How well do used laptops sell on Ebay?

[Enforcer]

I want to sell my Dell Inspiron 5150 laptop (3.06ghz, 512 mb RAM, nVidia GeForce FX Go5200 64mb) as well as my Dell TrueMobile 2300 wireless router on Ebay. The proceeds will hopefully buy me a 15" Powerbook (no flames about Macs, please).

From what I've seen, most of the 5150s sold on Ebay are brand new, just sold by merchants other than Dell. I haven't been able to find a used 5150 being sold by just a random person. Then again, my Ebay-fu is woefully inadequate (never bought or sold anything on Ebay before).

Anyways, I just want an idea of what I can get for my laptop (and router). I'm hoping to get at least $2,250 for the laptop, am I expecting too much or too little? Thanks!

 

[Greyhawk_DM]

I'm hoping to get at least $2,250 for the laptop, am I expecting too much or too little?

Probably expecting too much....
This person is selling basically the same machine for about 1,000 less...with a Dell Warranty etc...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3461174631&category=48485

 

[Sir Whiskers]

From what I've seen, most of the 5150s sold on Ebay are brand new, just sold by merchants other than Dell. I haven't been able to find a used 5150 being sold by just a random person. Then again, my Ebay-fu is woefully inadequate (never bought or sold anything on Ebay before).

You're going to have a couple disadvantages, which will seriously lower the price you'll get: you're not an established vendor and you won't have a track record with ebay.

Many vendors have their own websites, take plastic, offer (limited) guarantees, and so forth. They are businesses and tend to act as such, though there are exceptions. In my experience, merchants selling on ebay tend to have good processes, and my purchases from them are almost always quick, smooth, and a good value. Individual sellers are a much more mixed bag.

Also, when purchasing on ebay, most bidders have learned to check out the seller. Feedback is a significant scorecard, not just showing complaints, if any, but also how long the seller has been on ebay, have there been significant gaps in their activity, and so on. You will have zero feedback, if this is your first ebay transaction.

Given how much fraud there is, and the fact that such fraud is typically in high-dollar items (such as laptops), brand-new sellers will not get top-dollar from bidders. In fact, I personally would never bid for a laptop from a brand new seller on ebay. Even if the seller (you) is completely honest, unanticipated problems and misunderstandings can occur. Such problems are more common with a new seller than an established one.

As with anything, it's risk-reward. Your situation adds to the perceived risk, so bidders will not reward you with the best bids. I don't have a solution for you - perhaps a local merchant with its own ebay presence will sell the item on consignment? Or you have a good friend with a significant ebay track record would post the item for you?

Sorry to be so negative. Best of luck to you.

 

[Enforcer]

Sorry to be so negative. Best of luck to you.

I'm fine with negative--honesty is what I was looking for. Thank you, Greyhawk and Whiskers, for the info. It looks like Ebay won't be my best option to sell this puppy. I'll try the old-fashioned method of making an ad and posting it at my school and at the library.