Used laptop pricing, many questions, would love input.
Hi, I am trying to sell a used laptop and I am afraid of a no-reserve open ebay auction even though I know "an object is worth what it's purchaser is willing to pay." Naturally I'd like to get as much as possible from my purchaser. I hope any discussion here can help other sellers or buyers in the market rather than being a homework thread.
Is there generally a minimum price for a laptop (I would guess ~$100-150 from completed sales on ebay) and how can I add value to that? How much do stolen laptops flood the market and distort prices? Can I add value to beat the floor even if my warranty has run out? I feel like new laptops generally don't sell for much less than $400-500 for older models unless there is a really good sale, but these often still have warranty's.
So I see a price floor of $100 and ceiling of $400, how do I push my laptop to the higher end?
As I see it I have 3 main selling points to add value: new battery, full 4Gb RAM, and will setup *any OS.
I have a new battery (4months) which I have only charge-discharged maybe a dozen times, I always pull it out and plug in at my desk unless I have a meeting, I have the old as a spare still. I paid about $60 with shipping for this. How much value can a fresh battery add?
I upgraded the RAM to 4Gb a few months ago, I believe this is the maximum for the board, most new laptops in the low price range tend to only have 2Gb. Can I expect a better price for this, or should I put the old 2gb back in and sell this separately?
I am willing to reformat and partition with any MS pro-OS from technet (not sure if this is allowed). Also other MS productivity software. How much would you pay extra for software with keys?
I have a neoprene sleeve which I paid ~$15 for, is this generally worth anything, or would I be better off giving it to a friend?
Laptop has thai characters alongside standard US QWERTY keyboard layout. Is this a bonus... if I can find a thai buyer?
Here are the spec's if you're curious:
Laptop is Compaq V3700 series, model V3821tu. Support still available from HP http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/prod ... ct=3697899.
13" size laptop, widesceen 1280x800, 14" diagonal.
CPU: intel celeron M550 (2.00GHz) Conroe-L 65nm tech
Hard Drive: 120Gb
RAM: DDR-2 2x2Gb PC2-5300 (333Hz) (upgraded ~$80)
Graphics: Mobile intel 965 Express Chipset family (384 Mb)
Includes all standard laptop stuff built-in:
bluetooth, wifi (with on/off switch on side), DVD writer, card reader port (SD MS/Pro MMC XD), VGA connection, ethernet, 3 USB ports etc.
What would you pay for these specs on a used laptop? If I were a buyer, I'd be worried about the age and condition of the hard-drive and would plan to replace it (not worried about mine tho). I think this laptop is much more powerful than most netbooks and the 13" size is nearly portable enough for that niche. I would probably pay between $200-$300 for my laptop now (I think I paid $650 in 2008), but I would consider the selling points I mentioned if I were a buyer.
If you'd rather not write up anything please consider filling out my survey:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreads ... dlNheXc6MQ edit- having trouble with this form <---
Is there generally a minimum price for a laptop (I would guess ~$100-150 from completed sales on ebay) and how can I add value to that? How much do stolen laptops flood the market and distort prices? Can I add value to beat the floor even if my warranty has run out? I feel like new laptops generally don't sell for much less than $400-500 for older models unless there is a really good sale, but these often still have warranty's.
So I see a price floor of $100 and ceiling of $400, how do I push my laptop to the higher end?
As I see it I have 3 main selling points to add value: new battery, full 4Gb RAM, and will setup *any OS.
I have a new battery (4months) which I have only charge-discharged maybe a dozen times, I always pull it out and plug in at my desk unless I have a meeting, I have the old as a spare still. I paid about $60 with shipping for this. How much value can a fresh battery add?
I upgraded the RAM to 4Gb a few months ago, I believe this is the maximum for the board, most new laptops in the low price range tend to only have 2Gb. Can I expect a better price for this, or should I put the old 2gb back in and sell this separately?
I am willing to reformat and partition with any MS pro-OS from technet (not sure if this is allowed). Also other MS productivity software. How much would you pay extra for software with keys?
I have a neoprene sleeve which I paid ~$15 for, is this generally worth anything, or would I be better off giving it to a friend?
Laptop has thai characters alongside standard US QWERTY keyboard layout. Is this a bonus... if I can find a thai buyer?
Here are the spec's if you're curious:
Laptop is Compaq V3700 series, model V3821tu. Support still available from HP http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/prod ... ct=3697899.
13" size laptop, widesceen 1280x800, 14" diagonal.
CPU: intel celeron M550 (2.00GHz) Conroe-L 65nm tech
Hard Drive: 120Gb
RAM: DDR-2 2x2Gb PC2-5300 (333Hz) (upgraded ~$80)
Graphics: Mobile intel 965 Express Chipset family (384 Mb)
Includes all standard laptop stuff built-in:
bluetooth, wifi (with on/off switch on side), DVD writer, card reader port (SD MS/Pro MMC XD), VGA connection, ethernet, 3 USB ports etc.
What would you pay for these specs on a used laptop? If I were a buyer, I'd be worried about the age and condition of the hard-drive and would plan to replace it (not worried about mine tho). I think this laptop is much more powerful than most netbooks and the 13" size is nearly portable enough for that niche. I would probably pay between $200-$300 for my laptop now (I think I paid $650 in 2008), but I would consider the selling points I mentioned if I were a buyer.
If you'd rather not write up anything please consider filling out my survey:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreads ... dlNheXc6MQ edit- having trouble with this form <---