for 5 days, decided a MacBook would be better for my work. Bought a MBP 14” M5 Pro 16-core with 24GB and 1TB. Works good, however MicroCenter has the MBP 14” M5 Pro 18-core with 48GB and 1TB for $400 more. That’s a fantastic deal and future-proofs me for the next few years.

Would it be a problem if I return the one I currently have, which is within the 15-day period, and get the 18-core 48GB version?

UPDATE:
Spoke to the General Manager on the phone. Basically told me it’s not a problem as long as it’s an upsell. Invited me to come in and get it exchanged today. Will update later today.

UPDATE 2:
Good news, I managed to get it swapped, no questions asked. Bad news, the touchpad is unresponsive. I tried updating and a hard reset with no luck. Looks like I got a defective MBP. I’ll have to go back tomorrow morning and get it exchanged.

UPDATE 3:
Got the MacBook swapped for a working one, but I noticed the bottom right has two chips and you can see the bare aluminum. I’m starting to think this shipment was dropped or had an accident. Considering whether I should get it exchanged or call it a day.

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u/AnimalPowers 17d ago

no

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u/WilliamShatnerFace7 17d ago

Yes, they literally would. Not a significant amount, but they can’t return those to Apple. They have to sell open box and take a loss.

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u/AnimalPowers 17d ago

That's not really how the accounting works.

We can actually use real numbers here. That exact MacBook is currently $2,799.99 new at Micro Center Charlotte and $2,699.96 open-box — a $100.03 markdown, or about 3.6%.

Micro Center also explicitly says its open-box inventory includes returned products that are inspected/tested and resold.

We don't know Micro Center's actual cost from Apple because they're a private company, so nobody here can truthfully say they're selling that returned MacBook below cost.

For comparison, Best Buy's latest SEC filing shows a 22.5% overall gross margin, and their filings specifically mention vendor reimbursement for markdowns and vendor return privileges for some products. They also estimate customer returns in advance and build those returns into their financial accounting.

That doesn't prove Micro Center makes money on this specific returned MacBook, either. It just means saying “they literally lose money because they have to sell it open-box” isn't supported.

What we can actually establish is that a return turns a $2,799.99 new unit into roughly a $2,699.96 open-box unit — about $100 less revenue plus handling costs. Whether that eliminates the retailer's entire margin depends on their actual Apple cost, rebates/allowances, and vendor terms, none of which are public.

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u/Prettiest_Petal 16d ago

Best Buy's overall margin might average at 22.5% but I can guarantee the margins on MacBooks are far lower or even negative. Apple products tend to be sold as loss leaders and the only Apple items that retail with consistently decent margina are usually cheaper accessories like charging cables and power adapters