Buying hardware on ebay can be a great experience. Or it can be a disaster. Here are some helpful hints:

1. Know the prices for similar products from other sources, www.pricewatch.com for example. Its easy to get caught up in "auction fever".

2. Understand the warranty (if any). For example, "Guaranteed not DOA" merely means that the items works, in some fashion -- but not necessarily that it works properly for you. Sometimes warranties are available from the manufacturer of the item as well.

3. Understand the support available. If you can't get it working, are you on your own, or will the manufacturer/seller help? If the original manufacter has gone out of business, you'd best be prepared to do solve any problems on your own.

4. Understand your return priviledges. If it doesn't work, is there any recourse?

5. Is the item new, used, or refurbished? How old is it? Was it working when last used/removed?

6. Will the item be safely packaged for shipping? Individual components should be in anti-static bags for best protection.

7. Does the item need "drivers"? ("Drivers" are small software programs that enable, say, Windows to use your hardware. If the item needs drivers, and you don't have them, you've bought yourself a doorstop...). Drivers are specific to the operating system, so Macintosh drivers don't do anything for a windows system. Windows drivers are *sometimes* compatable, especially "upwardly" (i.e., Windows3.1 drivers sometime work for Windows95, but the converse is almost never true). If the item needs drivers, but the seller does not have them, they might be available in the operating system itself, or from the manufacturer of the item. Drivers are most often required for video, sound, printers, and CDROM drives.

8. If you are buying a computer system, what is included? At a minimum, it should have an operating system (i.e., windows), case, power supply, motherboard, memory, video, floppy drive, hard drive, and all the necessary cables (data and power). A CD/DVD drive is nearly mandatory these days, as is a sound card. Items which may or may not be included with a system are: keyboard, mouse, monitor, other software. Be aware that buying software bundled with a system can be a LOT less expensive than buying them after-the-fact at a retail outlet. You should get all the drivers needed, a CD with the operating system, and copies of any included warranties.

9. When buying cards (sound, video, controller, etc) make sure you know what "type" they are: ISA, VESA, PCI, AGP. Each motherboard will only accept a certain kind of cards.

10. When buying external peripherals like scanners, digital cameras, external cdrom/hard drives, etc., make sure you know how they attach to your computer (i.e., parallel port, serial port, USB, SCSI). Be aware that many current computers do NOT have SCSI, will NOT support USB, and may already have their serial and parallel ports occupied.

11. Peripherals for laptops computers can be attached via either the serial/parallel ports, or PCMCIA cards. Be aware that there are different kinds of PCMCIA cards (Type I, Type II, etc), and not all laptops allow all kinds. Note that it is possible to attach a PCMCIA-type card to a desktop computer, but it takes a special attachment to do so.

12. When buying laptops, make sure you know the type of display: monochrome, passive color, active color. These items cost widely varying amounts, so it is easy to overpay for a laptop that you assumed had a better display.

13. Power cords/adapters. If this requires a separate power cord, make sure it is included. Replacing obsolete power cords/transformers can be nearly impossible, and at the very least incredibly expensive.

14. For peripherals like backup units, make sure that you can get sufficient media for your uses. Remember that a tape backup unit with no tapes is just another name for a doorstop...