QOTW: Do you buy much second-hand tech?

[HEXUS]

And if so, where do you tend to shop?

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[junior00027]

never

[Mangomonkey]

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Prices really have rocketed, especially over the last 12 months. I get some stuff from Gumtree which seems quite good. It's interesting you mention buying your smart phone second hand... I find there are lots of cheap phones with broken screens on Gumtree that are relatively easy to fix. You just have to be quick as they seem to go the same day if they are a real bargain.

Doesn't seem to be as good for components though as they aren't much cheaper second hand and can be dodgy

[Phage]

All the time - but only from Hexites or people I feel I can trust at OCUK. Never from eBay or Gumtree.

[Potbellieddwarf]

Yes I have done several times, recently I bought a 1TB SSD from CEX.

But I usually buy top end gear and have usually sold them on at a decent price through either Amazon or Gumtree once I have upgraded. I tend to upgrade quite often as I like to have the newest tech.

[mikeo]

Been buying (and selling) off the OCUK Members Market for some 12 years now and never once had a problem. Like most things in life, it's just a matter of taking care and doing your homework. Though always the chance to come unstuck I suppose. Used to buy/sell on Ebay, but I've had a few problems over the years (especially as a seller) so gave up here.

[Otherhand]

Yeah, I've bought graphics cards many times via eBay. I never had a bad one. With the amount of money I saved, if I'd had a dud then I still would have done great out of it overall.

[FromUSA]

I sell all my old iPhones. Sell them for $300 US. They sell so fast. I will get 50 emails in 20 mins. I have a Strix 980Ti I want to sell next but it has to go back to ASUS 1st and get fixed. One of the 3 fans do not spin. Hope I can get $300 for that.

[ajax2061]

the fairs are still going but i stopped going about 12-13 years ago found out that scan was cheaper and better service that some guy who 'might' come to the next show or I could try and chase on the phone.

My rift I got from cash converters though and been tempted a couple of times with CEX

[Output]

I prefer to buy new as much as possible, so that there are no doubts as to the condition that it will be in or any extra bother if I were to need to use the warranty.

That doesn't mean that I'm against buying second-hand in any way however, as I'll happily compare the savings and risk and buy if I deem it to be worth it, as I did with my current CPU, GPU and headset (the last item technically being new due to a change of mind on the part of the seller, if I recall correctly) from eBay sellers. I have bought from users on the HEXUS Classifieds a few times in the past too (and continue to be on the look-out for anything I may be interested in).

As for the computer fairs, it has been a number of years since I last went to one, and if I recall correctly, I bought some PC speakers that seemed to be reasonably priced, but overall it struck me as being generally overpriced compared to buying from various online retailers.

[Myss_tree]

Can only remember buying a CPU (Q8400 i seem to recall) which worked fine and still is in a machine i then sold on.
Nearest i regularly get is when a new model of something is coming out and the older one is discounted, i then opt for the older model if the performance gain on the newer is nothing exceptional.

[Percy1983]

Bit of a mix, I find newer stuff isn't cheap enough to justify used a lot of the time.

With that I most use cex, as you get a warranty and usually pay around the ebay rate.

[eviling]

There are several local second hand market places here in Denmark. And they seem to be doing quite well.

My most rescent purchases were a set of speakers, i have a favorite kind i been using since the late 1990´s, and they dont come as "new" anymore.

And then i bought 4 WD red HDD's at 3 TB each for about 200$ total. ranging from 8k to 18k power on hours, and about 50 total power on cycles.

[QuorTek]

If buying anything through a computer store then it is second hand already, they buy from the company who made the piece of hardware and put a fee on to cover the losses and earn a little.

It should be 3rd hand if any.

[iamlorro]

Depends what you're after really doesn't it - I've managed a couple of tech related bargains on ebay, but i know it can be hit and miss in quality...
I do keep an eye on the classifieds here too!

If you need something though, it's often quicker to get new rather than try and find 2nd hand

[silent]

yes, all the time. buying and selling. i buy here, ebay for selling, and avforums at times or facebook sales but lots of rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishrubbish on there. prices have gone up, especially the older stuff but you can get some bargains.