Has anyone purchased a laptop/notebook on ebay? Did you end up regreting it?

Question

I'm interested in purchasing one but I'm affraid of loosing money

Answer 1

I bought one and the mouse cursor sometimes goes mad, only way to make it stop is to slightly bend the laptop. I only bought it as I repair full size PCs but never touched a laptop so I had to have one to play with. It was fairly cheap for what it is but was advertised as faultless (and with XP but instead it had NT,luckily I hate both and never intended to run either) so I guess someone else might see it as a rip-off, buying S/H is always a gamble but in the end it could have been much worse. Buying from eBay is MOST ALWAYS hit and miss so if you are not into taking things apart the best bet is to pay 3 times the money and buy new from a shop with a guarantee, then you have a place to go back to.

I have found that even when buying new it often works out that the people in shops are mostly incompetent time wasters so is always best to learn a bit of DIY, computers are modular and if you are blessed with a little common sense they are very easy to fix with the individual bits being very cheap to buy.

Answer 2

Yes, but watch out for being cheated or shorted somehow.
If you use PayPal then you will not lose your money.
I bought 2 Laptops on eBay.

The first one was a Compaq and not a good buy. The battery was dead and it was an older version with Win 95. It is has only a floppy drive so it is pretty useless. Now it is so out of date that it is more junk than anything else.

The second one was a Dell and it was a much better buy, it was newer and had a CD and Floppy drive. Although it is a Win 98 machine I like it and I have upgraded the hard drive to get a better one. However, the floppy drive never worked.

The rule for eBay is, "Buyer Beware." So you have to be careful and go beyond the description on the item page. You can always ask the seller questions and if they don't bother to answer you then you are buying something blind, and I wouldn't buy it. Ask the seller what sub systems come with it; a CD or DVD drive, or a floppy drive. Then ask them what shape the battery is in. You aren't going to get a perfect machine, but you want one that has all of the things working on it. Ask about the history of the laptop, when and where he bought it, were there any upgrades made, or did he have to replace anything. Then ask him why he is selling it.

I answered another woman's question about a laptop that she bought on eBay. The seller claimed that his PayPal account was messed up so he got the buyer to send him cash. Then he kept putting her off on the shipping and so on. Later she found out that the seller had sold that same laptop on 4 other auction sites. She didn’t get her money back, but if she had used PayPal then she would have gotten her money back.

So deal through PayPal or use your Credit Card (PayPal is safer). If the person doesn't have a PayPal account or claims that there is a problem with it then beware. A PayPal account is free to get and you give PayPal your credit card number, not the seller. PayPal is such a good way to do business that eBay bought the company.

Read the description of the Laptop carefully, and then email the seller. Make sure all the parts are working and the machine can still boot up. Find out the operating system on it and make sure that the seller includes the OS disks. If it is Window XP then make sure that the activation serial number is. If he says it is already installed then ask him what you are going to do if you upgrade the hard drive. You will need to reinstall the OS, and you will need the serial number. That number costs at least $50 and without it the computer's OS will only operate for 30 days (I got taken this way too).

Alex is right check the seller’s feedback and look for the negative reports. Don’t fill you’re your rating until after you have received and tested the entire notebook.

Another better solution is to buy a refurbished notebook from Dell.
http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/solutions/en/why_latitude?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh
Look at the top menu near the left and move your cursor over Older Notebooks.
Inspiron is newer than the Latitude (that’s what I have); you will get a limited warrantee, Dell will make sure that the entire notebook is working, Dell offers very good computers and good customer support, and there is no chance of them cheating you. You will get what you pay for, but you will pay a little more. However, this is a much safer purchase. I would go to the Dell site and compare prices before making a bid on a computer on eBay.

Answer 3

I purchased my laptop off of eBay a few months ago, and I don't regret it at all! There are a few things that you should remember:

1. ALWAYS check the seller's feedback. If their feedback is really bad, don't bid on their items!

2. I wouldn't bid on items from outside the U.S.A. unless you live outside the U.S.A.

3. When bidding on laptops being sold my companies that have excess items, or excess stock, read the small print! Some of the laptops may work fine, but it won't come with a charger. Just read the small print!

Also, if you bid on an item and pay with PayPal (www.paypal.com), you can usually always get your money back if you don't receive the item, you are un-satisfied with it, etc. I really hope this helps you!

Answer 4

I have purchased 1 Sony, 3 Compaq laptops and an Apple iBook, and have been happy with all. I did receive one laptop that was not what it was advertised, but called the the seller and we made an arrangement I was satisfied. I do believe you need to read the whole bid information, check out the buyer rating, stay away from sellers out of the USA, and make sure what you got is what you were promised. Good Luck.

Answer 5

I've mostly bought blouses and jewelry on ebay plus some camera and nintendo stuff. Most has come from overseas.I don't often spend over $100.. I don't think I would have the courage to do a pick-up. I like delivery. I have had large aquariums and love it! Have fun. Be sure and get some bubble sticks for it they are great and the fish love to swim through them.

Answer 6

Yes I did and I did regret it. Everything sounded so cool but it turned out to have far less memory than advertised. I think these are the types of things that you buy at the store where you can see what it is and then take it back if you get ripped off.

Answer 7

I never have because I have never wanted to end up regretting it. But I have had friends and family members who have and some regret it and some love it. Just research the person who is selling and beware.

Answer 8

i shop Alot on ebay, but am smart enough to stay away from computers on it,...may i suggest buying it from a store, cuz u c first hand what ur getting

Answer 9

dont buy laptops, they will expire in a few years so best buy a regular computer or build a computer by buying parts online

Answer 10

They really are so affordable these days, that it's smarter to buy a new one with a warranty.