how would you gauge if a pc part is worth buying on ebay?

[thespeakerbox]

Would you price against the lowest used price on ebay or against new parts at newegg then subtract a %.

Im trying to build a pc as cheap as i can.

 

[KarenMarie]

i would look at the Anandtech For Sale/Trade forums... and ZZF to gauge what new and used should go for.

 

[tfinch2]

I'd rather flush money down the drain than buy a pc part on ebay with no warranty.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
I'd rather flush money down the drain than buy a pc part on ebay with no warranty.

that's an excellent time-saving suggestion.

Besides the usual eBay fraud,

CPUs, RAM, motherboards, videocards can all have hidden damage from overclocking attempts and from using nonstandard HSFs.

CPUs and video cards can be re-marked, running overclocked just to meet the faked stock speed.

 

[DVK916]

Ebay is full of scam, spend $100 on a Mobo think you save money, and open a the box to find a phone book, and you out $100. For expensive things never use ebay.

 

[LeadMagnet]

go to pricewatch.com and buy a barebone system (case, motherboard, cpu, PS) and then use the DEAL SITES for the rest of the components.

 

[fire400]

Originally posted by: DVK916
Ebay is full of scam, spend $100 on a Mobo think you save money, and open a the box to find a phone book, and you out $100. For expensive things never use ebay.

well said

 

[Coquito]

There's always a few complete sysyems for sale in fs/t. Usually by very desperate sellers. It's not nice, but they do get pretty flexible when they need money.

 

[thehstrybean]

AT FS/T, epinions.com (for lowest prices), pricewatch (not my fav, but it works), and ZZF FTW!
I never buy PC parts off eBay. I bought my Antec Aria for a good price, but it took 2 weeks to get to me, so it wasn't worth it.
Now I use it for Electronics (just bought a Garmin GPSMap 60 last week), and I always make sure the seller has 99%-100% feedback and is a small seller (not a wholesaler) who offers a good return policy.