Any risks selling a laptop on ebay?

RFW

I have a very limited experience of CEX. I used a store to exchange two mobile phones. I ended up with more money than they had originally said. They made me wait for cash but offer Paypal and bank transfer (not instant).
I checked on Ebay and if I'd sold on there I may have made a fiver or so extra (on about £150), which when calculating the risk and possible headaches involved wasn't really worth it.

Flyonthewall

marleyboy wrote: »

I would advise on replacing the HD with a new one. Any data you think can be deleted can also be recovered, even after a full format.

It can, but with fully wiped and fresh restore of OS it's highly unlikely. Most people probably wouldn't bother to recover data even with a restore, but best to be safe. Might be worth replacing it on a more expensive laptop, but not an older laptop that's not worth much unless you happen to have a spare one laying around.

skintpaul wrote: »

Maybe better to sell without hard drive - advertise as such, let people try out, before removing!

That massively reduces the amount of people who would consider buying it and you have to hope you don't get an idiot buying it who hasn't read the description properly. Also means you can't ask as much for it.

skintpaul

putting profit above personal data safety,.?

Flyonthewall

skintpaul wrote: »

putting profit above personal data safety,.?

No. Just stating a fact. It's not worth as much if you remove the hard drive.

I was the first one to say about removing personal data...

Pierre_De_Grenoble

It's worth noting how cautious the advice is about selling on ebay. Rightly so I guess.


My daughter often gets given designer clothing (brand new with tags) she doesn't always like it so thinks about selling some of it on..


I always advise her to use Gumtree or facebook and to stay away from ebay.

Contains_Mild_Peril

I sell clothes on eBay (mostly vintage but some new) and have rarely had any problems with them, but selling electronics on eBay is a minefield. The advantage with selling clothes locally is that you can offer the buyer the chance to try them on to make sure they're happy before buying (even if you're a private seller on eBay stating no returns, a buyer can still claim an item is not as described and return it anyway, and there's no guarantee it will be in the same condition as when sent). However, they often sell better on eBay.

If selling a laptop on eBay I would include a clear photo of the serial number, which may reduce the chances of a scammer returning a faulty one in its place. Gumtree with cash payment after inspecting the laptop is probably best. Most couriers don't insure for damage to anything with glass components (e.g. laptop screens) so posting is a risk, and packing safely is a pain.