new computer

Any ideas on where to get a good computer at a great price? If I buy a new computer can I claim it as an expense if I also use it for personal use?

shopping Ohio and PA

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www.salescircular.com

Shopping Bama and parts of Georgia.
I'm still learning 24/7.

I have had good luck at both buy.com and the clearance demo machines at Office Depot. My current desktop machine is a refurb from buy.com and my current laptop is a demo from OD.

I went to the Dell outlet online. I got a refurb laptop. I love it! I'm sure some of the others have outlets also. They shipped mine out real quick.

Yes, HP often has refurbs. They tend to be rather top of the line machines that are 'refurb'ed so the price remains pretty high. My SO picked up one with a whole lot of bells and whistles that was supposedly a 'refurb' but had never left HP--the customer decided to do still further upgrades when the original order was already on the shipping dock. They started with a fresh chassis and sold off the ready-to-ship machine as a 'refurb'.

A lot of "refurbs" have never been out of the packing boxes. If they are returned, or just not shipped, for any reason, they are sold as refurbed. Check out refurbed machines on Ebay. Stick to sellers with good reps and you will be fine. Just be sure to get the original software discs!!!

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Most new computers I've checked lately don't even COME with software disks any more. The restore stuff is a partition on the hard drive and it is up to the buyer to make their own disks of that in case the hard drive decides to die.

Ever buy a computer from Best Buy? Boy, they try to rip you a new one. They attempt to charge you for making restore disks, virus protection and other useless features. New computers have the restore disk feature built in. They have trial virus software and about everything you need. The trial virus software can easily be removed and replaced with AVG 2012. A free download from download.com.

Need office? Open Office works great and is free also...

Shopping Bama and parts of Georgia.
I'm still learning 24/7.

Agreed 100% on all of the above.

I use Open Office. big $$$ saver.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

Are you looking for a computer to do mystery shopping with? If so, you don't need all the "bells and whistles".

I've got a couple of great Windows XP Laptops from ebay (I need XP for a work at home job) very reasonable.

I've bought a total of 4 laptops online (two were stolen, had to replace) and a netbook.

They were all well under $100. Plus shipping, about $15.

Here's the thing for ebay...read CAREFULLY what they are selling, and read CAREFULLY what there feedback is.

It can be done easily if you take your time and read the ads...I wouldn't ever buy a new computer...

If you buy on ebay is it not "as is"?

That is where reading the ad and asking questions of the seller come into play. If it is advertised as working and in good condition, it had better be just that. If there is no statement of condition you need to ask. It is also helpful to ask about the operating system and installed software.

Just d/l open office, just need help setting it up.

Flash Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That is where reading the ad and asking questions
> of the seller come into play. If it is advertised
> as working and in good condition, it had better be
> just that. If there is no statement of condition
> you need to ask. It is also helpful to ask about
> the operating system and installed software.

Yes thank you as usual for your info, however is it always considered as is on e-bay. In other words what if any are the contractual agreements. Do you deal w/ e-bay often? Can I return the product if it not functional? Anyone who deals w/ ebay let me know.

some you can see in the post on ebay whether or not it is for "parts" or in new, used, or working condition... sometimes they dont say... their return policy is always listed on the searchable icon and information...

never be afraid of asking questions...

many companies also sell what is known as "off lease" which are computers that are rented out to companies for a time and then returned... usually the hard drives are erased... but i have heard of some finding information... as you can never fully erase a hard drive...

www.efurb.com
www.tigerdirect.com
www.newegg.com
www.amazon.com

all have "off lease" computers for reasonable prices... the one i bought cost $115 including shipping, mouse, and keyboard... but it did not come with cables of any sort... i assumed they would be included... but they were not... but i picked some up used for less than $10... so not to bad...

shopping north west PA and south west ny

Okthanks dude. Have you had any experience returning stuff and if so how did it go? What are the legal ramificationsw/ ebay? Know what I mean jellybean?

cynb,
It is not Ebay that decides if you can return something. It is the seller. Read the offer and ask questions. Many, if not most, refurbs come with at least a 30-60 day warranty....some longer. Companies like Dell market their refurbs through reputable sellers.

Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel

Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.

cynb, this is why the seller reputation is imporant. A good seller will stand behind what they post on eBay. If they say it is working and it is not, they will take it back. Some sellers post "No Returns" and that is a time to be very cautious. Where there have been conflicts about whether a product is as advertised, Paypal has cleaned up the problem for me when the seller failed to respond. Over the years of buying and selling with eBay I have referred two things to Paypal. One was supposedly new in package software which turned out to be a copy in a paper sleeve for $100 and the other was a cooking pot that arrived in a perfect cardboard box but so bent that the round lid would not start fit it. In neither case did the seller respond and in both cases Paypal returned my money.

We have a goodwill computer store in the area I live in (Austin TX) and I recently picked up a HP desktop that has windows vista with a 3 ghz dual-core processor and a 250 gig hard-drive ,dvd-burner and even came with a keybaord,mouse and a LCD monitor. I got the systemm out the door price $108.95. It came with a 90 day warranty.They refurbish the computers in house and they had some really good deals on all types of hardware and related computer components.I would suggest if you have a goodwill store that specializes in computers to check 'em out.

Your Goodwill Computing has garnered some nationwide attention because it is pretty unique in the system. It exists because of the vast amount of tech in the Austin area and the willingness of tech folks in your area to help get the machines repaired and upgraded and teach others to do it as well. It is truly a spectacular situation which should exist in every town but does not. Waay too much electronics gets shipped to the landfill in most of the country rather than being patched up and sold pretty much at cost.

I know that the folks in this area are pretty lucky with all the high tech companies in the area(Dell-Samsung-3M-Texas Instruments-HP-AMD-Motorola)all have manufactoring plants here so you are right we are in a unique situation.I did not realize that the goodwill stores in other states did not have the computer type stores.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/25/2012 02:42AM by txguitar.

Its getting better... mainly because land fills are filling up.. its becoming more chic... and recycled products are earning places more...

I know my dad for a time would just buy a new lappy whenever his began running slow... but he earns a good deal...his money...

With buying on ebay you aare buying from an individual... not from ebay.. eo experiences vary widely... i have never retuned anything... so i wouldnt know...

shopping north west PA and south west ny

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