If you're like just about anyone else in the world, you love to save money. No big deal, most of us are like that, including myself. One of the best ways to save a boatload of money on technology items is simple: where possible, buy refurbished or even used: Buy it on eBay! Yes, that sounds a little crazy, but hear me out. Some basic reasons for doing something this drastic? Keep reading:
Cheaper - nine times out of ten, companies and schools need to save money just about everywhere they possibly can. So why not be a hero for your company and save them money on the little things? A shining example: my school district gives a laptop to everyone in the high school to use for their four years of high school. Obviously, keeping a $500+ laptop safe is a tough task for people who aren't on the "rougher" side of technology (a.k.a.: they aren't guys who fix what people break). Most people are pretty careful when they realize that the item they are carrying is worth a lot of money. Darn good thing, too. But even these people are still people: they make mistakes. Laptop parts and accessories constantly go bad; it's a fact of life so there's not too much point in worrying about it. What's a good way to counteract high costs that manufacturers impose for repairs? Buy it on eBay! Chargers are the most common item that I see break: they get tripped over, dropped, etc. A great way to save costs is to buy these sorts of items for cheaper than you should have to pay for them. Not every part can be substituted for a cheaper item, but most can. A charger for a Dell Latitude D630 laptop can be purchased on eBay for less than $15! I'm not sure how long that link will be good for, so buy while you can!
Get rewarded - eBay has a great program that rewards their buyers for shopping with them: they'll give you 2% of what the item price to spend on their website. 2% of a $15 item is next to nothing (approximately thirty cents), but when your mobile workforce consists of thousands of people nationwide, why not receive something extra for your IT department's efforts? Let's do a little math here: $.30 x 1,000 workers' chargers broken = $300 to spend on other items you desperately need but can't afford at a cheaper rate as well.
Be protected - eBay has a great resolution center for the extremely rare problem that may arise: They get you to work with the seller of the item to fix it between the two of you. If the seller doesn't help you out or they just flat out ignore your requests for peace, not only does eBay cover your purchase, they'll also even let you leave a negative review about the seller to protect other buyers like yourself.
Help small businesses - many smaller retail businesses get a start (or supplement their income) by selling on eBay. The more you buy from them, the more people they will be forced to hire to help them cover all the shipping and listing and so on. This gives people more spending money in their pockets since they now have a job. The more diverse array of products you sell, the more likely your sellers will become your buyers: people hire new workers -> new workers get paid -> new workers see you helping them -> the more likely they are to help you out by buying from you when it's time to liquidate some old assets or when you are selling new items.
These things may have never dawned on you before, but now that they have, give them a try. I can't guarantee that you will be the happiest person ever, but your boss may like you more for pitching a great idea to him!
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