However, buying a used laptop comes with risks. Could it be that the seller is lying about the condition of the product? What if the battery has gone through too many charging cycles? What if there are a few dead pixels on the screen? Could it be that a valid Windows license key is not included? Let’s look at the mistakes you must avoid when purchasing a used laptop.
Mistake 1: Ignoring warning signs
If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t. The Internet is full of scammers, resellers, and gray area sellers. If the conditions are good enough, it is bound to attract attention. It is unlikely that you will find a laptop with great features at an incredibly low price before anyone else.
Laptops that are priced too low are usually either lying or hiding problems. The laptop itself may appear to be in good condition. However, it may be a stolen item, or it may have been repaired unofficially, making the warranty void.
Sellers with low or no trustworthiness should be equally cautious. Avoid purchasing from sellers with new accounts on open markets such as eBay, and avoid online stores with bad reputations such as Trustpilot. Going one step further, it is best not to buy a used laptop from a seller who does not know what he or she is selling, or who cannot or does not disclose product information.
If you have any doubts, just pass it by. Buying a decent laptop at a good price is much better than buying a bad laptop at a good price or getting scammed.
Mistake 2. Not asking questions
When buying a used laptop, it’s really important to get as much information as possible from the current owner. It may feel awkward to be a bit of a picky buyer, but it’s essential in these situations.
Ask how long the laptop has been in use. You also need to check how much you overworked it. Are there any physical defects? Is it possible to send a photo with the screen on? Can you provide a battery health report? If the seller doesn’t know how to do this, they can send you a link, such as a guide to checking battery status.
If you are concerned about poor performance while purchasing a high-performance laptop, it is a good idea to ask it to run some benchmark tests. Be sure to check warranty information and, if possible, request a copy of the receipt from the time of initial purchase. If the seller is evasive or overly aggressive about these requests, it may be better to find another seller. There is no need to take risks.
Mistake 3. Not touching and testing
When purchasing items for daily use, it is best to touch and test them. It’s important to look closely at the screen, run performance and battery tests, check for sticky or broken keys, listen for fan noise, and touch the chassis to check for overheating. A hands-on test can tell you more than any description or photo.
Of course, when purchasing online, it is sometimes difficult to test it in person. However, if you are trading through a used direct trading platform, it is a good idea to ask for some testing time when receiving the item in person. If testing uncovers a problem, you can make a much better decision about whether to proceed with the purchase, reduce the price, or abandon the deal.
Mistake 4. Buying an older model
It’s easy to get confused about the make and model of your laptop. This is especially true when models with the same name have been released over multiple generations. Even within the same generation, there are many cases where the names are similar but the internal hardware is completely different.
This problem carries greater risk when buying a used laptop. Although the seller has registered it as a specific model, it may actually be a different model. This is riskier because it may not be an intentional trick, but the result is the possibility of paying for a 2024 model and receiving an older product that was released a year or two ago. In this case, performance deteriorates and you cannot enjoy the latest technology.
You need to accurately check the laptop model you want to purchase and its internal hardware. Ask the seller for a screenshot of the system specifications, and look for reviews of models with that hardware to see how they performed when new.
If possible, also look at reviews of recent laptops in a similar price range. If the model you’re looking to buy is more than a few years old, you may be able to find a newer model with similar performance and a newer, longer warranty.
Mistake 5. Not checking the return policy
If you buy a laptop and don’t mind receiving a completely broken brick, you should make sure you purchase from a site or marketplace that offers proper return policies and protections. Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, eBay, Swappa, and even Facebook Marketplace offer pretty good return policies. You can also use the return policy to test the laptop at home and then confirm your purchase.
However, you should be careful about purchasing expensive products such as laptops through sites such as Craigslist. This is because these sites have almost no mechanisms to protect buyers from fraud and lies. If you must use these sites, be sure to test the laptop in person before paying for it in an in-person transaction.
Mistake 6. Expecting perfect battery life
If the product has already been used for some time, it is unreasonable to expect perfect battery life. Since the total capacity of a laptop battery decreases slightly each time it is charged, the more frequently it is used, the more the battery performance decreases. That doesn’t mean the battery will be completely terrible. Boasting nearly 20 hours of battery life when new, the MacBook Air still has a usable battery even after hundreds of hours of use.
For a typical used laptop, you can expect about 50 to 85% of the initial battery life. However, gaming laptops may be a little more sensitive. Gaming laptops often only have a battery life of a few hours to begin with, so when the battery wears out, the total capacity can be significantly reduced to one or two hours.
Fortunately, there is a simple way to check the health of your laptop battery. If you’re worried about your battery’s health, take the advice from Mistake 2 and ask your seller to generate a battery health report. If the product has been well maintained by the seller, battery performance may not have deteriorated significantly.
Mistake 7. Not checking the OS license
You must ensure that you have a valid license (product key) for the OS included by default. A license key is required when upgrading laptop hardware or reinstalling the OS. In most cases, the product key can be found on a physical sticker attached to the laptop body. Otherwise, it is better to get it provided in paper form. In rare cases, the OS product key is linked to the laptop itself as a digital entitlement and is automatically activated.
If the seller does not have the product key or only provides it in digital text form, it is likely that the OS has been pirated or stolen. Of course, you can solve this problem by purchasing a product key yourself, but additional costs will be incurred. Additionally, this situation could be a warning sign that the laptop may not be as reliable as the seller claims. Judge carefully and proceed cautiously.
Mistake 8. Not factory reset or reset
Whether you buy a used laptop from an individual or an online store, most of the data will have been deleted. It is highly unlikely that malware to steal data is installed. But the possibility is not completely zero. Safety is the top priority. If you have any doubts about whether your newly purchased used or refurbished laptop is in pristine condition, it is best to perform a factory reset yourself. To be extra sure, overwrite the drive with zeros (zero fill) and reinstall the OS manually.
Lastly, let’s physically clean the laptop. No matter how good a used laptop is, it can still have some unpleasant marks, especially on the keyboard.
editor@itworld.co.kr
Source: www.itworld.co.kr
