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XPS deals on EBay to good to be true?

post #1 of 13
4/1/07 at 2:23pm
Thread Starter 
I’m seeing some really good deals on EBay for brand new Dell XPS systems. What’s the catch?

Some are even showing the 3 year warranty plan included, does this mean Dell will still handle any problems even though you bought from a distributor at EBay?

Some of these systems are $1000.00 off from what the Dell site is asking, how are these guys making any profit off of this?
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post #2 of 13
4/1/07 at 3:06pm
There are several things to check for before buying anything, but more so for Laptops on Ebay.

1. There are many scams on Ebay
2. Check the feedback of the seller, they should be well established with Good Feedback.
3. If payment is by Money order, BidPay, Direct Funds transfer Etc forget it. there is no buyer protection for these methos of payment
4. Ask for the sellers Phone number and Talk to them
5. If they ask to Email them at a different email adress than the Ebay Registered account it's most likley a scam
6. Payment via PayPal is probably best method but even they have a limit on protection levels for purchases.
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post #3 of 13
4/1/07 at 3:23pm
http://stores.ebay.com/Sotalaptops


I can vouch for these guys. They are good sellers & offer a top notch product.

In addition look at what the seller has been offering in the past. If they have been selling quilts for the last 2 years & now are suddenly selling 10 top of the line laptops you can bet your money their account has been hacked.
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post #4 of 13
4/1/07 at 3:54pm
Thread Starter 
How about this distributor -

http://stores.ebay.com/Cooltechstuff4u

Has anyone here dealt with them before?

He’s got the exact laptop I’m looking for at around the same price as I was about to pay for a Clevo with almost the same specs.
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post #5 of 13
4/1/07 at 10:20pm
just remember that dells cost on a M1710 maxed out is about 2100 that is dells cost of doing business, actual hardware cost for dell is around $1200

they make thier money by selling you a name XPS.

people get huge discounts on the M1710 its always been that way. Just look for somone with a decent feedback and then buy from them.

What ever you don't don't be stupid enough to pay retail for an M1710 when you don't have to.
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post #6 of 13
4/1/07 at 10:47pm
Thread Starter 
I agree the extra XPS B.S. that you pay for is ridiculous. If the 1705/9400 had the nVidia Go 7950 / 2.33GHz CPU option I would not be looking at the XPS at all. It’s a good thing that the lights can be turned off or I would not be looking at it all, deal or no deal.

It still bothers me that I can’t see a Clevo in person so that I can compare the build quality against the Dell. Last year my company purchased a XPS back when you could only get the 7800GTX. I was really impressed with the quality and performance of it and this is coming from a person who is using a Core 2 X6800/ 8800GTX SLI setup for my desk top.

This is the only thing keeping me from getting the Clevo M570U.
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post #7 of 13
4/1/07 at 11:04pm
Yea, I've had a few dell's and I only started purchasing outside of Dell with my current system. I could kick myself for not looking into that route of purchase earlier.

I would imagine the Clevo would be around the same build quality as the XPS line although I've never owned one. Check out the reviews on the Sager forums to analyze the close ups. The factor that sweetens the pot with a Dell purchase is, without a doubt, the warranty IMO.
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post #8 of 13
4/1/07 at 11:05pm
Yes some people are for real. Even though they have really good deals that are not scams. Now probably 80 % of them are scams. I wouldn't bid on anything that doesn't have a picture, like a real picture. Not a stock picture somebody got off of the Dell website, ect. If you see Western Union or whatever, or money order or wire transfer as payment options that the person wants, SCAM! Look really carefully, don't just skim it and bid, big no no.
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post #9 of 13
4/1/07 at 11:08pm
the one vendor I gave you earlier I have gotten several laptops from. as I also stated verify they have been selling laptops...ppl that sell quilts for 2 years & then start selling laptops is a hacked account.

If you don;t like lights get a M90
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post #10 of 13
4/1/07 at 11:08pm
If it were any other manufacturer I would think it was a scam, but I've had a Dell reseller explain it to me and it's a fairly legitimate channel of business albeit a sort of "loop hole" in the system so to speak. I'm sure Dell is aware of these methods, but for some odd reason they allow it to continue.
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post #11 of 13
4/1/07 at 11:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave-p
There are several things to check for before buying anything, but more so for Laptops on Ebay. 1. There are many scams on Ebay 2. Check the feedback of the seller, they should be well established with Good Feedback. 3. If payment is by Money order, BidPay, Direct Funds transfer Etc forget it. there is no buyer protection for these methos of payment 4. Ask for the sellers Phone number and Talk to them 5. If they ask to Email them at a different email adress than the Ebay Registered account it's most likley a scam 6. Payment via PayPal is probably best method but even they have a limit on protection levels for purchases.
I would have to agree with everything he has said. In fact I couldnt have said it better myself . I bought my XPS M1710 on eBay and paid about $2800 (specs in my sig). I called the guy on the phone before I paid him and we discussed everything. He also had good feedback and you could see he has been selling many Dell items for a while. The first thing I did when I got the laptop was transfer everything to my name.
Quote:
Originally Posted by boomheadshot45
Now probably 80 % of them are scams.
If you were to flip that and say 80% are legit you would be much closer to the truth. eBay is filled with a lot of scammers but they are the idiots that you can pick out. They will ask you to ship to there son in Nigeria. eBay really does do a good job at keeping the scams down considering the size of the eBay marketplace. I have been doing buisness on eBay for years and havent had to much trouble. The main thing I can say when you are looking to spend that much money on eBay is to speak with them over the phone. This narrows out about 95% of the scammers. Other then that just look for the other stuff Dave listed in his post. Good luck,
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post #12 of 13
4/1/07 at 11:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
I would imagine the Clevo would be around the same build quality as the XPS line although I've never owned one. Check out the reviews on the Sager forums to analyze the close ups.

I’ve been researching all weekend and yes the pictures do look good but like I said I have not seen one in person and that does bother me when I’m about to shell out $3000.00.


Quote:
I wouldn't bid on anything that doesn't have a picture, like a real picture. Not a stock picture somebody got off of the Dell website, ect.

The only pictures that I have seen are of the sealed boxes. They won’t open them and I would not want the one I buy opened either.


Quote:
If you don’t like lights get a M90

If the Go 7950 was available with the M90 I would.


Quote:
I called the guy on the phone before I paid him and we discussed everything. He also had good feedback and you could see he has been selling many Dell items for a while. The first thing I did when I got the laptop was transfer everything to my name.

I did talk to the guy in person this afternoon. He answered every question I asked and even told me that he had more available than the quantity listed on EBay. He also told me that I could either purchase it through Pay Pal or he could take my credit card over the phone. The warranty would be transferred over to my name as soon as I opened the box and gave them the service tag.

By the way I really appreciate the responses that you guys have been giving me on this subject. They have been very helpful.
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post #13 of 13
4/2/07 at 12:46am
djt01,

If I were you I would not give him your credit card info no matter what. Use PayPal. The reson being, if you give him your credit card info, 3 months down the road after you forget you gave it to him, he could easily go on a nice little shopping spree. All thanks to you and the credit company
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