Thinkpads Forum

I wanted to know what questions, issues i should consider when purchasing through ebay?

Are there any sellers that you had good experience with? any recommendations?

What should i expect to pay for a model with these specs

p2/p3
128/256/512mb
20 gb hd and greater
cd/cdrw/dvd


this is my first time buying something significant on ebay. help will be greatly appreciated.

Some general thoughts about buying used laptops off of eBay:

- Ask for the full type and serial number. The type number will help you identify exactly what the system came with from the factory and may tell you if anything was changed. The serial number is useful if you want to document that the system being advertised is the system you actually receive. It can also be used to ask IBM/Lenovo if there still is any warranty left or if the system has been reported stolen. MOST eBay sellers will give you this info if you ask for it.

- Ask specific questions about the quality/status of the system (condition of the case, any missing port covers, obvious cracks or chips, known issues with something not working, etc.) so that there is no doubt as to what you are bidding on.

- Closely examine the pictures to see if what you are told matches what's in the pictures. For example, if the seller says he has type 2647-8NU but a picture of the BIOS screen shows 2648-8PU, ask for clarification. Take a good look at the keyboard, case, LCD in the pictures to see if you can detect any cracks or defects.

- Check the seller's feedback. Use this site to quickly filter out the positive feedbacks and leave just the neutrals and negatives:

http://toolhaus.org

Enter the eBay seller's ID in the first search box and click the "Received by" button.

- Check the eBay thread in the Marketplace for any information left by the users of this board:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=741

Many years ago I bought my first 600E from a New York reseller. If I can find the information, I'll update this post later.

edit: Found the NY reseller by checking my Netscape bookmarks on an old work computer. The site is:

http://www.betros.com

At the moment it appears he only has 600X systems for sale. Those would be a minimum of a 450Mhz (can go up to 650Mhz) Pentium III with 64MB of on-board memory, expandable up to 576MB. His advertised configuration of 192MB, 20GB and unknown optical drive and processor speed is $199. That seems to be a fair price, although with a little patience (and luck) you could probably save a few $$$ on eBay. Please note: I purchased my 600E from him over 4 years ago. I can only say that I was satisfied with my system at the time it was delivered. That 600E now has a problem with a delayed backlight turn-on which appeared several years after I started using it.

I can't recommend any particular eBay seller as I have purchased many systems from different sellers. About the only thing you can do is read their feedback history and pay attention to the responses that the seller leaves as explanations or comments to negative feedback left for him/her. The attitude and wording that the seller uses can be very helpful in deciding whether or not to deal with him/her.

As far as what you should be paying for the configuration you mentioned, a PII would be something like another 600E that you already have or maybe a 570/E or 770E/X/Z system. A PIII can be found in the 600X, T2x and X2x series systems (among others). Those systems can go from $100 to $300, depending upon the memory size, optical drive and any accessories being offered.

I bought an X31 from hyprlynk and I got a top notch machine.

The seller's name is Maria and I can guarantee that you will not get a bad thinkpad from her. usually the machines she sells are from some company, used mostly in a docking station and in excellent condition. Two other forum members (zone and stickman) have bought similar X31s and are very happy with the purchases.

Maria is a very honest seller and I'd definitely recommend her to anyone.

When you check a seller's feedback history, besides the number/percentage of positive feedbacks, you should also find out whether s/he has sold laptops before, because a seller who has gotten most of his/her positive feedbacks by selling Barbie dolls might not do as well selling laptops. Go to the Member Profile page, and click on the links in the "Item #" column (the rightmost column). Then check what the buyers had to say about those laptop transactions.

I bought an awesome T42 from hyprlynk with a full year of on-site warranty and thinkpad protection, cheap. They sent a 56W power supply but after I notified them they Priority Mailed me the correct one.
I would buy from them again for sure.

I've bought from Firebuy.com multiple times with excellent service and results. They have lightning fast shipping and I often get better machines than what they describe. However, since the laptops they sell are mostly part machines and of considerable vintage, they might not pertain well to this thread.

I've also bought from Midwest Computer Brokers (auctions_mcbia) with excellent results.

pianowizard wrote:When you check a seller's feedback history, besides the number/percentage of positive feedbacks, you should also find out whether s/he has sold laptops before, because a seller who has gotten most of his/her positive feedbacks by selling Barbie dolls might not do as well selling laptops. Go to the Member Profile page, and click on the links in the "Item #" column (the rightmost column). Then check what the buyers had to say about those laptop transactions.

a seller with feedback selling barbie dolls usually means a hijacked seller account..
NEVER NEVER send cash (western union or the like) to a seller without impeccible(sp?) credentials and who is not available by telephone (not a cell phone)..

AlphaKilo470 wrote:I've also bought from Midwest Computer Brokers (auctions_mcbia) with excellent results.

That's our refurbisher. They are about 3 hours away and we go there about once every month or two to load up on used computers.
Nice guys! They give us a pretty good discount.

My last deal with them was a fully functional PowerBook G3 Wallstreet II I snagged with good battery and AC adapter for $50 or $60; something outrageously low for the computer and it's condition. They shipped the thing out pretty fast.