I recently bought a secondhand laptop because most companies hiring remote workers require a backup laptop. I mean I still have a job right now but I don't know when we would be forced back to the office. This job insecurity is causing me some great anxiety lately. I bought a backup laptop just to make myself feel prepared for the worst (to be forced to mingle and interact with human beings day to day). Gosh, lockdown days are over and yet nothing has changed for me. I still avoid people and I only go out to buy essentials.
Anyway, my friend recommended a seller on FB Marketplace (this is what my dummy account's for). So I got this cheap Lenovo laptop, a Chinese brand, for just around $400. And it has decent specs. Decent enough for me to be able to work online and stay in my cave.
Lenovo Idea Pad, i7 8th Gen, 8GB RAM , 15.6 inch display, and plenty of disk space.
Not that bad right? I'm still using my old Dell laptop for day to day work stuff, the battery is already bad so it has to be constantly plugged in to the power outlet. Right now I am using my "new laptop" for writing Hive stuff. And the battery is better! I feel like I can carry it around and work anywhere.
It is shiny and sleek and I love the huge screen. This is actually my first time to buy a secondhand laptop because I used to think that I might get a defective one and that there are a bunch of scammers online, especially on FB marketplace. But this seller was really nice. He was answering my questions about the laptop and was constantly sending me updates.
At first I was so worried that I might receive a wood plank lol. See my absolute mistrust in humanity? The seller told me that he should be the one to have doubts because what if I decide not to pay for the item after all his effort. See how humans have a hard time trusting each other? How can we even live this way? Ha ha.
Anyway, we have a courier system here where we can actually pay for the item upon pick up at the branch. I can even open the box right there and then. So yeah, we decide this method is better rather than paying upfront. It just eliminates anxiety on both sides.
I unboxed the laptop at the courier branch and returned the boxes to them (so they can reuse and I won't have to bring trash. Sorry Diablo, I know you love boxes!) So when I finally got the laptop, I realized that not everyone is a scammer or evil or bad, thank Gawd!
Aside from laptop and other electronic gadgets, the other things that I can buy secondhand are:
Books (because old books smell nice!)
Coats and jackets
Designer bags / leather bags
Imagine piles and piles of broken gadgets and unwanted stuff being shipped to other countries. And if you buy secondhand, you're doing your part in a small way to not contribute to that amount of trash and the destruction of the planet. I mean it's a small change but it's better than no change at all.
