<p>I am about 2 buy a laptop, for 300 bux. Now this is not just a crap laptop, but a Dell Inspiron 9300 with ATI x300 128 mb gpu, 80 gigs, 1.73 ghz, 1 gig ddr ram, about a 1.4k laptop.</p>
<p>Very cheap, but I think for legitimate reason. They say that their company ( a liquidation company ) has too many excess units of these from an in-company promotion. </p>
<p>They also have an 800 number and seem fairly legit.</p>
<p>However, they do not accept Escrow or COD, and so I am forced to pay through credit card, money order, or cashier's check. </p>
<p>I can contact them by phone usually and the guy seems very nice and understanding, but unfortunately there is no way of being sure that this isn't a complete scam.
Now this is from an online auction but not ebay, so there is no paypal buyer protection or anything like that. It is almost like a private transaction occurring.
They say they offer shipping tracker as well though which helps me a bit, and also since they have a 1800 number, if i get screwed over, i can call them every hour of the day, every day of the month to try and resolve something. </p>
<p>Should I go thru with it? It seems like too huge of a deal to pass over, yet it isnt guaranteed to be safe.</p>
<p>I have an undestanding that cashier's check has protection? So even if i do pay him with that, it is possible to get my money back?</p>
<p>If it's too good to be true, it is. Laptops with those specs can easily go for $700+ on eBay.</p>
<p>I have seen too many of these scams over the years, and this one is no different. The fact that they don't have a definite and consistent method of payment should already be raising some flags. Also, do not be fooled by the 1800 number, as people can purchase a number for very cheap nowadays.</p>
<p>Is this a reputable company? Have you had transactions with them in the past? Does this company have an actual building? You have to realize that scam artists are VERY skilled at making their victims feel comfortable. Another indicator that this is a scam is when someone from the "company" frequently calls you about purchasing the laptop.</p>
<p>I would advise you to completely avoid this "company", but it's your money...</p>
<p>Edit: If you can wait until July-August, you will find great laptop deals due to Intel's plan to cut their Core Duo prices by 20%. You could just pay $600-800 for a decent brand-new laptop, or you can risk losing $300 for a laptop with unknown conditions from a shady company.</p>
<p>the thing about the 1800 number for me is that im sure that its easy for them to be caught if they have contact information like that when they commit fraudulent transactions.</p>
<p>You're sure that it's easy for them to be caught? 1800 numbers are purchased from 3rd party companies, and they wouldn't care if one of their client committed a crime based on a customer's word. Plus, scam artists know to never use real contact information when registering for those things.</p>
<p>My concern for you is that you'd have no recourse to get your money back if they weren't legitimate, other than your credit card company being willing to hold off on payment. But how soon will you receive the computer? If the transaction goes through before you receive it (if anything) then you might not be able to do anything about it.<br>
Generally, if it sounds too good to be true, it is.<br>
I've had friends buy things through ebay, and have the seller ask them to bypass the paypal, just for convenience, and that was the last they ever saw of their money, and received nothing for it. I wouldn't do it if I were you.</p>