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Buying Used on the Internet: Tips on buying used equipment on th

© Michael Christopher Brinton

Buying used can sometimes be risky, but it can save you a lot of money. If you decide to buy used it is important to know exactly what you want, and how much it would cost you to buy it at local store. Then you need to find someone who is selling what you want. One easy way to do this is on the internet. There are two main places: classified ad web sites and newsgroups. Classified ads are easier to use, but newsgroups can sometimes be just as helpful. Classified ads web sites are:

• Classifieds 2000: One of the larger classified sites and it has many items, not just computer products.
• Compumarket: A classified ad site just for computer products
• The Internet Clearing House: Another classified ad site.
• PC Gear: A smaller PC-oriented classified ad site

With a little more work, you can look through internet newsgroups for used item too. By using Dejanews, you can search through newsgroups. The buying and selling newsgroups are all a sub-section of the misc.forsale.computers newsgroup. There is a more complete list in the resource list.

When you find someone who is selling what you want the problem often arises of how to complete the transaction. Do they send the merchandise first or do you send money? Internet deals happen several ways. Most typical is COD shipping which is where the product is shipped and when you get it you have to give the delivery person a certified check for an agreed upon amount (the buying price). However, sometimes items are bought by the buyer prepaying.

The first thing to check when buying from someone who you do not know on the Internet is to check references from previous Internet dealings. Ask for a few references and check them by email. The best way to ensure that your transaction is safe, is to use a Internet trading service like Trade Direct. They act as middleman for Internet trades. The seller sends the product to Trade Direct and the buyer pays Trade Direct. Once Trade Direct has the money, they ship the product to the buyer and the buyer usually has an evaluation period of three days and then either sends it back or Trade Direct pays the seller. One advantage of this is that Trade Direct accepts credit cards for payment.

If you want to sell something, most of the classified ad sites allow you to post an ad for free or for a small charge. But posting on newsgroups is free. (But make sure not to post to too many newsgroups (never more than 5) because it is considered "spamming" and hated by people who read newsgroups. Once you find a buyer, the safest way for you is to get them to prepay or go through Trade Direct. COD is also an option, but if you decide to send COD make sure that you DO NOT use the US Postal Service. This is because they are the only package carrier that accepts a personal check for COD payment. Therefore, you have the possibility of getting a bad check. Be wary when dealing with buyers who especially want you to send US Postal COD. There was someone on the internet once who said "I have found the US Postal COD to be the cheapest and easiest way to ship COD" and then he would write a bad check.

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