It is easy to go onto ebay or some other auction site and see a laptop and purchase it because of the great price listed. Sometimes you find a great deal, other times you get burned. If you have a lot of extra money and plenty of time to vent your frustration hop online and buy the first thing you see. If you have a little time to prevent yourself from spending a bunch of extra money, you might want to consider some of the ways people who think they are saving a lot of money actually end up spending more than than someone who planned ahead.

The first and most common mistake people make is simply this; they buy the wrong laptop. They see a laptop for $250 and think it is a great deal, but didnt really think out what they needed. They find this great deal they have didnt come with a CD burner which they need for their line of work (like graphic design) or it didnt have basic Word Processing programs they need. This error can occur in a variety of forms. Make sure you know what you need before you go out and buy.

The next most common mistake is buying a used laptop with issues. Yes, this happens a lot. It may have a dead battery which costs $80 to replace or a CD Rom which is going out. There can be a lot of issues to make the used laptop a little cheaper. Sometimes, this can save money if it isnt an issue that matters to you and other times it will cost you more because you will want to replace/repair the problem.

Another way to get to spend more money than you bargained for is to buy a laptop without an Operating System. You might wonder whod do this sort of thing. If you look at laptops from various retailers that are used, you will find close to half of them do not have an Operating System. If you have a copy of Windows XP or ME or 98 from your last system that died... (meaning it is not currently being used on another hard drive) this can be a great way for you to save money. However, if you do not, be prepared to spend an extra $100.

Really, the best way to get the best deal on a used laptop is to know what you need to do and make sure the laptop you are buying can do those things. If you buy a laptop which only meets half your needs you will be forced to spend a lot of time and effort making the laptop work properly in the long run. Why not just start out that way. Know what you are planning to do and find a retailer who you can trust to help you find a used laptop that can do all of it for you. Buying a used laptop is a great way to save money IF you purchase thoughtfully.