Where to buy x-series thinkpad?

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n00b1337 · #1 Post by **n00b1337** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 1:15 am

I was initially thinking about buying a certified used T23 from ibm.ca but have now shifted my sights over to an x-series instead.

Looking for a used X20-X24 thinkpad preferably directly from IBM but their website doesn't show any of these for sale in their certified used section. What other websites can i find what I'm looking for that will be trustable and secure? 90 days limited warranty would be nice too. Would like to stay away from Ebay seeing as how i hear many good and bad stories out there. To me Ebay seems almost 50/50 chance of having a good or bad experience.

kalo93406 · #2 Post by **kalo93406** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:03 am

I got my X40 from and ebay seller at a very good price, brand new and no issues whatso ever.. as a matter of fact I've bought two Thinkpads at 20-30% discount.

just use precautions... Some of the people having problems are not using good judgement at all.. One workmate of a friend of mine recently sent money via western union to some crazy county for a laptop.. WHAT ON EARTH IS THIS GUY THINKING??? Just not thinking at all.. Buy from a Dealer who has a high number of feedback. Also check the feedback and see that the feedback is for thinkpads and not for Childrens clothing or something like that.. indication the Sellers ID was hijacked somehow. Also.. Only pay via a credit card.. Paypal or otherwise... I negotiated prior to buying that the seller pick up half the credit card charges and I the other half.

I'm sure there are websites out there that go over the steps to take to not get screwed.. READ them and don't deviate...

PM me with the model you want and I could see if the seller I bought from has it. available

Cheers... R:)

selvan777 · #3 Post by **selvan777** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 2:13 pm

Try doing a Google for Thinkpads for sale and steer clear of results containing ebay. I did and there are many results but have no idea of the the terms and conditions of any specific one.

I myself would definitely go to ebay as a first choice but my advise is to learn how to shop wisely there, they offer many tips to do so there, and so would we here.

Good luck

n00b1337 · #4 Post by **n00b1337** » Mon Jan 17, 2005 10:00 pm

kalo93406 - well i have never ordered anything off ebay before but i have already followed a couple ebay auctions for x20's. i also checked to see what kind of feedback they were getting and what kind of items the feedback was for. both of them looked to be high volume computer part sellers both selling small items such as routers and large items such as server blades. i would never consider sending a money order. the only was i'd be willing to pay is with a visa and thru paypal. paypal will offer a $1200 CDN protection if i pay using the original auctioner's registered ebay e-mail on paypal. i also messaged both sellers but neither of them replied my messages so that seems kind of bad because with me being a newbie i was going to ask for some help with the steps on how to pay thru paypal. i wonder if asking for their phone number might aid communication in the future. also i am confused on how much to pay as a total thru paypal. lets say i win an auction for a laptop for $500. how much will i have to pay total? i will have to add money for shipping to canada but how much? do they have to disclose these details in the auction? if they state that it costs $35 for shipping to canada will i just enter the total in paypal as $535 and i'm done? also what happens if something goes wrong? will paypal suspend payment and give me my money back?

selvan777 - thanks for the info. i did some checking and i did find a x22 for $600 US but i haven't ever heard of that company and was worried about duties as the laptop comes across the border. i will do more checking tomorrow. probably going to call ibm directly and see if they have any x-series certified used laptops. seems like they only have t-series laptops in the cerfified used section. that sucks cuz i want an x.

middle14 · #5 Post by **middle14** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 7:02 pm

In another thread I'm discussing buying an X31 on Ebay, I plan to make a purchase in the next few days. I have done quite a few transactions on Ebay with great results, just some basic precautions to take as listed by others here.

I bought my current X20 on ebay about 18 months ago for $405. The seller was fine, smooth transaction, but I had some problems with the computer. I sent it to IBM under warranty and they replaced the HDD and did a new software install, has been great since. My main reason for replacing it is with the max RAM of 320 MB I find I'm running out of memory fairly often, and its just time for me to upgrade.

After that experience I'd prefer to pay a bit more and buy an IBM refurbished one rather than somebody's used laptop, but I'll still make the purchase on Ebay as I think the value is great if you look carefully.

n00b1337 · #6 Post by **n00b1337** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 9:21 pm

middle14 - what will you do if the deal on the x31 goes sour? what kind of precautions are you using to protect yourself in the case that everything doesn't go as planned. will ebay or paypal be able to help you get your money back etc? the x20 you bought off ebay came with warranty? was anything else besides the HD busted on the x20? if i had any problems with the hd i could always buy a new bigger and faster one anyways. also what were your experiences with the x20 like? i would like to watch avi's and movie files etc at school during my breaks. would an x20 be able to handle this?

also i'm thinking of getting a x31 instead of a x20 also but i think it's too much power for me. i already have a fast gaming system at home. all i need from a laptop is for it to be reliable, run movie files and be light( under 4 lbs).

middle14 · #7 Post by **middle14** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 12:48 am

First, my X20 is a good machine. It will run avi's and mpg's just fine. Nothing else was wrong with it, and actually the HDD worked OK but I had some glitches with going on standby, crashing, blue screen on startup. When I sent it in I think their easy method rather than trouble shoot was to just pop another drive in and do a clean load. I find the HDD clicks and clacks a lot, not sure how to solve that one.

I bought it with the warranty still in place, it had about 5 months left, and I extended it a few more years.

If you buy from a reputable Ebay seller, meaning they have lots of feedback, very few if any negative feedback, and have sold a lot of computers, you'll be OK. Email them with questions, if they don't give good answers don't buy it. Ebay will protect you from fraud, you pay and an empty box arrives, but if an X20 arrives and is not quite what you expected, you'll have a hard time dealing with it unless the seller is willing to take it back. Volume sellers don't want problems, don't want negative feedback, so they do a good job describing the product so not likely to have trouble.

The X31 is a lot more money, you'll buy the X20 very cheap at this point.

n00b1337 · #8 Post by **n00b1337** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:47 am

the guy i'm looking to buy off of has 165 positive feedbacks with 1 negative feedback. he has sold 3 x20's so far with one positive feedback as of yet. the other two just went yesterday so i will have to wait to see whether those come back positive also. do you think 165 is enough? he also sold a lot of cheaper laptops. seems like he sells atleast 5-10 of the same products in a row so maybe he orders them in bulk. like i said i'm new to it so correct me if i'm wrong.

middle14 · #9 Post by **middle14** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 10:01 am

165 feedbacks is not a huge amount, but enough to be a serious seller. 1 negative is not the end of the world, see what the specific comment is from the buyer.

One reality at this point is X20's have been around a while, a used machine will have "stuff" on it, a clean re-format makes the most sense. If not clearly stated in the listing, contact them by email and ask if they have a "dead on arrival" policy, in other words if you get it, push the button, and the computer won't boot that you can return it for full refund including shipping.

I hear people talk about their bad experiences on Ebay, and certainly you have to be very cautious, but I've never had one. I've had a few where I've complained about something and the seller has taken care of it, which will happen from time to time. Go for it!

n00b1337 · #10 Post by **n00b1337** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:53 pm

the guy is also selling a x20 with a 700mhz pIII-m processor. do those exist? the ibm website shows only 600mhz.

JHEM · #11 Post by **JHEM** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 3:56 pm

n00b1337 wrote:the guy is also selling a x20 with a 700mhz pIII-m processor. do those exist? the ibm website shows only 600mhz.

Not that I'm aware of as the X20 came in either Celeton 500 or PIII 600.

Perhaps the unit in question has had a MB transplant?

Query the seller.

Regards,

James

middle14 · #12 Post by **middle14** » Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:23 pm

Mine is a PIII 600. I see 2 listings for 700 MHz, so I assume it was an option at one time but I'm not sure.

Item 6737555073 - I think this is the one you are looking at - comes with media slice with DVD and floppy drives. He does have a DOA warranty. The Buy it Now price is too high at $450, but maybe his reserve is fairly low, might be worth bidding as it nears the auction end. Note with 128 MB RAM you'll want/need to upgrade to 320 MB max RAM, not sure what that will cost.

Item 6737408628 - starting bid is way too high at $500. It includes an ultrabay floppy drive, but I don't know what good that does since it doesn't include a media slice base. I use the port replicators like he is including, they are very convenient to use. Has only around 14 sales and one negative, I'd stay away from this one.

Hope this helps a bit!

n00b1337 · #13 Post by **n00b1337** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 3:13 am

yes 6737555073 is the one i'm looking at.

6737408628 is too much. for $500 US there's a x22.

so what do you think of the one i'm looking at? worth a go?

middle14 · #14 Post by **middle14** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 3:54 pm

Worth a go, with a few comments. Since I paid $405 18 months ago, and see by looking at completed sales that they sell in the $200-$300 range, then add a bit for the media slice and drive, you want to decide on a max bid price. I doubt I'd go above $300. I'm funny about this stuff, if I decide that THIS is the one I want, I don't get hung up over the last $50 either way, but that's a personal decision.

Make sure you don't mind buying and installing the extra RAM, you'll need it.

Do you want the media slice? Good to have, but a cheap port replicator will do the job if you instead wanted to use an external DVD drive.

So, yes, I'd buy it if it fills your needs in every way.

Where to buy x-series thinkpad?

Where to buy x-series thinkpad?

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