cons of buying t400 on eBay?

ive seen a few users here post a potential buy on ebay, i want to know if a t400 on ebay is actually worth it. i feel better buying off of lenovo's site, but it seems to be a better deal off of ebay, am I wrong here?

anything I should worry about when buying from eBay? (or should I just stick to the lenovo site?)

any good eBay sellers you guys recommend?

i was just taking a look at something like this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/LENOVO-THINKPAD-T400-2-53GHZ-3GB-160GB-14-WXGA-CAMERA_W0QQitemZ300297235421QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLaptops_Nov05?hash=item300297235421&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

and wanted to know if something like this is a good deal, they say its brand new and never used, but it was intended to be a demo, does that actually mean its been never used?

i just want to make sure that IF I do buy off of ebay, I am getting a real good deal

 

Well that one has been bought... generally take a look at the seller's rep, if he has some cons you'll want to look into that.

If his ad seems fishy, turn away. If it's too cheap to seem reasonable, stay away. But it is possible to find some decent deals on ebay, even for brand new computers.

Edit: That page did say open box, so yes it was new, but it would be like an open box in Best Buy, it was opened, maybe slightly used, but not much if anything, but they can't sell it for full price anymore.

 

Just from a glance the things that would concern would be firstly it's an open box. It's either a return which most likely means the original buyer didn't like for some reason. Dead/stuck pixels come to mind, though it could be anything. It could also be a demo unit. Who knows how it's been handled or on for how long.

The second thing is it has a P9500, which is great, but the T400 was never offered with them. Since the case was opened, the claim to a three year warranty is ambiguous at best.

Lastly, the price isn't that great. It doesn't say the screen is LED, which means it probably isn't. You can do better buying it directly from Lenovo using coupons.

 

No i wont buy notebooks on ebay there are many reasons including it being stolen and not being able to get warranty on it.

One of the reasons as well is when you call the call center they want your first and last name and they only take the name of the person that ORIGINALLY ordered the notebook. So if something happens i doubt they will help. They'll help over the phone but they will give you a hard time when you have to send it in.

 

That has not been my experience. ThinkPad warranties follow the machine not the buyer. If you buy an under warranty ThinkPad from someone and have to call for service, you should have no trouble getting it as long as it hasn't been reported stolen. In which case you'll have some explaining to do. It's also why you should never post your serial number on the net.

 

this also has been my experience. Well i bought a T42 3 and half years ago and the screen got a green line on the side. I called lenovo. No questions asks, I got it replaced.

 

Have you considered the Lenovo Outlet? OUTLET LINK

They have quite a few NEW and Redistributed T400 models at very reasonable prices. New units in the Outlet are factory overages and cancelled orders. Redistributed means the notebook was returned unopened, factory seal hasn't broken and the notebook has never been used. All Outlet laptops have the same 1-year standard warranty as any new ThinkPad.

Here's an example of a nicely equipped one-

ThinkPad T400 - $891 (new would cost $1109.70)
2.4GHz Intel P8600
Windows Vista Business
14.1" WXGA+ (1440x900) display
2GB DDR3 RAM
250GB 5400rpm hard drive
256mb ATI Radeon Mobility HD 3470
DVD RW
Intel 5100AGN
Bluetooth
6-cell battery
LINK

 

if only they had LED backlit screens.

 

Lenovo did offer the P9500 on the T400 in some other channels and briefly on the main website.

I would be highly suspicious of eBay sellers.

 

I stand corrected, but it's still odd.

 

The warranty belongs to the ThinkPad, not its owner, and is transferrable without any action required in the US at least. As long as the serial number hasn't been reported stolen, it doesn't matter who calls in for service.