Two years ago I needed a way to refresh more PC`s and Laptops at my company without spending more. New Dell laptops were great but expensive and over the years we had accumulated many Latitude C series parts. The C series ran from the CPX C600 C610 C400 and C640 models before their new D line of Latitude laptops were released. The docks, drives and many other parts are usable in any of these models so we decided to take advantage of this and purchase used Dell laptops. eBay was where we sourced these. Over the years I`ve learned some valuable things about buying these expensive items. Here are some tips and some recommendations of sellers I`ve found to be very reliable.

Know what you are buying.

Don`t just go by the model and specs of the machine. I`m seeing two types of units out there. Those that are complete PC`s sold as used units. Also refurbished units that have no serial number on the bottom or in the bios. These units can be had at very good prices and so far I`ve found them all to be in great condition. The problem is that without the serial you can`t even get tech support from Dell and obviously there isn`t a warranty. If you don`t mind this from the right seller these are great. For my use at my company it just isn`t worth the appearance of a model with no serial number. I`m passing on these for now.

Always pay using Pay Pal or some other sservice that lets you use a credit card.

Even when you use a credit card on Paypal your covered by the dispute and charge back protection provided by your credit card company. I`ve had two instances where the seller did not ship my laptop and I had to dispute the charge with my credit card company. In both cases I received a credit back from my company and had no trouble from Paypal. Before disputing open a formal case with Paypal as they require that before you do a charge back. I`m not sure what the consequences would be but better to appear as if you are trying to use their system.

Buying regularly? Try to form a relati