M4 Mac Mini Shortage Drives eBay Markups Amid AI Demand
The base model M4 Mac mini, priced at $599, is currently out of stock on Apple's retail site, with no options for delivery or in-store pickup. Shortages have also affected other configurations of the base model, while models with higher storage (512GB and above) are set to ship starting in June. This marks the first instance of the base model being sold out. On eBay, new and open-box units are listed between $715 and $795, with refurbished models reaching up to $979. One brand-new unit was posted at $925, labeled as "Last one." The Mac mini's popularity for running AI models, combined with a memory shortage and anticipated refresh, has led to increased demand, resulting in the Mac Studio being sold out in various configurations. Apple has not commented on the situation.
Key facts
- $599 M4 Mac mini base model (16GB RAM, 256GB storage) sold out on Apple's retail website
- No delivery or in-store pickup options available for base model
- Shortages extended to other base model configurations regardless of memory
- Higher storage models (512GB and up) ship starting June
- eBay listings: new open-box $715-$795, refurbished up to $979, brand-new $925
- Mac minis popular for running on-device AI models (OpenClaw, ZeroClaw, Anthropic, OpenAI)
- Shortage coincides with industry-wide memory crunch and planned Mac mini refresh
- Mac Studio also sold out across several configurations; MacBook Pro and MacBook Neo still available
Entities
Institutions
- Apple
- eBay
- OpenClaw
- ZeroClaw
- Anthropic
- OpenAI
- Perplexity Computer
- Ars Technica
- Bloomberg