Computing

"Warrior," © Jerome Bushyhead

"The eagles trust their wings. With trust, they soar through the heavens. Learn to trust. It will carry you through life."- Jerome Bushyhead

Perhaps if we trusted ourselves and others more- we would need our machines less. One should not confuse the code of a true warrior with the false principles of Machiavelli's Prince -whether in the battlefield of war or business.

However, strategy is important. As Sun Tzu wrote, "When your strategy is deep and far reaching, then you gain much so you can win even before you fight. When your strategic thinking is shallow and near-sighted, then you gain little and you lose before you even do battle."

Caveat Emptor!

Purchase of refurbished items from Ubid and others is very much "caveat emptor." There is, for example, no clear definition of what "refurbished" means. By itself, it may simply mean 'cleaned up," cursory testing (if any), no documentation & software and a very short duration warranty from the seller, not the manufacturer. Some vendors of refurbished items ship items with specs different from those published and charge excessive shipping & handling charges to boot. A factory refurbished unit, on the other hand, may be bundled with drivers, manuals and software as well as a manufacturers' warranty. Often factory refurbs, as well as open box items, can be purchased directly from the manufacturer.

Purchase of a refurbished item from, for example, Ubid's web site, does not necessarily mean you are purchasing an item from Ubid. The actual supplier is specified on the bid/information sheet and may not offer the same level of customer service you would expect from Ubid or others. BizRate is an excellent source of information on computer and other types of stores and contains survey results based on buyer feedback. You may be quite surprised by the survey results. Nevertheless, good buys on refurbished items are possible if you are technically savvy and know current market prices & specifications. Sadly, good buys often occur in spite of, not because of the vendor who actually sells you the item.

Online auctions pose additional risks, including: shilling, bid shielding, piracy and counterfeiting, internet fencing, triangulation, "buy and switch," fee stacking, loss or damage claims, shell auctions, etc. See, "Online Auctions: The Bizarre Bazaar," for additional guidance & information.

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