Is buying a used laptop safe?

With how expensive new laptops can be, especially some of the best laptops, it’s easy to be tempted by the low-low prices of second hand models on classified and auction sites. But buying anything second hand has risks, right? And that’s true of laptops too, right? Well, sort of. While buying new will always give you more protections, more rights, and likely a better overall product, buying a used laptop can be a great way to make some big savings, get a better laptop than you could otherwise afford, and help cut back on e-waste.

That’s not to say there aren’t some caveats and potential problems worth considering, though. Here are a few of the ways buying a used laptop isn’t entirely safe, and what you can do about it.

Further reading: The best laptops under $500

Check the battery

Panos Sakalakis / Unsplash

Most components in even a well-used laptop should still work almost like new, but not all of them. The biggest concern with buying a used laptop is the battery. A swollen battery or one that has received any kind of obvious physical damage has the potential to leak harmful gasses, catch fire, or even explode. If you can check the battery itself before buying by prying open the lpatop, do so, and if the is any suggestion that the battery is damaged, steer well clear.

If the battery looks okay from the outside, it’s also important to check what its battery life and overall health is like. If it’s run through a lot of recharge cycles, it may not last anywhere near as long as it originally could. You can ask for a battery health report from the seller, or run one yourself if you have some hands-on time.

Here’s our run down on how to check your laptop’s battery health, for detailed information on how to run the exhaustive (but fast) report.

Is it pixel perfect?

IDG / Mark Knapp

Displays can degrade over time, too, so if the laptop is being resold quickly after its original sale, or if it’s been used a lot over a year or more, it’s important to check whether the display looks as good as it should. That means checking for individual pixels that don’t work correctly and bands of color running down the screen. These can sometimes be fixed, but it’s better to avoid them altogether if you can.

If the laptop has an OLED panel, you should make sure there isn’t any obvious burn-in, too. This can appear as a ghostly effect on the screen, no matter what you’re watching, and there aren’t many solutions for it.

Consider the warranty

One of the best ways to protect yourself against problematic purchases is ensuring whatever used laptop you buy has some form of guarantee. If there’s a warranty left, that’s doubly good. If if the seller has it along with all the original documentation (including Windows key and purchase receipt), it can make life a lot easier for you when it comes to getting support from the manufacturer of the used laptop.

That said, you shouldn’t assume it’ll be applicable to a second-hand purchase. Having a valid returns period for your used laptop, from wherever you’re buying it from, can give you additional peace of mind.

Make sure to clean the drive

Dreamstime: Peter Gudella

Used laptops also have the potential to come riddled with malware. That may not be intentional – the original owner may not have realized it was getting slow because it was infected. But the last thing you want to do is start inputting your personal information into a laptop that can steal it.

To prevent that potential problem, whenever you buy a used laptop, be sure to give it a complete format. Ideally, securely erase it by following our guide, here. This will remove absolutely everything on the internal drive and ensure no matter what was on there before, it won’t be able to do you or your newly formatted laptop any harm.

Just be aware you’ll need to re-install Windows and all necessary drivers afterward, so be sure to have your Windows key to hand before starting.

Watch for bad deals

One other way that buying a used laptop is fraught with peril, is that there are lot of bad deals out there. From nefarious scammers selling old laptops with phony specifications, to the clueless and hopeful trying to get more for their old laptop than its worth.

You need to make sure that what you’re buying offers the value for money it claims to.

To ward off buying something outdated and not as fast or as well-equipped as you want, make sure to look up laptop reviews of the model you’re considering. If it’s more than a couple of years old, it’s probably not worth buying unless the price is exceedingly good and it’s been very well looked after.

You can give yourself some additional protection buying through a reputable website, too. While Amazon, Walmart, and Newegg all work with third-party sellers who can can sell used models, they will give you some protection in the form of money back on your purchase or a managed return.

If you can, consider making the purchase with a credit card, as your provider will often help you recoup the costs if you find yourself with a laptop that doesn’t match what you paid for it.

Another good way to avoid any potential pitfalls is to buy a manufacturer refurbished or renewed model. These are likely to be more expensive than models which are simply second-hand, but they will have been fixed up to a near-new standard, complete with additional warranty support. In some cases, with common problems fixed, refurbished laptops can even be more durable than their new counterparts.

Finally, you can bypass the pitfalls of buying a used laptop while still saving serious scratch by hunting for timely laptop sales instead. PCWorld keeps a running list of the best laptop deals around, updated every weekday, that can help you find some brand new bargains.

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