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

Two years ago I needed a way to update multiple PCs and laptops in my company without spending more. New Dell laptops were great but expensive and over the years we have accumulated many Latitude C Series shares The C series ran from the CPX C600 C610 C400 C640 and 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 source these. Over the years I have learned some important 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.

Do not just go by the model and specifications of the machine. I'm seeing two types of units out there. Those that are complete PC is sold as a unit of measurement used. 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 have found everyone to be in great condition. The problem is that without the serial you can not even get technical support from Dell and obviously there's a guarantee. If you do not mind this from the right seller these are great. For my use of my company just is not worth the appearance of a model with a serial number. I am passing on these for now.

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

Even when using a credit card on Paypal your item of dispute and charge back protection provided by your credit card. I had two cases where the seller did not ship my laptop and I had to dispute the charge with my credit card. 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 doing a chargeback. I'm not sure what the consequences, but it would be better to look as if you are trying to use their system.

Purchase a regular basis? Try to form a relationship with a couple of reliable sellers.

After having done business with a handful of sellers I hope to completely bypass eBay. The sellers love the money you save on expenses and I often hunt them down mint condition Latitude laptops. Some will even customize the laptop to your specifications.

Check the sellers feedback.

If you want to see that the seller regularly sells Dell equipment. This tells you two things. One that I am a reputable seller and have a history of people who have purchased the item exactly the same and they were happy. The other thing is that if you see a positive feedback with regard to such material can not be assumed that they have no spare parts or service capacity. If you see many sales of similar Dell you can be sure that if you have a problem and notify them immediately will probably be able to fix your laptop.

Ask about warranty or warranty transfer assistance.

If you are lucky the unit you buy will come with some warranty left from Dell. However, Dell does not transfer the warranty into your name unless you have the original owners name and address. If you can not 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 appliance warranty but does not transfer ownership to your name.

The purchase of servers? Look for Dell refurbished units, with a guarantee.

I do not know how it works, but there are many resellers of Dell servers that are new or refurbished from Dell. These come with Dell warranty and are transferable. When the server comes in its original box unopened Dell. The price can not be beat and I've never had a problem. My suspicion is that for those with the right connections, Dell will sell production volumes compared to refurbished units far below pricing you'd see in their Dell Outlet site. http://www.scsistuff.com is a provider ideal for this type of purchase .......