Use Extreme Caution Buying Computers from Amazon

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It is very easy to get ripped off buying a computer on Amazon. Here's why and how you can avoid the problems.

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon. They have good prices, rapid delivery which I purchase on an annual flat fee basis, and an excellent return policy. They also have a wide selection, and reading about products and reviews on their website is useful to educate myself on products I'm not familiar with. But, use EXTREME caution if you buy a computer from them. Here's the problem.

Many Name Brand Computers Aren't

You can often go onto Amazon and find name brands like Dell and Lenovo with better configurations selling for hundreds of dollars less than you can buy them from Dell or Lenovo. If you look carefully, someone else is selling the computer, and support will come from that third party. How can they sell the same computers or better for less? They can't. The computers are not the same. They buy the case and typically the motherboard from Dell or Lenovo, and that's all. Then they fill the boxes with whatever from wherever, including used parts. They can't buy drives or memory for less than established companies. They are paying more for the case and motherboard. Furthermore, they can't beat those companies because of economies of scale. Frequently, they simply cheat.

Ratings Mean Nothing!

I've seen companies with wonderful Amazon ratings selling Dell or Lenovo products. But when I check with the Better Business Bureau or Trust Pilot, I get an entirely different story. Used parts, mislabeled parts, replacements parts fail quickly and so forth. Why the difference? I think a few employees each get a dozen Yahoo or Gmail accounts, buy their own computers, write rave reviews and then put the products back in stock and buy them again and again. Every time, they get the "Verified Purchaser" label. Unless a product has a couple of thousand ratings, I wouldn't trust it very much. I no longer trust the ratings for the sellers either.

Recommended Options

You can buy from Amazon if the seller is actually Acer, Lenovo, Asus or Dell, but you aren't likely to get a great price. You can also buy directly from the manufacturer. I also find that Costco does a pretty good job, and BestBuy and Office Depot are reasonable. I don't sell laptops or tablets, but can sell office computers that are reliable, but not at a bargain price.

Be careful. It's a jungle out there.

Date: July 2024

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