Where can I get a used laptop?

March 15, 2007 2:22 AM

Know any reputable UK suppliers of used laptops?

I'll take my chances on eBay with most things, but for a laptop (worse, my girlfriend's laptop), no way. And I can't afford to buy new, either. So are there any companies with a decent stock of used laptops that consistently turn up and work? I suppose I'd also be open to recommendations of eBay users you trust and things like that.

If they were used iBooks/MacBooks, that'd be really great, but PCs are fine too.

posted by reklaw to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

There is a shop on Goodge St in London that always has a good stock of second hand iBooks / MacBooks etc, and offers them with a 6 month guarantee. I can't immediately remember the name, but it's almost opposite Tesco.
CEX, with several branches around the country, also has Apple laptops, but not with the same dependable stock levels.
posted by roofus at 2:29 AM on March 15, 2007

Apple also sells refurbished goods as well directly from their website (at seemingly good prices? I can't really say as I'm not a Mac guy). Not sure if they sell refurbished in the UK or not though...
posted by antifuse at 3:28 AM on March 15, 2007

Morgan Computers do refurbished laptops at very reasonable prices. Have known a few people who bought from them and who seem happy.
posted by opsin at 3:30 AM on March 15, 2007

Upon further inspection, it appears that they do not have a refurb store on their UK website. So... ermm.. nevermind then.
posted by antifuse at 3:33 AM on March 15, 2007

There was a company in Preston that I bought from a few years ago. They were selling Compaq notebooks but, weirdly, the branding had been sanded off and they were sold as "OEM notebooks".

I can't find them via a Google search, and can't remember their company name. I found them via Kelkoo, back when Kelkoo allowed you to sort by price.

A word of warning: in my experience, refurbished notebooks tend to have something slightly wrong with them. It's never anything serious. For example, the above-mentioned notebook had intermittent sound glitches. When buying refurbished, I always prepare myself for the worst. Then everything is a bonus!
posted by humblepigeon at 4:07 AM on March 15, 2007

What's your budget? It seems to me that refurbed laptops are often a very poor deal - you get a limited warranty (if any) and the battery is often half dead and won't hold a decent charge (not covered by warranty and they're never cheap to replace). If you can stretch to £400 you can get a really decent brand new one.

Compare these two:
£350 for a second-hand Acer laptop
£420 for a brand new HP/Compaq laptop from a major UK retailer with four times as much RAM and a more powerful processor.
posted by boosh at 4:30 AM on March 15, 2007

Cancom do refurbs but I've got my last 2 refurb'ed Mac laptops direct from the Apple Store. Look for the 'SAVE' tag (bottom right) on the main UK store page and see what they've got.

I got 35% off a 17" MacBookPro recently. You get a 1-year warranty and you can get the 2-year extension Apple Care pack (I'd recommend it.)
posted by i_cola at 5:24 AM on March 15, 2007

I've just had a look and they've got a whole load of laptops there at the moment.
posted by i_cola at 5:53 AM on March 15, 2007

Seconding Morgan - I've got a couple of ex-corporate laptops from them in the past and they've been solid.
posted by blag at 6:09 AM on March 15, 2007