Has anybody ever purchased a used laptop? (ie fs/t)

[Ns1]

Experiences? Would you do it again?

 

[her209]

Depends on the condition and age and price.

 

[LivinLaVivaPollo]

I bought mine refurbed from Ubid. It's tough because you are bound to get dead pixels. My vaio had one on arrival, which wasn't too bad. I have a lithium ion battery in it too, which at least to my knowledge is memory free and should at least hold a decent charge, but instead it drops in chunks of 20% every couple of minutes. It also doesn't wake up from standby mode correctly. But hey, every case is different. I'd say since laptops are so cheap now, just keep an eye out for one of those HP deals with the multiple rebates and score a new 500 dollar laptop for the peace of mind. Good luck brother.

 

[SlowSS]

I bought a used laptop (Dell) for my 13 year old niece couple of months ago. It was in a great shape and works great.

I don't know if I would do it again or not, not because i had a bad experience or anything, I like to buy new stuff,

especially when it comes to my kids. My daughter who will turn 13 years old in April will get a new laptop.

 

[amdskip]

I bought one in fs/trade. Turned out it was different than advertised and very frustrating. I got it all straightened out but it was a pita.

 

[Staples]

No but I'd trade my perfect condition Vaio GRX 16" for an equivelent (in specs) Dell Inspiron 4150. If you buy a laptop, don't buy a 16" because they are huge.

 

[compudog]

I bought a used one on eBay for a client. She is thrilled with it. I had to load the OS (Win98) because it came blank. It was a Compaq with a P-II 400, 4.3 gig and 128MB. It works perfect for what she does (uses it on the road, she's a traveling vet) and then copies the stuff across her LAN to the office PCs. I would buy a used one again if the conditions were right.

 

[RossMAN]

Depends on what type of laptop you're getting, what's your price range?

I have seen BRAND NEW laptops anywhere from $299 to $1,500 in the Hot Deals forum.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

I've purchased 3 used laptops - each was as described. Just make sure you ask the seller SPECIFIC questions about the condition of the laptop, what's wrong with it, etc and you won't get burned/not get what you expected.

 

[Siddhartha]

I have bought three used IBM Thinkpads on ebay.
1st laptop: It came with an one year warranty which was handy because the LCD developed a defect after I had the computer for two months. The vendor fixed it without any issues. Lesson: buy from a vendor that has a good ebay reputation and offers a warranty.

2nd laptop: Bought a laptop with a detached spacebar. It was about $50 cheaper than a similar laptop in pristine condition. I ended up spending $120 replacing the keyboard. Lesson only buy a pristine laptop with a warranty.

3nd laptop: A pristine laptop with three year warranty. Lesson it cost more but it was the best way to go.

 

[dxkj]

I have bought two in the past on this forum, would do it again if i needed a new one

 

[Swanny]

I bought mine in FS/FT this summer. It was pretty new, only about a year old. I'm very happy with it.

 

[PushHands]

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH
I've purchased 3 used laptops - each was as described. Just make sure you ask the seller SPECIFIC questions about the condition of the laptop, what's wrong with it, etc and you won't get burned/not get what you expected.

Bingo! Take the time to communicate as much of the details before any payment or items are shipped as well as determine the credebility of the person you're trading with. I've bought about 12 laptops from the FS forum

 

[Ns1]

eh lookin for ~600 preferably

speed doesn't relaly matter, just needs 512 ram (of course i can install taht myself)

has to run aim, office, and 11 IE windows

don't really want the HD laptops because i don't want to wait for the rebates

 

[murphy55d]

I have gotten 2 laptops from the FS/T forum, and also traded one. Both experiences were very positive. No complaints at all.

 

[OS]

laptops are one of those things I wouldn't buy used because the batteries have limited charge cycles, they go pretty fast and they're not cheap either.

I'd just find a way to foot more money upfront to get an HD laptop.