WTB: cheap laptops

[PuuFa]

I'm looking to buy 4 or more cheap laptops preferably from one seller so the shipping charges wouldn't get too astronomical. These laptops would be some donated, some sold again cheap in Bhutan where I'm temporarily staying. I will accept other than ThinkPads as well.

Here are some requirements:
-at least 1.5GB RAM (2GB would be optimal)
-at least 80GB or bigger hard drive
-GPU "Win7 compatible", as far as I know that would mean Radeon 9600/GeForce 5200 GO/GMA 950 or better
-touchpad
-DVD
-CPU fast enough to run at least 480p YouTube videos in full screen, I would say 2GHz or better Pentium M should be able to do that
-OS not required (I can take care of that)

I am returning to Europe early in August so I'd have to find the laptops quickly, otherwise they may not reach Bhutan in time. Total price with shipping should not exceed $600 USD. I would pay through Paypal.

Many locals here can't afford to buy a computer so I'm helping them out as I can. Thanks for reading!

[ajkula66]

If you don't find anything within EU which would help keep the shipping charges down, I've got several machines that would fit the bill, but the cost of sending them to Finland would drive the total amount above your current limit. We're talking about $240 for 4 laptops...

Happy hunting.

[PuuFa]

The shipping destination would actually be Bhutan (perhaps I was not clear enough about it) so it probably doesn't make much difference where the laptops come from. I've been browsing some lots in ebay and they're asking around $100 (for 12" units) and $150 (for 14-15" units) to ship 5-7 laptops from USA to Bhutan by "USPS Priority Mail International". However those lots are almost always missing hard drives and chargers and I may not have enough time to source the missing parts so I'd prefer to buy whole units.

[ajkula66]

I'd strongly suggest checking the USPS website since from what I'm gathering a large package containing 4 laptops and weighing 24lbs can't even be sent to Bhutan by USPS Priority Mail, Global Express Guaranteed being the only option offered, with no quote offered - one has to visit their post office.

Having shipped laptops pretty much everywhere over the past decade, I'd have no problem shipping them to Bhutan either, but from what I'm gathering shipping cost for a single 14" unit is $60, and there's really no option of combining shipping.

If you know something I don't, by all means feel free to correct me. I've got a number of 14" SXGA+ R60 units that could be configured pretty much any way you want, but the shipping cost remains a huge problem given your total budget.

[pianowizard]

I wonder if shipping from China or India would be much cheaper. You may want to state in the thread title that you are in Bhutan and want to buy from that region.

On the other hand, even if it costs $60 to ship each laptop from the U.S., your $600 budget would still allow for four $90 laptops. I have seen fully functional T60's being sold for $90 on eBay. So, it's still possible to buy from the States without increasing your budget, but it would take a pretty long time because you would need someone in the U.S. to check eBay frequently and bid on your behalf. Then, it wil take a week or so before this person receives the laptop, and then s/he will need to ship it to Bhutan. By then you may have already returned to Europe!

[mr.motoring]

Do you require batteries for these laptops? If not, it would help to reduce the shipping weight and costs.