Where do you find laptops?

May 11, 2014 3:13 PM

I am looking for an older model of Lenovo that I saw but cannot find it anywhere. Wondering where are the old models available and where do folks go to find deals on laptops?

I am in the market for a laptop to serve small business needs. Specs are pretty simple as below:

Less than 14"screen size, anti-glare screen, with at least i3 processor. Prefer Lenovo without the fingerprint reader but Dell/Toshiba or Asus is fine also.
Budget is not more than $450.
New condition (not refurbished)

I know, tough find. However I saw a Lenovo T430 and have been looking to buy it online or otherwise with no luck.

So my question is two fold
-where do you go online/offline to find a laptop/laptop deals
-where can you find older models? I tried Rakuten but not sure how reputed that site is

Many thanks.

posted by jbean to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

The Lenovo you want is probably an X220, X220i, or X230. You're going to have a hard time finding a new-condition two-year-old model, though. There are lots of used ones on eBay for within your budget.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 4:44 PM on May 11, 2014

Lenovo has an outlet store (easily findable through google) and I bought a refurbished slightly older model there very happily awhile back.
posted by dismas at 5:34 PM on May 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

If you're in the US, Laptop Closeout have the T430 for $900. I've bought a couple of Thinkpads from them before (from their Canadian division) and found them to be helpful.
posted by scruss at 6:08 PM on May 11, 2014

I'm typing this on a nice lightly used Lenovo T520 that I got on eBay for under $400. There are tons of nice lightly used Lenovos on eBay for fairly cheap.
posted by Slinga at 6:12 PM on May 11, 2014

I've bought a couple of IBM/Lenovo machines from their refurbished store directly, and never had any issues with them.

You can get ones that are cheaper and/or a bit older by looking around on eBay, Amazon Marketplace, and various third-party vendors though. But I don't really believe anybody but Lenovo really "refurbishes" the machines. In all other cases you're really just buying "used". Which is probably fine, just as long as you're ready for key wear and other signs of a not-new computer.

If I was going to buy a used one today I'd probably look at the Amazon Marketplace pretty hard before I started trolling eBay. In the last few years I've had much better luck buying from them than the 'bay.
posted by Kadin2048 at 6:53 PM on May 11, 2014

I bought a Lenovo laptop from a eBay vendor called laptopexperience, and I am very satisfied with the item. It looks like this vendor gets them after 1 or 2 year leases, cleans them up, and sells them. Not a new item, but a good machine costing less than half your budget.

I figure mine will last three years or more.
posted by yclipse at 8:20 PM on May 11, 2014

Seconding the Lenovo outlet, various vendors on ebay, and Amazon Marketplace. You could also try overstock.com and newegg.com.

where are the old models available

The thing is, whether you're a manufacturer, a wholesaler, or a retailer, you want to get rid of stuff before it gets "old." This is probably especially true for high-tech stuff like laptops, where the industry is constantly coming out with newer sexier models with improved specs. Unsold stock sitting on your shelves is actually costing you money, and it's not at all unusual for a company to sell something at a loss just so they can get some cash to put towards new units that they can actually make a profit on.

So, generally, first a manufacturer will try to sell last year's model through their regular sources at a steep discount at the end of their "manufacturing year" cycle, which may or may not coincide with a calendar year. Then they'll dump any unused models for an even cheaper price to various other sellers, like overstock and newegg and companies on ebay, and those companies then try to sell the stuff as quick as they can while they can get the highest possible price.

IOW, you're not missing any obvious or even any "seekrit" sources for 2+ year old new laptops - they're gonna be rare because that's how the system works.

All of which is a long-winded way of pointing out that being willing to buy lightly used or refurbished computers will significantly expand your possible choices. All of my personal computers have been refurbs or lightly used, and so far (knock on wood) I've made some good/lucky choices, and they've lasted for years.
posted by soundguy99 at 5:48 AM on May 12, 2014