Buying a Used Laptop – What should i know?

In most situations, buying a used laptop or computer is a far better option than buying new. For example, your usage requirements aren’t that high and you can justify spending big bucks on a new laptop. It may be bought by granny for emailing the grand children, a student with a small budget but needs access to a computer/laptop at their student accommodation, or simply you intend it to be just your backup laptop.

Of course, if you’re budget-constrained, then it’s probably the only option. Either you go for a budget, low-end laptop, or a used laptop that is cheaper and in many cases more powerful. Most laptops are, after all, built tough, and still have excellent capabilities a few years down the line. You won’t need a Intel i7 laptop if all you do is send a few emails a day and visit your favourite sites and do use Microsoft office.

What’s great is that you can even purchase used models with warranties–whether these are refurbished units, unsold stock, or leased units already returned, you can get excellent deals. .

What do I need to know?

Most used laptop resellers put these laptops through a refurbishing process. Therefore when you are looking for a used laptop you may often see them referred as refurbished laptops and reconditioned laptops. This means that the laptops have been put through an extensive refurbished process which includes testing all components, replacing any faulty parts and reinstallation of the operating system. This has its obvious benefits from buying a used laptop of eBay or gumtree. Theoretically this should mean when buying a refurbished laptop, its performance should be similar to the day it was bought.

You should also look to purchase from a company offering a warranty. This means if there are any hardware related issues within the warranty period the will fix or replace the laptop for you.

Another specific you should look out for is how the laptop has been graded. Generally a reputable company will grade their laptops from A to C, but this varies from company to company. If you are on a really tight budget you can pick up a lower grade used laptop for a lot cheaper than a higher grade one, with the only difference being cosmetic. Usually more signs of wear and tear, but the laptop itself will be in full working order.

The last thing you should look out for is battery life. Since a battery is classed as a consumable good (think a ink cartridge or the tyres on a car) it is rarely covered by any kind of warranty. It may be worth your while checking out what the specific seller lets you know about the battery of the laptop you are interested in.

Another major benefit of buying Used Laptops from a reputable company is that these laptops tend to be ex corporate laptops and are looked after by extensive IT departments of some big companies. These laptops also tend to be specifically designed for business use which means that there is a large supply of replacement parts or upgrades if the need ever arises. When buying obscure brands or models of laptops made specifically for the home market, replacement parts can be very hard to find and equally expensive.

About the Author

Jonathan is a senior technician for the Cheap Laptop Company, a reseller of Used Laptops in the UK: http://www.cheaplaptopcompany.co.uk/Used-Laptops.

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