A surge in demand for Apple's compact Mac mini, fueled by its popularity as a local AI workstation, has led to widespread stock shortages and a flood of overpriced listings on eBay.
The base M4 Mac mini, priced at $599 with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, is sold out on Apple's official website with no pickup or delivery options. Shortages have now spread to other configurations, and higher-storage models (512GB and up) won't ship until June.
Apple's power-efficient Mac mini has become a go-to device for running on-device AI models like OpenClaw and its alternatives, driving unprecedented demand. As a result, resellers on eBay are capitalizing, offering various configurations at significant markups.
While the trend mirrors past shortages for popular hardware, the AI angle adds a new twist, positioning the Mac mini as an essential tool for developers and enthusiasts running local AI workloads.