Buying refurb'd 21"SONY G500 need some advice before i pick it up...*UPDATE* I got it!

I am buying this monitor off fle@bay for almost $300 bones. Im not a rich kid so I dont want to walk away with crap. My question is i am going to pick it up from the store/seller tomorrow (i have to drive almost 6 hours round trip to not pay for shipping), what should i do before buying it? Should i ask the guy to plug it in and test it for me? Should i just stay away from fle@bay alltogether? From an earlier post asking about good 21" monitors this was supposed to be really good. Tell me what you think and should i get this or not. Thanks for your advice....link to monitor im buying
link to vendor
*if that link is illegal in these forums plz tell me i will delete it ASAP, im just looking for advice because its $300.


*UPDATE*
Well i made the drive out and they were really cool. They let me test it out and i walked out of there with a kick @$$ sony multiscan g500! It really couldnt be in better condition with a year warranty. Was worth the $300.

 

[Desslok]

If possible have them turn it on and run some monitor tests on it. I believe Tom's Hardware Guide has some links to some free somftware. See if you can run some of the programs you are going to be running on it before you buy it.

Hope this helps.

 

Ya i was thinking that was a must. They have alot in their warehouse so i can choose maybe. Is this a good monitor to buy? Heck, it has AWESOME reviews...
/me crosses fingers and wonders...

 

[VBboy]

LOL.

Mistake #1: Buying electronics off Ebay.
Mistake #2: Buying a refurbished monitor.

Summary: ...

 

I am trying to weigh my options with only able to spend $400-$500. Any specifics for my case vb?

*edit, i can get a sony "21 CPD-E540 from compusa for $624 with tax.....retail...

 

[salman327]

bought a refurb sony 19 inch g400 off of ubid.com, only thing I noticed was a little yellowish in lower left corner...but after warmup it's hardly noticeable. Can't eye it out anymore. Extremely happy for $230.

 

[herbage11]

Bought my 19" G400 at local Sams Club for $300 new and I love it.

 

[Shagga]

Phocas - To be homest, I would steer clear of refurbished monitors. Save a little more and get a new one. With this you will get the manufacturers warranty and piece of mind.

 

[Wolfsraider]

i bought my 21 inch ncd for 285 three odd years ago refurbished and she is the best monitor i own

no problems here

 

[Toolman]

It is a bit of an iffy purchase, but, and I emphasize the but, you are eliminating the shipping factor which is where most damage occurs, even w/ new monitors. The advantage to buying new is, obviously the warranty, but also the factory packing & shipping box/carton. Many times reconditioned products don't have the much more protective factory packaging and this is essential on a large heavy delicate item such as a 21" monitor. Also, you have the opportunity to see it running first hand and put it thru some tests.

I bought a reconditioned & refurbished 24" Sony GDM W900 from ubid, but the pitiful way it was packaged it didn't stand a chance of surviving shipping. Fortunately it was not a problem to get my money back. One bad thing tho, after viewing that glorius 24" screen I knew I couldn't settle for anything less and I went and bought a brand new 24" Sony GDM FW900 a few weeks later, which was even nicer with the flat screen.

Just take your time and don't feel pressured to buy. Go with your gut instincts. If you don't feel right about any of the monitors they have to sell, walk away. You can always save your money and buy new.

 

Just take your time and don't feel pressured to buy. Go with your gut instincts. If you don't feel right about any of the monitors they have to sell, walk away. You can always save your money and buy new.

Thanks VERY much for your insight, what i will do is go to the place tomorrow and pick the monitor i want and then have them let me test it out there. If they seem like good people (you really can never tell, but atleast piece of mind for a while will help) then i will get it. Otherwise i will walk and wait a couple weeks and buy it new off the internet with manufactor warranty.
Once again i thank you for your thoughts guys (and gals if any )
Matt

 

[Thor86]

It's not worth a 6 hour round-trip drive. If it was next to free, then maybe. Do yourself a favour and shop local for a 19", unless you absolutely require a 21", there is relatively little difference in size for the hassle you are about to take upon yourself.

 

[herbage11]

Another thing to consider. Make sure you have a truck when picking it up. My 19" BARELY fit into my car and it is a 4 door w/ a trunk. Sonys are great monitors but not small by any stretch.

 

[Lucky]

Just take your time and don't feel pressured to buy. Go with your gut instincts. If you don't feel right about any of the monitors they have to sell, walk away. You can always save your money and buy new.

Uh, not really. He's made a (legally) binding bid.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: Lucky

Just take your time and don't feel pressured to buy. Go with your gut instincts. If you don't feel right about any of the monitors they have to sell, walk away. You can always save your money and buy new.

Uh, not really. He's made a (legally) binding bid.

Legally binding is only as good the cost to enforce it.

 

[grant2]

Uh, not really. He's made a (legally) binding bid.
Legally binding is only as good the cost to enforce it.

I feel sorry for your kids if you ever have any, being raised with your scammy dishonest attitude.

Phocas, when you buy refurbished goods, you have to know you're increasing your risk in exchange for saving money. That's a risk you've already chosen to take, so there's no reason to fret about it now.

The good news is that even though you'll hear all sorts of complaints about refurbished monitors, the simple fact is that most people are happy with what they get & never complain. Also, you get a 1 year warranty, which is a LOT better than the 30 or 90 day warranty on refurbished stuff. Will this monitor die between 1 & 3 years? (3 yrs is standard "new" warranty) HIGHLY unlikely... and that's the gamble you are taking, save a few hundred bucks & bet that you don't have the 1 in 10,000 monitor with a 2-year lifespan.

I suggest that since you are so nervous, you plug the monitor into a running computer and make sure it looks ok at the resoution you plan to use... i.e., text is not blurry, there are no weird colour changes from one corner to another, that there's no flickering at one side, that the screen doesn't have any chips or scratches, and that there are no strange 'shadows' or 'artifacts' in the display. Also make sure you are testing at 75 hz or higher- hardly anyone can stand looking at a display with a longer refresh.

 

[grant2]

Also BTW i bought a refurb monitor 4 years ago and it's still running awesome. Buying used/refurb/auction stuff is best for a certain kind of person but it's not always automatically a good or bad idea.

 

*UPDATE*
Well i made the drive out and they were really cool. They let me test it out and i walked out of there with a kick @$$ sony multiscan g500! It really couldnt be in better condition with a year warranty. Was worth the $300.

Wonder how long it will last .

 

[Leo V]

I got my G500 refurbed as well. It's been rockin' for 1 1/2 years now. Very thoughtfully designed.

 

[Slogun]

I'm glad you are happy with your purchase.
21" monitors are quite cool.
I bought an "open box" 21 " HP P1110 which is a trinitron about a year ago. Paid $500 which I thought was a good deal then. Monitor works great.
I recently paid $300 for a floor model 19" Sony at Best Buy. It's great monitor , but sounds like you got a better buy.
I also bought a refurbished 15" Sony a while back for a server monitor, also happy with that purchase.

 

[tenoc]

Most refurbs are off-lease items that have gone through the initial factory tests, run well for two or three years, been cleaned up and re-tested again.

Most monitor problems seem to show up early in life, so I regard refurbs as well tested products that cost less than half.

I have two flat 21's that shipped in sturdy, well padded containers from people who handle a lot of them and offer 6 or 12 month warranties.

Happy with both of them (Viewsonic p220f and Dell P1110). Couldn't justify (even to myself!) the cost of new ones.

 

No doubt! I didnt want to pay the cost or bother worrying for the shipping so i drove to get it. Saved $60 and got it same day . I am really impressed how big and crisp it is, even compared to my 900nf id say this is a AWESOME upgrade!

 

[Toolman]

I'm really glad it worked out for you Phocas!