methodology · receipts
How we measure alert latency.
RefurbSitter timestamps two moments for every alert: when a matching Mac is detected in Apple's refurbished store, and when the alert leaves our system. The gap between them is the latency we publish. On June 1, 2026 that gap was 32 seconds for a 64GB Mac Studio.
As far as we can find, no other Apple-refurbished alert tool publishes measured detection-to-delivery latency. This page is how we hold ourselves to the claim.
What “alert latency” means
Latency is the time from detection to dispatch. Detection is the moment a config matching your watch appears in Apple's refurbished store and we record it. Dispatch is the moment the alert leaves our system on the channels you turned on.
We publish the detection-to-dispatch gap because that is the part we control. We do not count the time a push or email then spends in transit on a carrier, inbox, or device, because that varies by network and is out of our hands.
How RefurbSitter watches Apple's store
RefurbSitter polls Apple's official US refurbished store continuously. Configs that someone is actively watching get re-checked on a faster lane than the broad catalog sweep, so a watched Mac is noticed quickly when it appears.
It is read-only. RefurbSitter never signs in to Apple, never touches a cart, and never buys. When a match fires, the alert links you straight to Apple's product page so you check out yourself, on apple.com.
Free vs. priority dispatch
Paid watches dispatch on a priority queue, in under a minute after detection. Free watches are best-effort and follow about 15 minutes later. The detection step is the same for both; the difference is queue priority on dispatch.
For scarce high-memory configs that can sell out in minutes, that queue priority is the point of the paid tier.
The receipts
We publish receipts we can verify, with exact timestamps. One today; more as we log them.
receipt 01
June 1, 2026
We publish one verified receipt rather than claim 32 seconds always happens. A competing refurb monitor's email for the same Mac arrived about an hour later, and these configs can sell out in minutes.
Questions.
How fast is a RefurbSitter alert?
On a paid watch, the alert leaves our system in under a minute after a matching Mac is detected. Free watches are best-effort and follow about 15 minutes later. Our one published receipt, from June 1, 2026, measured 32 seconds from detection to dispatch.
How do you measure latency?
We timestamp two moments: when a matching config is detected in Apple's refurbished store, and when the alert is dispatched from our system. Latency is the gap between them. It does not include delivery time on the carrier or device, which we cannot fully control.
Do you guarantee I get the Mac?
No. RefurbSitter sends a faster, timestamped alert and a direct Apple link. Refurbished stock is first-come, first-served and can sell out before checkout. The alert is the promise, not the purchase, and every checkout happens on apple.com.
Why publish receipts at all?
Because speed claims are easy to make and hard to verify. We publish receipts we can stand behind, with exact timestamps, rather than claim a number always happens. We publish one verified receipt today and add more as we log them.
Get the timestamped alert.
Two watches are free, no card. Set the exact Mac you want and RefurbSitter sends the alert, with the receipt, the moment it appears in Apple's refurbished store.
Start watching free