Buying Used Dell Laptops, PCs and Servers on eBay - How to be successful

Home
>
Online Auction
>
Buying Used Dell Laptops, PCs and Servers on eBay - How to be successful

Buying Used Dell Laptops, PCs and Servers on eBay - How to be successful

Two years ago I needed a way to refresh more PC's and Laptops at my company without spending more. New Dell laptops were great but expensive and over the years we had accumulated many Latitude C series parts. The C series ran from the CPX C600 C610 C400 and C640 models before their new D line of Latitude laptops were released. The docks, drives and many other parts are usable in any of these models so we decided to take advantage of this and purchase used Dell laptops. eBay was where we sourced these. Over the years I've learned some valuable things about buying these expensive items. Here are some tips and some recommendations of sellers I've found to be very reliable.

Know what you are buying.

Don't just go by the model and specs of the machine. I'm seeing two types of units out there. Those that are complete PC's sold as used units. Also refurbished units that have no serial number on the bottom or in the bios. These units can be had at very good prices and so far I've found them all to be in great condition. The problem is that without the serial you can't even get tech support from Dell and obviously there isn't a warranty. If you don't mind this from the right seller these are great. For my use at my company it just isn't worth the appearance of a model with no serial number. I'm passing on these for now.

Always pay using Pay Pal or some other service that lets you use a credit card.

Even when you use a credit card on Paypal your covered by the dispute and charge back protection provided by your credit card company. I've had two instances where the seller did not ship my laptop and I had to dispute the charge with my credit card company. In both cases I received a credit back from my company and had no trouble from Paypal. Before disputing open a formal case with Paypal as they require that before you do a charge back. I'm not sure what the consequences would be but better to appear as if you are trying to use their system.

Buying regularly? Try to form a relationship with a couple reputable sellers.

After doing business with a handful of sellers I trust I now completely bypass eBay. The sellers love the money they save on fees and I can often have them hunt down mint condition Latitude laptops. Some will even customize the laptop to your specs.

Check the sellers feedback.

Look to see that the seller regularly sells Dell equipment. This tells you two things. One that they are a reputable seller and have a history of people who bought the exact same item and were happy. The other thing is that if you see positive feedback regarding non-similar equipment you can assume that they will have no spare parts or service ability. If you see many sales of similar Dell equipment you can be sure that if you have a problem and notify them right away they will probably be able to fix your laptop.

Ask about warranty or warranty transfer assistance.

If you are lucky the unit you purchase will come with some warranty left from Dell. However Dell will not transfer the warranty into your name unless you have the original owners name and address. If you can find a seller willing to provide this you just struck gold! Note, this is not common at all. You can still get Dell to service an in warranty unit but they won't transfer the ownership to your name.

Buying Servers? Look for Dell refurbished units with a warranty.

I don't know how it works but there are many resellers of Dell Servers that are new or refurbished from Dell. These come with the Dell warranty and are transferable. When the server arrives its in the original Dell box still sealed up. The price can't be beat and I've never had a problem. My suspicion is that for those with the right connections, Dell will sell you volumes of over production and refurbished units far below pricing you'd see in their Dell Outlet site. http://www.scsistuff.com is a great vendor for this type of buy.

About The Author

John Gall is a full time IT Manager and self employed IT Consultant in Minnesota. He runs several hobby web sites related to technology and travel from http://www.gallconsulting.com

In The News:

Sci-Tech Today
Disputed dinosaur fossil auctioned for $1M in NYC
BusinessWeek
By JENNIFER PELTZ A dinosaur dispute is brewing between the Mongolian government and an American auction house, which sold a fossil of a fearsome T. Rex relative despite a court order not to. The 8-foot-tall, 24-foot-long skeleton of a Tyannosaurus ...
Dinosaur Auction: Tyrannosaur Skeleton Fetches $1 Million Despite ObjectionsHuffington Post
Dinosaur Dustup: Auctioneer, Mongolia Battle Over $1M BonesABC News
Disputed Dinosaur Fossil AuctionedSci-Tech Today

all 281 news articles »

Telegraph.co.uk
Foundation objects to auction of purported vial of Reagan's blood
Reuters
By Alex Dobuzinskis | LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ronald Reagan's foundation expressed outrage on Monday at a British company's auction of what it says is a vial of the late US president's blood taken at the hospital where he was treated after a 1981 ...
On-line auction site is selling a vial of President Reagan's blood taken after ...Washington Post (blog)
Outrage at auction of Ronald Reagan's bloodTelegraph.co.uk
Ronald Reagan Blood: Auction Anger From Presidential Foundation - PFC AuctionsSky News
ABC News (blog)
all 51 news articles »

New York Daily News
Babe Ruth jersey fetches a 'Ruthian' $4.4 million at auction
Chicago Sun-Times
By MIKE FITZPATRICK AP Sports Writer May 21, 2012 9:58AM This undated photo provided by SCP Auctions shows a circa 1920 New York Yankees baseball jersey worn by Babe Ruth that sold for more than $4.4 million at auction, Sunday, May 20, 2012.
Babe Ruth jersey sells for record $4.4 millionBusinessWeek
Outsize Figure, Even by Ruth's StandardsNew York Times
Babe Ruth jersey sells for record $4.4 million at auctionCNN (blog)
New York Daily News
all 418 news articles »

VINTAGE: Auction-Star Ferrari 625 TRC
SPEEDtv.com
(Photo: Wouter Melissen) The star of the various auctions during last week's Monaco Historic Grand Prix was this 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC sold for just over 5 million euro ($6.5 million) by RM Auctions. It is one of just two 500 TRCs built in period with ...

Diego Rivera poised to top NY Latam art auctions
Chicago Tribune
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Diego Rivera portrait of a 10-year old girl, her head cocked and gaze wary, is expected to top this week's Latin American art auctions, where surrealist-tinged works by other artists are also primed to do well.

and more »

NHR: Old Hamden PD Stuff to be Auctioned Tuesday
Patch.com
The New Haven Register reports today that no one showed up for an auction of everything left behind in the old Police Department buildings. The two-day auction began Monday and continues Tuesday from 9 am to 3 pm Tuesday's auction is set for the annex ...

and more »

KGMI
Exclusive: US lets China bypass Wall Street for Treasury orders
Reuters
Those dealers then bid on their behalf at Treasury auctions. China, which holds $1.17 trillion in US Treasuries, still buys some Treasuries through primary dealers, but since June 2011, that route hasn't been necessary. The documents viewed by Reuters ...
Records Show China's Private Link to Treasury MarketsNew York Times
China gets VVIP treatment from USFinancial Times (blog)
US lets China bypass Wall Street for Treasury ordersTODAYonline

all 50 news articles »

Successful John Dixon Auction Blitz: 11 Commercial Buildings, 10 Events, Three ...
MarketWatch (press release)
"We really felt that it was important to sell most of these buildings at the location itself, and that meant we had to form three teams, with multiple auctions two of the three days. But our folks were up to it, and we had 10 auctions, each of which ...

and more »

State surplus auction draws hopeful bidders, sales of boats, ATVs, file ...
Nashua Telegraph
By JONATHAN VAN FLEET Staff photo by JONATHAN VAN FLEET Crowds await the start of the state auction Saturday morning in Concord. Thousands of items were up for sale from boats and ATVS, to file cabinets and chainsaws. Staff photo by JONATHAN VAN FLEET ...

Bloomberg
Treasury Auctions Set for This Week
New York Times
The Treasury's schedule of financing this week includes Monday's regular weekly auction of new three- and six-month bills and an auction of four-week bills on Tuesday. At the close of the New York cash market on Friday, the rate on the outstanding ...
Treasuries Fall as Yields Damp Demand Before AuctionsBloomberg
CREDIT MARKETS: Treasurys See Comeback; Other Bonds ReboundWall Street Journal

all 39 news articles »

Google News