Is it safe to use a third party seller battery from ebay?

Hello,

My laptop battery is now in the process of lasting a maximum duration of an hour and I am interested in purchasing a replacement battery from ebay but it 1/3 the price to an official laptop battery

I am quite concerned if it will damage the laptop with the USB peripherals attached or dangerously causing any hazardous incidents. I think the battery is made in china. It does come with 12 months warranty but the seller is from china and I think they have a warehouse in UK

 

Nobody can tell you for sure. You probably already know this but most, if not all, batteries are made in China nowadays, even genuine ones. Usually genuine batteries will use more expensive cells from manufacturers like Samsung or Sanyo. The cheaper generic batteries might use cells made from lesser known Chinese battery makers. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are inferior to the bigger brands.

If I was you I'd look for a reseller based in your country and buy from them. They may offer good quality aftermarket batteries. Look at reviews and factor that in your decision. If the battery has a problem, dealing with a reputable reseller in your own country should be easier than dealing with a merchant from China. I usually prefer genuine batteries but if the price difference is significant I'll look at aftermarket ones too.

Here's a link for you:

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/89270.aspx

 

I suggest getting the cheapest compatible battery with maximum number of cells. Chances are, paying more you will receive absolutely the same product, especially from greedy local resellers.

 

Yes that is true since my laptop is 5 years old and Dell doesn't do the 9 cell but 6 cell and way too pricy

 

Ordered a cheap replacement for someone a few weeks ago. Price was not too suspicious and the plastic + stickers were brand new (even had that smell), yet the 18650 cells inside it were used, only having about 25% of the stated capacity. The cost of these things are not the plastic housing or the simple pcb, it's the cells. Anything like this is a scam and so are the repacked casings sold as 'new'. Of course, that's clearly a diy wrapper, but it's easy enough to print Panasonic, Sanyo or Samsung stickers and get the same result; a $0.50 discard sold for ~$5 (so x6 = $30 profit).

Got a full refund, btw ... so ... yes, if you can manage to test the item. The risk is not damage or anything like that, it's merely the very good chance you're paying for something that's not worth it. A fair price for a 9-cell would be be about $75-90, anything less is impossible. Well ... except if the seller and sticker honestly state the real (much lower) Wh value, that is.

 

I've had mixed success with ordering knock off batteries. While none were actually as good as OEM, some were very close, and others were just as bad as the dying battery I was replacing. Find a top rated seller and stick to them

 

Received a 9-cell battery for my X220 tablet recently - 72Wh as advertised. It cost me $33 and it's better, though a bit longer, than original 6-cell 63Wh battery (Lenovo did not offer 9-cell for this model).

 

I personally would never do it.... Saving a few quid here and there isn't worth burning your laptop/house or even injuring yourself.. Better to be safe then to be sorry.. If you can't afford a new battery, just stick to using the AC adapter till you can..