When buying used you never know what could be wrong. It could range from honestly looking to sell the laptop fast to it going through Hurricane Katrina and being completely unusable. It could also range from being stolen to the seller not actually having the product in the first place. Basically, anything could happen. The goal is to be as careful as possible. Some general tips include:
* Stick with sellers who have high feedback ratings over a substantial period of time. Someone who joined last week and sold 10 items may or may not be legitimate...too short of a time frame to get a good feel or receive accurate feedback.
* Always inquire about the person's 'return' policy. If they say no refunds or as is chances are they know it's in bad shape and won't last long, if at all. A 30-day return policy is usually standard on Ebay.
* Whenever possible, use Paypal. If the seller accepts Paypal and is in 'good standing,' Palpay will offer buyer's protection on the item. If the product arrives DOA or otherwise does not live up to the dealer's claims, Paypal will reimburse part or all of your bid and then fight to get it back from the seller.
* Be willing to pay more if the product is in its original unopened box and/or it still has a full manufacturer's warranty remaining. The more security the product is in new condition, the better, and being able to return it to the manufacturer down the road is always a plus.
In short, it's a calculated risk you take when buying used electronics. Be as careful as you can, always follow the above tips, and never spend more than you're willing to lose. If you can't take the risk of the laptop being damaged spend the extra and buy new. Remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true it probably is.
Regards,
John
i am about to buy a laptop and i have been looking at Ebay but the one thing i would like to know is how can they sell these dell laptops so darn cheep what is wrong with them
i was going to order one from dell, but it gets so expensive. some one please help me decide if i should try ebay or dell
ebay is selling them for 200.00 to 600.00 at lest the ones i want
someone please help me figure out what to do
thanks
j

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