How Apple and other manufacturers attack your right to repair their products
For 10 years, John Bumstead has had a small but profitable business buying old Apple laptops in bulk, refurbishing them by hand, and selling them to wholesalers or via Amazon.com for about $150.
They're good, working machines saved from obsolescence to bring the Apple experience to buyers who can't afford the company's super-premium prices. "I give these computers a second life," Bumstead told me from his home in Minneapolis.
But come Jan. 4, a big chunk of his marketplace will disappear. That's when Amazon will close off access to its website for unauthorized Apple resellers. They have limited options: Either try to obtain reseller authorization from Apple (not an easy process), or meet Amazon's specifications for sellers of refurbished merchandise, which include proof that they've sold $2.5 million in Apple goods to major retailers or wireless carriers over 90 days.
"The people who've been selling MacBooks or other Apple products are pretty much going to be cut
