Would you buy a refurbished laptop from ebay?

re-rewind

So basically as above - Would you buy a refurbished laptop from ebay?

If:

the seller had really good feedback (I've scanned through it)
and a Good price


and i can also get a little bit of cashback as well

what do you reckon?

globalds

It is quite high risk
Unless something like a one year warranty is offered.
With a desktop if a component fails it will probably be just the price of that component to replace it.
With a lappy it may cost as much or more to have the repair done and doing it yourself may be nigh on impossible .

zenseeker

I wouldn't touch refurbs on eBay myself.

re-rewind

28 day RTB warranty im afraid - does the guys feedback count for anything - i mean its over 4000 with 2 negative seems quite good.

What items are you thinking may fail in particular?, Im fairly familiar with computers (desktop) and taking them apart, only thing i think i wouldn't have a go at replacing on a laptop is prob the screen

kitschkitty

I wouldn't buy a refurb'd laptop at all, and I wouldn't buy any laptop at all off ebay.

peter_the_piper

The only refurb laptop I would buy is from the Dell ebay shop. Bought 2 over 2 years with no more problems than from a normal machine. Most are cosmetic damage only.

3_cheeky_princesses

We brought a refurb laptop for our son 6 months ago and its been a great buy for us. I did use one of the bigger EBay sellers who specilaise in the refurbs tho.

Dont think i would buy a laptop from a non business seller tho.

globalds

re-rewind wrote: »

28 day RTB warranty im afraid - does the guys feedback count for anything - i mean its over 4000 with 2 negative seems quite good.

What items are you thinking may fail in particular?, Im fairly familiar with computers (desktop) and taking them apart, only thing i think i wouldn't have a go at replacing on a laptop is prob the screen

Graphics, screen ,Keyboard ,Hinges ,...Main one would just be Battery life ..
Old machine usually equals old battery ..So straight off you would be on a reduced running time .
Plus it may have been banged or bashed or run on someone's lap meaning the components have been heated for long periods.
Dell outlet is a pretty safe bet.
http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/emea/segments/dfo/home?c=uk&l=en&s=dfh&~section=how_to_buy
Make an effort to keep searching the stock as (maybe not on a weekend) New stock keeps getting added and there are real bargains to be had .
Plus the back up of a guarantee.
There are occasional discount codes and reduced or free delivery offers.
hotukdeals.com is a good place to keep your eye on for Dell bargains.

EDIT
If you gave a bit more detail of the kind of laptop you want and how much you are willing to spend. You may find people will post some links to new laptops that may be worth considering .

re-rewind

Absolute Max 300 so nothing beyond that please

Min 1GB ram

Win XP because it runs faster

hard drive, most should be fine

would like a cam but not essential

reliable make (obviously)

Hintza

http://www.itcsales.co.uk/

http://www.morgancomputers.co.uk/

Have a look at these. Have bought from both without issue. Morgan also run auctions although none at present.

globalds

Are you looking for a netbook
http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=5BTY&tduid=0adc9dccb6a38bff9ed650fc136e7b40
Something like the one above.
Or something with a bigger screen .A laptop that just wanders around the house so does not need to be so portable ?