When you want a used thinkpd, where do you go.

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paul*robertson · #1 Post by **paul*robertson** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 11:29 am

I can imagine Ebay will be a common answer, but personally i get a bit irritated by the "works grt,no probs, harldy used,slight problem but probably an easy fix,BARGAIN!!!" type ads and people who dont know how to post in focus photographs. The other options are.

1. Lenova outlet (if you live in the US)
2. Here
3. Free-ads on the internet.
4. Physical computer stores (not easy to find)

Opinions please.

#2 Post by **Harryc** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 11:39 am

Here ... hands down the best option.

#3 Post by **ZaZ** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 12:13 pm

eBay can be real hit or miss. I got my current machine on eBay. It was fantastic deal and looked brand new. It was only missing the hard drive, which I already had. I've bought other machines which supposed to be "Like New", which were anything but. I had to dispute the purchases, which is a PITA even if you're not losing any $$$. The problem is you never know what you're getting until it shows up at your door.

I'd agree with Harry. People who sell here tend to be much more honest about what there selling. There's a camaraderie amongst us ThinkPad owners that you won't find on eBay or the like, even if you might get a better deal elsewhere.

Unknown_K · #4 Post by **Unknown_K** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 2:40 pm

It depends how cheap you are and how much you can fix on your own.

Ebay is great for deals on older equipment from sellers who get them in lots and have no clue what they are, but I would not buy anything newer there because I get the impression its a dumping ground for defective (or stolen) units. If you like stripping machines and fixing them then that might not be a problem.

If you want specific machines this forum and ebay will work, maybe craigslist if you are good at talking people down in price.

ajkula66 · #5 Post by **ajkula66** » Sat Oct 03, 2009 9:24 pm

Not because I sell quite a few machines here on a regular basis, but no place beats this forum's Marketplace when it comes to peace of mind included with the purchase.

You are likely to pay more than you would on fleabay, because people around here tend to know what they're selling. However, the chances of you being dissatisfied with your purchase are slim to none. In my book, that's a great trade-off.

On fleabay you can cheat, and cheat, and cheat, and still survive. Around here, you can do it once and you're history.

My $0.02 only...

dr_st · #6 Post by **dr_st** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 4:06 am

Everything that was said is right - this forum is hands down the best place to trade Thinkpads and Thinkpad-related things, because (a) you have people that really understand what they are trading with, (b) you have a good community based on mutual trust and honesty.

Nowhere else will you receive such attention to details from the seller - you will know exactly what you are getting, and in what condition. In the rare cases where a dispute happens after the purchase, in most cases it is resolved through the forums, to maximize the satisfaction of both parties.

As everywhere - the prices may vary. Some people with less market experience may aim very low (and sell in 2 seconds) or very high (and never sell). But overall, you get good market value. With one "but"...

Unfortunately for us international buyers, most of the active Marketplace sellers are in the US. It also means that this is where the good deals come from.

Most of the sellers will ship internationally, but between the shipping cost, and the custom fees (there is no way to sneak a laptop past them), the end prices might be much less appealing.

I can testify myself - I once (and only once) bought a laptop through the marketplace. It was a beautiful Z61t and the price was right. But the final amount that I paid after shipping, customs, fees - was almost 50% higher than the selling price. At that price point the expedience of the deal was questionable.

So, if you have a large enough buyer/seller base in your country (and in the UK you might), you may be able to get better deals at your local sources. But then you are stuck having to determine the credibility of the sellers and the quality of the merchandize yourself.

As you can see, I live in the country which is not very big, and does not have a very large laptop market. Many of the models never reach here in the first place, and among those that do, not many end up on the second hand market eventually. Plus the sellers in many cases still live by the high prices of Thinkpads from T60 and earlier eras, and try to sell their used Thinkpads for the same price that an average person can buy a brand new laptop. Since few people know a Thinkpad's worth, this just leads to stagnation in the market. Few sell, few buy. So my personal ability to get good Thinkpad stuff for good prices is very limited.

ajkula66 · #7 Post by **ajkula66** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 9:05 am

While dr_st is absolutely correct (as usual) with his observations, there is ONE thing that works very well for the international buyers at the moment...weak U.S. dollar.

I have never had a problem with selling internationally, but it seems to me that lately I've been shipping more and more stuff abroad, including to UK...

On a $100 machine, buying it from U.S. and going through all the aforementioned hassle makes little to no sense, unless we're discussing a fairly rare item in pristine condition. On a $500+ unit, it often does...

eBay has lately been a madhouse with no winners...although they would want you to believe differently, but that's a whole another topic that I'm not going to go into right now....

paul*robertson · #8 Post by **paul*robertson** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:43 pm

My concern about buying from the US is less the distance (as international postage can be cheaper than people think). Its more that i would prefer a UK version, than a US. Having said that i am quite ignorant about the difference. My 600x is a US version and the only difference i know of is the power lead and a couple of keys.

#9 Post by **Harryc** » Sun Oct 04, 2009 3:49 pm

Paul, I agree the keyboard is the major difference. The thing is that on most older used Thinkpads the keyboard is very affordable, so even if you bought a US machine and wanted a UK keyboard, that swap process is cheap and easy.

Kilowatt · #10 Post by **Kilowatt** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:12 am

In the UK

I have bought quite a few over the last few years, for me or friends, (older models),(the Thinkpads not the friends), refurbished all good or very good condition, but look carefully through the site because they also sell, very cheaply, more damaged models - you get what you pay for!!!

SterlingXS in Guildford, just closed down early 2011, shame, I bought a few good condition thinkpads there.

Alas - now closed down - early 2011

paul*robertson · #11 Post by **paul*robertson** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:32 pm

dmnoland · #12 Post by **dmnoland** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 9:10 pm

What about ITXchange? They have warehouses all over the world. I bought my last 2 thinkpads from them.

CallDon · #13 Post by **CallDon** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:22 pm

dmnoland wrote:What about ITXchange? They have warehouses all over the world. I bought my last 2 thinkpads from them.

I got my Thinkpad T43 Refurbished about three months ago (or so) from Tiger Direct dot com. Love it. Paid $329.00 on sale, reg. $349. Made a believer out of me. I just ordered the new Thinkpad USB keyboard today to use with all my other computers!

D*

When you want a used thinkpd, where do you go.

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