Tips for buying Notebooks off Ebay....

[The Merlin]

OK, I've been looking for a notebook right now and I should have about a $1000 within the next 2 weeks......

Now I have looked online....Found a few nice refurbished notebooks for around that price, but most are either over $1100 or don't come with all the nice options of the $1100 notebooks I can't really afford to go over $1100 because I need to pay my phone bill soon

So I looked on eBay and just for kicks cruised the Alienware section......OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are lots of great laptops for bidding

Now one thing I have noticed is a few you aren't bidding on the laptop, but actually information to buy a latop for only $160 bucks or something What is all this about?

You guys have any tips on how not to get ripped off and how to not start a bidding war that raises the price?

 

[hygor]

dont bother with that stuff mate... you pay them and they give you a link to one of those horrible "Matrix" schemes where you buy $160 worth of e-books and if you are lucky you get a laptop as your free gift.

You are better off finding an actual laptop on ebay and snipe bidding on it (bid in the last few mins) as this will keep the price down and people wont bid against you. Just say in the last minute that you put down the maximum bid you are prepared to pay (say the laptop is going for $400 and you are willing to pay up to $800... then put $800 as your bid (or just below) and the next bidder if any can get in within that final minute will prolly bid 450 or something meaning it wont get near your bid.

Thats how i do things on ebay, or sometimes i put a low bid in and watch it, but snipe if necessary at the end.,.. and i have won heaps off ebay using these tactics..

another tip is to always set yourself limits on how much you will pay, and try to research how much things are actually worth... my mate recently paid £360 for something worth only £240 as he got caught in a bidding war and had to beat the other person... well that is very bad tactics...

also try to stick with sellers who have not recieved bad feedback and that are not charging extortionate postage rates.... sure signs that they might rip you off!

but seriously, stay away from things where you just pay for information!!!

Good luck bidding!

 

[The Merlin]

OK, so it really is a stupid scheme Figures

Thanks


Anyone else?

 

[The Merlin]

How do I make sure that I don't get ripped off? Is there some type of ESCROW thing I could use?

 

[ekÆsine]

i would just goto a local best buy or circuit city to buy a notebook. i would prefer a p4 notebook or a centrino certified notebook.

 

[The Merlin]

I only have a thousand dollar budget and you can't buy much of a laptop at one of those places for that little money.....

Heck on eBay, there are many Alienware notebooks in that area

 

[hygor]

ebay is pretty good for geting a bargain, just make sure you read ebays policy on their liability for goods... then you will know what you are covered for!

 

[The Merlin]

OK, thanks


Man there are some goods deals on Alienware laptops I just hope a couple of dopes don't start a bidding war and jack up the price