Advice on selling a laptop please

moxie_2

Hi I would appreciate some advice. I've bought and sold small/cheap items over the years but never anything of any value. I now want to sell a brand new laptop. Any hints/tips so I don't get scammed would be very welcome!

imagia

My advice: find somewhere else to sell it. If you're inexperienced in selling high value items, you're only increasing the already high risk of getting scammed. Did you not see the auction last week (promoting the boycott) on "how to steal this laptop"?

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.co.uk%2Fws%2FeBayISAPI.dll%3FViewItem%26item%3D140205210628

chuckles1066

moxie wrote: »

Hi I would appreciate some advice. I've bought and sold small/cheap items over the years but never anything of any value. I now want to sell a brand new laptop. Any hints/tips so I don't get scammed would be very welcome!

As someone else has pointed out, anywhere but eBay.

The most common scam is to replace the good parts inside with broken ones and then claim you sent a duff laptop.

imagia

chuckles1066 wrote: »

As someone else has pointed out, anywhere but eBay.

The most common scam is to replace the good parts inside with broken ones and then claim you sent a duff laptop.

Very true.

Think of it this way: if you get stung by a Paypal chargeback when the buyer doesn't return the item, are you happy to lose that money?

peter_the_piper

Cash or Bank Transfer only. Do not take paypal.

soolin

The problem here is that unless you use paypal no savvy buyer is going to buy the laptop and it may well end up going at a knock down rate.

If you do want to take paypal then just make sure you adhere to the checklist on the sticky thread of helpful hints, post 16.

If you don't want to go down the ebay route the try the local small ads

ormus

i sold a used dell laptop last year. i did not offer paypal as a method of payment.
the buyer paid me via a postal order. no problems at all.

Sugar_Coated_Owl

:eek: What a crazy buyer paying for a laptop with a postal order!

amcluesent

Take an note of all serial # from the laptop/battery etc. and put them in description of the item.

Set you buyer requirements to these exclusions -

Are registered in countries to which I don't post
Have a feedback score of -1 or lower
Have received 2 Unpaid Item strikes in the last 30 days
Don't have a PayPal account
Have a feedback score of 5 or lower and no credit card on file

Read and follow exactly the info. on seller protection when using Paypal, esp. the part about proof of delivery and only sending to a confirmed address.

Once you've sold the item, use Ebay to get the buyers details and ring them/check the details on 192.com or similar. Never go for local pickup or accept cash.

Never, ever use Parcelfarce as the courier

If anything feels iffy, cancel the bid and refund, accepting you'll maybe get a neg.

imagia

I'd recommend getting a UV pen and marking all the removal parts prior to sale. That way you can see if they've been changed if the laptop is returned.

chuckley

soolin wrote: »

The problem here is that unless you use paypal no savvy buyer is going to buy the laptop and it may well end up going at a knock down rate.

If you do want to take paypal then just make sure you adhere to the checklist on the sticky thread of helpful hints, post 16.

If you don't want to go down the ebay route the try the local small ads

not true! id only been an ebay member for a month before i bought a used laptop. they only accepted bank transfer and as we used the same bank it was instant. i received the laptop the next day via Parcelforce 24. no problems with the laptop till i broke it 2 yrs later.

there are a lot of buyers on ebay ( 'yes savvy' ) that prefer not to use paypal for such items and no the item wouldnt necessarily sell for less than one with paypal.