T23 eBay mess (caveat emptor)

[lilserenity]

I feel for you hon - there are a lot of scumbags out there that will literally sell you a bag of horse manure if they could on eBay.

My experience of getting a decent T23 was also rather fraught. Very common is selling T23's as having SXGA+ screens, when they do not, either through seller ignorance (first clue that this was not their personal machine and they have just got the first batch of specs they could lay their hands on) or they know the SXGA+ variants are more sought after and gain a bigger profit as a consequence.

Also many T series machines are ex-corporate and sadly this means some of them being road warrior machines, will have a few battle scars.

May I recommend the seller I got my T23 from in the end?

http://www.ebuysuperstore.com

They may be a bit pricier but you know you will get a decent T23, which is up to scratch. i got my 2647-9KU from them in June last year and I am ever so pleased with it, I have a 60gig hard disk in it now, 1gb of ram, and fitted internal 802.11b to it and couldn't be happier. I owned an XGA T23 before this.

I recently sold an immaculate XGA T23 myself, it was not my own machine, but was one of the very best examples I had ever seen. The keyboard was well used but the machine was mint in all senses and evidently very well looked after by its owner. It only had XGA, and 128MB with a 30gb 4200rpm hard disk and DVD-ROM, but the fact it was in such great condition meant it fetched £370.00 in the end, which was a sizable amount more than other T23's on eBay which had for example 256MB and a 40gb Hard Disk.

If you are going to buy a second hand ThinkPad, I would recommend you are able to see the item in person before parting with any cash. that way you can guarantee you will have the item you want.

I'm sorry to say it but too many dump their junk on eBay.

Perhaps if you are still looking in 2/3 years I'll sell you this T23. I absolutely adore this thing, it's been so dependable, and brought me in a very decent income.

So much so am I impressed with it, I applied for a job at IBM UK yesterday...

Good luck with your hunt and if you want - I would be more than happy to offer advice.

From ebuyersuperstore my pick is this one:

http://www.ebuysuperstore.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=144

It might be IBM Reconditioned but I can guarantee you the machines are immaculate, I bought my 2647-9KU from there, SXGA+ - no dead pixels or anything. Well worth the $619 + shipping.

Vicky

[Thinker]

I feel for you hon - there are a lot of scumbags out there that will literally sell you a bag of horse manure if they could on eBay.

My experience of getting a decent T23 was also rather fraught. Very common is selling T23's as having SXGA+ screens, when they do not, either through seller ignorance (first clue that this was not their personal machine and they have just got the first batch of specs they could lay their hands on) or they know the SXGA+ variants are more sought after and gain a bigger profit as a consequence.

Also many T series machines are ex-corporate and sadly this means some of them being road warrior machines, will have a few battle scars.

May I recommend the seller I got my T23 from in the end?

http://www.ebuysuperstore.com

They may be a bit pricier but you know you will get a decent T23, which is up to scratch. i got my 2647-9KU from them in June last year and I am ever so pleased with it, I have a 60gig hard disk in it now, 1gb of ram, and fitted internal 802.11b to it and couldn't be happier. I owned an XGA T23 before this.

I recently sold an immaculate XGA T23 myself, it was not my own machine, but was one of the very best examples I had ever seen. The keyboard was well used but the machine was mint in all senses and evidently very well looked after by its owner. It only had XGA, and 128MB with a 30gb 4200rpm hard disk and DVD-ROM, but the fact it was in such great condition meant it fetched £370.00 in the end, which was a sizable amount more than other T23's on eBay which had for example 256MB and a 40gb Hard Disk.

If you are going to buy a second hand ThinkPad, I would recommend you are able to see the item in person before parting with any cash. that way you can guarantee you will have the item you want.

I'm sorry to say it but too many dump their junk on eBay.

Perhaps if you are still looking in 2/3 years I'll sell you this T23. I absolutely adore this thing, it's been so dependable, and brought me in a very decent income.

So much so am I impressed with it, I applied for a job at IBM UK yesterday...

Good luck with your hunt and if you want - I would be more than happy to offer advice.

From ebuyersuperstore my pick is this one:

http://www.ebuysuperstore.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=144

It might be IBM Reconditioned but I can guarantee you the machines are immaculate, I bought my 2647-9KU from there, SXGA+ - no dead pixels or anything. Well worth the $619 + shipping.

Vicky

Hi Vicky,

Thanks for taking the time to sympathize with me, I really appreciate it.

The experience I had is over and has taught me a valuable lesson. I actually got a refund for the StinkPad I got, but after shipping and eBay fees I am out of about $100. It could have been worse I guess...

Thanks for your recommendation for a seller, but I actually got a Certified Used T23 from IBM directly and I am very happy with it! The only thing that bugs me is that the left part of the keyboard has a lot of flex, and if I type hard I can hear a thunk, as if the keyplate was hitting on something underneath it. I am wondering if there is something missing in this T23. Also, on the bottom there might be a screw missing (but I am not sure). This is about 1 1/2 inch to the top and left of the Windows sticker, on the top left of an embossed rectangular area on the bottom of the computer.
I am sure it is not critical, but I wonder if this has something to do with the keyboard problem.

Regarding your 1Gb of RAM, would you mind sharing where you got it?
I have checked on Crucial but they don't seem to be selling 512Mb sticks for the 2647, but only the 2648 for some strange reason. How about your new HD, is it a 7200 model? If so, how does it perform?

Once again, thanks. And continue enjoying your T23!

By the way, good luck with your IBM internship application!

Take care,

Ruben

[mysbca]

I am wondering if there is something missing in this T23. Also, on the bottom there might be a screw missing (but I am not sure). This is about 1 1/2 inch to the top and left of the Windows sticker, on the top left of an embossed rectangular area on the bottom of the computer.

I think this is for the retaining screw for the latch that is used to pull out the ultrabay drive.

[Thinker]

I am wondering if there is something missing in this T23. Also, on the bottom there might be a screw missing (but I am not sure). This is about 1 1/2 inch to the top and left of the Windows sticker, on the top left of an embossed rectangular area on the bottom of the computer.

I think this is for the retaining screw for the latch that is used to pull out the ultrabay drive.

So, there should be a screw there? I have swapped Ultrabay devices a few times now, and I didn't notice anything wrong. Do you mean that the screw is to prevent the latch from opening? This would explain things. Is there something wrong about the screw not being there, or is it just an option to lock your Ultrabay?

Thanks

[mysbca]

I don't have the screw and I don't remember if I ever had one.
Never had any problems.

If you look at the pull-out tab, there is a hole where the screw goes through. If the screw is there, the pull-out tab will not come out and will make it very difficult to remove your Ultrabay devices.

[asiafish]

The screw should only be there if you want to secure your drives (you have to remove the screw to swap drives).

[BillMorrow]

that screw is supplied in the tiny bag of screws (2) and such with a new thinkpad..

i have bunches of them here..
well, ok, so not BUNCHES, but more than a dozen..

[Thinker]

Hi Guys

Sorry for replying this late, I've been away for a while. I really see now the function of that screw. I guess I should have looked at it more carefully.

I guess mine didn't come with the screw because it is a Certified Used T23.
I'm not really concerned about not having the screw (I just was concerned when I didn't know what its function was, and whether it was harmless not to have it in place). Actually I have done quite a bit of drive swapping lately (needing to save college programming projects on floppies), and it works great. I used to have a Tecra 8100 which came with an external FD, but the thing was clunky and I never used it if possible. The IBM solution works great and is elegant.

Bill, about those screws, how did you ever come up with such a collection? Do they all come from defunct units, or you don't use the screws to secure your drives and just put them away in a drawer?

Finally (I think I mentioned this before, but...) I'd like to say that I got a refund for the unit which this thread refers to. Got a used T23 from IBM direct, and I couldn't be happier! Now I am waiting for feedback on the new T43s to decide between that and a T42p.

Ruben

[BillMorrow]

got screws..!