It would not be an exaggeration to say that used laptops are starting to flood the market. It's a natural enough phenomenon, come to think of it. Technology is changing so fast, and today's laptops are so much cheaper than those of six or seven years ago, that the desire to upgrade frequently is understandable. This leaves potential buyers to answer a burning question: how reliable is a used laptop? For every person who has gotten burned, there are others who have had great success with their used laptop computers. In short, used laptops may actually represent a rare opportunity to get a really good deal.

That having been said, it makes sense to be cautious. In a way, this is a similar problem to that of buying a used car. If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. On Ebay, for example, there are used laptops being auctioned off virtually for free - in some cases, the starting bid is just a dollar or two. You've got to wonder how legitimate it all is.

On the other hand, there are some reliable sources of used laptops. For instance, a shop in your neighborhood - one with knowledgeable technicians, who allow you to 'test drive' the computer before committing to a purchase - can be a great source of quality used laptop computers. Some internet sources are also reliable, though in that case, it helps a lot if you already know something about laptops.