PileOfFudge

My laptop is ten years old and is currently on life support. I'm considering purchasing a refurbished Dell Latitude laptop on ebay from a seller with a 100% feedback rating and close to 2,000 transactions in selling only refurbished customizable laptops. Here's the link for the ebay listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Latitu...97.m4902.l9144

Just curious if any members here have previously purchased a refurbished laptop on ebay. Would you recommend it or is it wiser/safer to just buy new direct from the manufacturer. I've never purchased anything refurbished before, but the price for the customized specifications I require is highly reasonable.

Thanks in advance for any feedback/opinions.

rduncan

I'd say it depends on the seller. I purchased an HP laptop, I believe as on "open Box" or "brown box" from a seller on eBay and it's been fine for close to 2 years now. It arrived looking new but in a plain brown box without all the HP and colorful graphics on it. Later I did find "used" RAM and upgraded the laptop and that also went without a hitch. If you are looking for a Dell, I swear there have been multiple posts here about the Dell clearance section of their website. Keep an eye out, and perhaps it's possible to create a saved search there, and folks have posted close to 50% discounts. Apparently there may be canceled orders after the device has been assembled so not really refurbished or used. Also, I see "off-lease" computers but these are mostly desktops and not laptops. I've also purchased "refurbished" desktops from WOOT and they also came in plain brown boxes but appeared as new with brand labels covered and often with different model numbers. These apparently were refurbished by a company in Mexico.

Troy Stiffler

Go for it.

1. Make sure you're saving real money. If you're saving $30 on a $500 laptop, just go buy a new one. I avoid Best Buy's open boxes for this reason. I know they don't want to take a loss on them. But when you're so close to the new-in-box price, it's worth it to pay extra.

2. Hit them with a warranty claim if there is a problem. Don't be afraid to. If they say 90 day warranty, and your RAM starts lagging at 70 days, tell them about it.

PerryD

I'm one of those that has bought from Dell Outlet a few times, mainly the business outlet side since they have a bit higher quality laptops there with better screens and warranty. When I'm starting to consider it, I re-subscribe to their mailing list, and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Every few days, they will drop a decent coupon that applies to certain models, so you just have to wait for the right coupon for the model you want.

Here is the laptop I ordered for my daughter a couple years ago. It was nearly half off of the new price at the time. I paid an extra $200 or so for the Pro Support which will repair any laptop issue next day on site including accidental coverage.

TheBang

For this one in particular, it looks like a decent deal. I bet they're probably business laptops that have come off lease. They have a 30-day money back guarantee with free return shipping, so it seems like little risk if you like the features and price.