buying refurbished desktop from ebay?

[Cutehumor]

anyone have any good or bad experience doing this? I've only bought two computers in the past 12 years. One of them happened to be a refurbished sony 8-9 years ago direct from sony and I had no problems with that computer. There are a ton of refurbished desktops on ebay with many power sellers in the $250-$350 range. However, some say that the operating system isn't installed.

I'm looking for a 2nd desktop for internet wireless surfing mainly. So my wife and I don't fight over who can get online anymore.

 

[Buffman]

I haven't looked through the catalogs in a while, but I think for a touch more you can get a brand new Dell.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yup, $399 gets you a brand new Dell with operating system and a 17" or 19" LCD monitor. Check this page for current Dell deals:
http://www.dealcatcher.com/dell-sb-coupons

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

I've had good luck buying many refurb's to resell, but that was about 7 years ago. My favorite old-school PC was an IBM 500mhz desktop with 512MB RAM. It ran Win2K really well back then.

I do agree about the cheap Dell models. WalMart sells a few cheap Dell models now. Too bad this purchase missed the no sales-tax weekend

.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

$339 from NewEgg after rebate, Just add another stick of RAM...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883107399

 

[Cutehumor]

ToyotanSaturn,

is the no sales tax weekend thing going to be every six months or yearly for Tennessee?

 

[JTK]

Like anything else on eBay, you can kind of get a feel for the seller by checking their feedback. I bought an older used Dell Optima(sp?) for a family member awhile back on eBay for $100. it's used daily and has been flawless. I've bought other refurb'd products from eBay without issue.

Joel

 

[SrDriver]

Don't think you can beat the deal that Dell is offering!

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Yes, that no sales tax thing is good the first weekend in August and one weekend in April.

 

[CivicFan]

Cutehumor, I think you should save a little more money and get a laptop for wireless internet access. Your wife will appreciate the thought. Dell occasionally has very good deals on their laptops. Today they have a Vostro laptop for $599 + tax on their website. Keep a close eye on the dealcatcher website and you can always get a good deal.