A guide to buying a second hand laptop

This article will look at the dos and don'ts of buying second hand laptops. They can be a great way of getting newer technology whilst still making some great savings. There are certain rules which should be followed and positives and negatives of buying second hand that will be discussed in this article.

Introduction

The market for used laptops is big, people are constantly looking for new technology and this leaves a lot of perfectly good usable laptops cast aside and inevitably these end up on auction sites such as Ebay (Ebay.co.uk) or classified advert websites such as Gumtree (Gumtree.co.uk). Great laptop discounts can be had by buying from these websites.

Instructions

1. Check the average sale price of your laptop to make sure you don’t pay too much for your new item. 2. Make sure you have the ability to put a fresh install of the operating system on the laptop/notebook as this will remove any personal data from the machine and make sure it is running properly. 3. If possible, check that whoever you are buying from has a good reputation for sales. 4. Some laptops come with built in batteries that cannot be replaced by anyone other than the manufacturer. This is OK if the laptop is relatively new but be cautious with buying older laptops. For example, Macbook Pro requires you to send the laptop off for a new battery to be fitted. This can be quite costly. 5. Make sure there is a sufficient amount of pictures so that you know exactly what you are buying. 6. Use the internet to check reviews for the products you are looking at. 7. Try before you buy! This ensures you will not get anything other than what you are looking at and will not be disappointed by your purchase. If this is possible, follow the next steps. 8.Take a USB device to check the USB ports are functioning, and a CD or DVD to test out the CD or DVD drive. 9. Make sure there are no dead pixels on the screen (this is a white pixel on anything other than a white screen whilst others around it are not. 10.Check that the hinges work well and operate smoothly. 11.Check that the Wi-FI card works correctly. 12. Check for scratches and dents because this will give you an idea of how well the laptop has been cared for.
Final word Make sure to ask the seller any questions you have about the item to make sure you are completely happy with what you are buying. Happy laptop hunting!