Buying X200 From Ebay

Hello all,
I was originally planning on purchasing a X200 from an online retailer but thought I would just look at some of the offers on ebay before actually purchasing.

One of the listings I saw had a great price and a lot of features but I'm somewhat concerned about the product being legit. The seller has almost all positive reviews--although only roughly 60 transaction--and claims that the laptop is new and that the box has only been opened to perform a ram upgrade. For the most part it seems legitimate but thought I'd solicit the opinions of others more experienced than myself.

I can include a link to the specific auction, but wasn't sure of the propriety of doing so.

Thanks in advance.

 

As everything else you need to know what you are getting. I purchased a 600E Thinkpad from Ebay 4 years ago and it still is working to day, just as good as when I bought it. In fact for the most part I haven't had a problem with things purchased on ebay. I have had to return a couple of things, and every time it was not a problem and I was happy how the seller handled it.

However I would ask questions. For example as if the screen has stuck or bad pixels. This can be most easily seen by changing the screen background to white, black, red, green, blue and seeing if there are any stuck or bad pixels. For the thinkpads you can run the diagnostic software and see if there are any problems there.

Good luck.

 

Ask the seller for the machine type and serial number to verify the warranty. Pay with a credit card if you can. It will offer you more recourse if things don't work out.

 

Until the X200 came out, my laptops of choice were used X31's. Picked up 3 at various times from eBay, all still working fine. However, read carefully what is being offered, look for warning signs if it doesn't seem right, and ask questions of the seller if you have questions.

 

As Zaz said, always use a payment method that protects you.

 

I brought my x301 off ebay, no problem at all. Don't forget use live cashback

Our seller paid for that, ebay sucks.

 

Before you make a decision, check out the Lenovo Outlet's New and Redistributed X200 systems- NEW & REDISTRIBUTED

 

Ebay is fine if you know what to look for in a reputable seller. Also, worse comes to worst, you can always file a complaint with Paypal to get your money back (assuming you use Paypal)

 

This. Unless someone on eBay is giving away a new-in-box system, check the outlet store first. You just never know what garbage some eBay seller is trying to foist upon you. I'd also suggest you check their refurbished section, too. I've purchased two such systems from the outlet--an X61s and X200T--and have been very pleased. I've never had a problem with them. Except for the refurbished label on the bottom of the system, I've had difficulty distinguishing refurbished systems from new-in-box.

The Outlet isn't perfect. Specifications are often incorrect, shipping dates change, holds on credit cards appear and disappear at random, and representatives there often don't know what's going on. However, if you utilize the advanced search feature and know what you're looking for, you can find tremendous deals.

Always save as .pdf the system description and, most importantly, the checkout screen, as it contains a unique order ID associated with your purchase. The former is valuable for checking what you receive against what you order (ALWAYS check what you receive against what's listed; hardware specifications are often upgraded above what's listed or an ultrabase may be included, etc, and do a warranty lookup on the system once you receive it--I had to call the outlet, as the X200T I purchased was listed as out-of-warranty, but they're going to adjust it). The latter helps identify your order with outlet staff should you have to phone in about your order.

Cheers,
~tdr.

 

eBay is hit or miss. I myself bought a 15" R60 on eBay in February. It was DOA and the specs were less than what was stated in the item description. It almost seemed the machine was cobbled together from various R60s parts. The seller was less than helpful, trying to send me off to support since the machine was under warranty, but not addressing the issues themselves. I ended up having to dispute it with my CC company. I got my money back, but it was a pain in the rear.

Just when I thought maybe I shouldn't buy a notebook on eBay, I ended up buying another R60 off eBay last month. I paid significantly less and it's in much better shape than the previous R60 I purchased. Best of all it's under warranty for another year and half. Granted it didn't have a hard drive and the battery didn't work, but I got lots of drives laying around and batteries are cheap. I guess the lesson is do your homework and pay with a CC in case there's trouble. A little luck don't hurt either.