Tips For Buying Refurbished Laptops Online

Buying refurbished laptops online is the most common way to purchase a Refurbished Laptop. Most brick and motor stores are focused on selling new products, and the online world has become the home for many companies selling refurbished products. A first step in selecting an online store is to find a seller that meets your comfort level. A good practice is to select three potential online sources to evaluate, and then eliminate them one by one, until you have a source that meets your requirements. When you settle on a seller make sure you look around their online store and browse what they are offering. Your selected seller should address the following:

Refurbished Laptop Descriptions: Make sure the seller has complete product descriptions, that includes complete products specifications and descriptions with a list of the items included with the laptop. If software such as Microsoft XP or Windows Vista are installed on the refurbished laptop make sure that the original software license keys are included with the product.

Product Warranties: Make sure there is a product warranty and that the terms of the warranty are spelled out completely. It is a good idea to read the terms and conditions of the warranty. If the terms are not spelled out, then contact the seller to get a copy. The minimum warranty period you should accept is a thirty day warranty with ninety days being a good compromise. If your refurbished laptop performs for thirty days to your expectation, then it is likely it will work for years to come, subject to the failures
typical of any electronic device. Be sure to understand the conditions under which you can return the product.

Customer Service: Make sure there is a customer service function that includes a live person on the other end of the phone. Look for the contact numbers and call the support line to make sure support will be available when you need it.

Integrity of the seller: Look for Better Business Bureau (BBB) seals, BizRate, or Buy Safe seals which are indicators of the sellers integrity and acceptable business practices. If the seller has a reviews section on their web site check out what others have said but be aware that a seller can write the reviews and use fictitious names to make it look like real customers have provided the comments.

Buying a Refurbished laptop on eBay: eBay is one of the best places to buy a refurbished laptop since they have built a system to ensure safe shopping with a reviews and feedback system that makes it very difficult for less than a reputable seller to survive. Look for sellers that have a large number of transactions and with high or near perfect feedback scores. Select three eBay sellers of refurbished laptops, and using the criteria described earlier, review their products and select the one that meets your needs.

In many respects buying a product online is safer than from a "brick and mortar" store because the traditional store doesn't have a feedback score on the front door. The online purchase of a refurbished laptop can be a well thought out process executed at your pace and not at end of some high pressure sale pitch. Follow these steps and you will enjoy a product purchase experience that results your happiness with a bargain price for an excellent refurbished laptop.

Originally posted 2009-07-12 10:26:30.