Online you're going to have trouble since old laptops are heavy and it costs more than $10-$20 to ship them, never mind package them and give the seller any kind of profit.

Your cheaper options are going to be local. Check out craigslist, classified ads in the paper, local electronics and computer clubs, and ask around. Electronics recycling centres are another option, however usually these are filled with old desktop towers, not laptops.

Qjimbo wrote:

Online you're going to have trouble since old laptops are heavy and it costs more than $10-$20 to ship them, never mind package them and give the seller any kind of profit.

Your cheaper options are going to be local. Check out craigslist, classified ads in the paper, local electronics and computer clubs, and ask around. Electronics recycling centres are another option, however usually these are filled with old desktop towers, not laptops.

I was actually looking for a laptop because they're usually cheaper, however I wouldn't mind a desktop.

I actually didn't know recycling centers sold to people, how do I check which ones have electronics (or a computer within my boundaries in stock)? There's several in my area and it looks like they just recycle cans and stuff.

Yeah it has to specifically be electronics recycling - not just general recycling. In my area there is one company that runs most of the centres and you can search on their website which ones take electronics. I know that some independent places will sell you scrap computers by the pound/dollar price, however the one near me just has an unattended pile of computers that people can come and go and drop off their old desktops. There is no inventory, and barely any staff presence, so if one *cough* "goes missing" after another person comes and drops it off, nobody is going to notice or care, but discretion is key. It also helps if you bring stuff to drop off so it doesn't look weird.

Qjimbo wrote:

Yeah it has to specifically be electronics recycling - not just general recycling. In my area there is one company that runs most of the centres and you can search on their website which ones take electronics. I know that some independent places will sell you scrap computers by the pound/dollar price, however the one near me just has an unattended pile of computers that people can come and go and drop off their old desktops. There is no inventory, and barely any staff presence, so if one *cough* "goes missing" after another person comes and drops it off, nobody is going to notice or care, but discretion is key. It also helps if you bring stuff to drop off so it doesn't look weird.

🤣 that's how I got replacement doors for my Pony in college - No one noticed or cared they were missing.

Those were the days when you could buy a whole 486 for $10 from Goodwill WITH the hard drive... Today at Value Village I saw something like 20 boxes of empty floppies (four were extra large capacity 5.25!) - They throw out all the media these days. So sad.

If you have any Goodwill stores nearby, check them. Some (but not all) Goodwill stores sometimes have selections of older laptops that are missing the hard drives and RAM for really cheap (can't guarantee under $20 though). Only problem with this is that typically if they're missing the hard drive, they're also missing the proprietary drive caddy that holds it in place if it's a model that requires one.

For those prices you buy faulty and fix it yourself.

Freecycle is another good place. Gumtree or local trading sites are another, You could even try a wanted add.
If you have any computer shops left in your area, they may sell you one cheap.

You could always ask work if they have any that need disposing of, and ask your mates to do the same, Working for an outsourcing IT company I'm throwing out old working laptops almost all year round from the various companies I support.

dickkickem wrote:

Tried to buy an old ThinkPad, turns out they didn't have it, and now I'm mad because I only got $12 on my Visa Vanilla card. […]
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Tried to buy an old ThinkPad, turns out they didn't have it, and now I'm mad because I only got $12 on my Visa Vanilla card.

I just want something to play my DOS and Win95/98 games on, anything made before 2000-2001 with a TFT screen will do. Can't find jack on eBay because everyone's overpricing their older, worn out computers it looks like.

Anyone know any websites? I feel like I've just about checked the depths of the Internet.

Also I've had zero luck IRL.

You can also save some money and then buy something good. I don't think old laptops are 'overpriced'. I would say anywhere $50-100 is very reasonable for an old late 90's laptop in good working condition (apart from its batteries). You need to understand that someone who offers that for sale also wants to 'make some money', most people (like me) rather throw stuff in the dumpster if it doesn't bring up at least $20 or so (it simply isn't worth my time and effort).

dickkickem wrote:

Tried to buy an old ThinkPad, turns out they didn't have it, and now I'm mad because I only got $12 on my Visa Vanilla card.

I think you should focus on increasing your free spending money before looking for an old laptop.

With lots of luck and patience you can score something for less than $50-60 on eBay, sometimes even as low as $20 if you're reaaaally lucky. I got my Thinkpad for $20, a very lucky find.

SpectriaForce wrote:

dickkickem wrote:

Tried to buy an old ThinkPad, turns out they didn't have it, and now I'm mad because I only got $12 on my Visa Vanilla card. […]
Show full quote

Tried to buy an old ThinkPad, turns out they didn't have it, and now I'm mad because I only got $12 on my Visa Vanilla card.

I just want something to play my DOS and Win95/98 games on, anything made before 2000-2001 with a TFT screen will do. Can't find jack on eBay because everyone's overpricing their older, worn out computers it looks like.

Anyone know any websites? I feel like I've just about checked the depths of the Internet.

Also I've had zero luck IRL.

You can also save some money and then buy something good. I don't think old laptops are 'overpriced'. I would say anywhere $50-100 is very reasonable for an old late 90's laptop in good working condition (apart from its batteries). You need to understand that someone who offers that for sale also wants to 'make some money', most people (like me) rather throw stuff in the dumpster if it doesn't bring up at least $20 or so (it simply isn't worth my time and effort).

Yeah, my birthday's in a couple weeks and I'm just going to buy an older laptop for less than $100 with money from my relatives. I'd be willing to pay no more than $100, it's most likely going to be a 2100 or 2200 series Gateway Solo.

However it does make me a bit ticked off that there's people out there taking advantage of buyers by selling some older, extremely common laptops for $250+ used.

My most expensive machine is my Libretto 100CT, which cost around 80€ including port replicator. All the other ones I got for around 50€ on Ebay or Craigslist-type things. From what I can tell, if you are situated in the US, Ebay is not an ideal source for these machines.

I am selling a Compaq Armada 1130T. It has plenty of RAM and a great TFT screen, but it's 800*600 (so letterbox for your DOS games) and comes without a sound card. Also you have to take the whole damn thing apart, just to access the hard drive. What gives, Compaq? You had it just right with the LTE series...