>> What are the dangers of buying new laptops off E Bay? Any good or bad
>> experiences?
I've bought two laptops off ebay. One a couple of years ago and was
solid, well looked after and a good price (second hand)... that was
until I spilt coffee on it :)
The second was a Vaio C1VN which was exactly as described except for
the specifications. The seller had underestimated it because it had a
unussual version number. Again it is solid and at a good price.
Thats not to say there are scams... like the guy who did not read the
advert correctly and paid for a photo of a laptop :(
There are also some scammers that linger around the "cult" laptops
such as the Vaio.
>...............An argument with the seller was futile because he did not have
>a shop and neither did I know his address or full contact details.
My trick is to look back over the sellers feedback and to look back
over any of his previous transactions to see if his buyers might also
have any odd histories.
I also bid at the very beggining of an auction by one single increment
(a pound for example) knowing I will be outbid. That however entitles
me to see the sellers personal details on the ebay database. If those
details are lacking or odd I then choose whether I will continue or
not or contact the seller for varification.
Although direct bank transfer does not come with a paypal cover it
does offer a direct and quick link should something go wrong to a
physical location and evidence of a person.
>You can ask why it is cheaper than usual. Was it opened by a customer and
>then returned to the shop? Does that brand have a common failure?
Also use the search and look for previous items sold by the seller as
well as similar previous laptops. It will give you a rough market
price and a sense of the sellers background.
Also a big help is to go and chat in the
news:\\uk.people.consumers.ebay group as there are lots of sellers and
veterens there that are usually quite good at sniffing out a dud deal.
Also news:\\uk.adverts.computer may not be the best place to directly
discuss ebay bidding but they are an excellent bunch of people to give
you clues as to the value of a laptop as I am sure people here are.
Last but not least. Never bid early. Snipe if possible. Never rush
into buying a laptop on ebay. Watch the market. Even if that means a
couple of months. We often never need an item as badly as we want it.
A laptop unlike a PC is somewhat more of an investment so worth
getting right.
Pete
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