The reason the laptop market is so big is because there are so many users who need and use them. But of course, buy a laptop it is at least an investment, because relatively good models cost a lot of money, so it is not surprising that many people also decide to resort to the market of second hand you are looking to save money when buying your new laptop. If this is your case, in this article we will give you a series of tips to avoid getting in trouble…or something worse.
The market for used electronics is extremely large, as the useful life of these devices is usually quite long. There are different platforms to buy your laptop with greater or lesser guarantees for the buyer, but we are not going to go into the sites where to buy used, but into the precautions that you must take BEFORE making the purchase.
The keys to buying a second-hand laptop
The first thing before you start buying a laptop on the used market is to consider what do you needsince it is not the same thing to buy a computer to work or study than to buy it to play, and in the same way, a second-hand laptop will not have had the same wear and tear if it is not have not moved from the house of an individual like another model that they constantly take him on trips.
Once it is clear what type of use you are going to give the laptop, you need to think about the hardware you need. Think that if you want a laptop for gaming you’ll need it to have a good dedicated graphics card, while if you need it to take it on a trip what you’re most interested in is that it has a battery with good autonomy. What we are going to recommend to you is not to buy anything that has less than 8 GB of RAM memory and have a SSDof more or less capacity, but avoid laptops with a mechanical hard drive both because they will be very slow and because they have moving parts and, in a laptop that moves from place to place another, they are more prone to breakdowns.
Ok, at this point you already know more or less what you need, so the next recommendation is that you start looking for specific models on the internet, but mostly this compare prices online. If you’ve got your eye on a laptop, find out how much it costs new and figure out if the price they’re asking is fair or not; As a rough guide, a 1-2 year old laptop should cost at least 30% less than a new one, while 3-4 year old laptops should cost you 40% less (at least). We do not recommend buying laptops that are 5 years old or older, as they would be too worn out (especially their battery and SSD).
The next step would already involve contacting the seller, and here we recommend asking for one. Proof of purchase (that they show you the invoice and/or that they send you real photos of the equipment with a sheet indicating their name and the date, to guarantee that they have the equipment (the invoice is especially interesting both for find out the actual age of the laptop to be sure it is not a stolen product)). Also look at the credibility of the seller on the portal where you buy it (upvotes, etc.) to see if they are trustworthy.
Once you have taken all these precautions that we have described, it is time to investigate further, and the ideal is to be able to meet the person who sells the laptop and thus examine it carefully. Check that it is in good physical condition, that it has no dents, that the screen has no dead pixels, etc., and it would also be advisable to check the state of the SSD with programs such as Information about CrystalDiskas well as battery status.
There will be times when it won’t be possible because the seller is from another city and needs to send it to you, but you can always ask them to send you screenshots of these things, as well than real photos with more product details. . On platforms like Wallapop, remember that you have a certain amount of time to complete these checks before finalizing the purchase (this is called buyer protection).
If you have followed all these tips and are satisfied, all that remains is to formalize the purchase and start enjoying your new used laptop.
