Three Laptop Parts You Can Replace Cheaply on eBay

The battery on my Asus U6S laptop is just ended three years aging. Unsurprisingly, it hind end barely hold a charge anymore, in part because the mortal who used it most (I'm looking at you, Mrs. Fuss-Free PC) kept it plugged in day in and day out. As I've mentioned in the past, that's a surefire way to reduce a stamp battery's longevity and electrical capacity.

Needless to say, a replacement is long overdue. Just one job: Asus wants $90 for a new battery. And that's non at all unusual: I've seen laptop batteries selling for as very much like $150. Unusual!

Fortuitously, I know where to go to come up inexpensive laptop parts: eBay. And, sure enough, with a little exploratory I found a U6S-harmonious battery for just $37 shipped. The seller has an excellent rating, and the stamp battery comes with a three-year warranty. Score!

Your mileage may vary, of course–in that respect won't always follow such orca deals for every laptop make and pose. Also, I should note that there's a bit of a safety risk involved in purchasing cheap, third-company batteries. Connected the other turn over, even manufacturers' own batteries have been notable to have problems, soh you might atomic number 3 recovered save a few bucks.

Batteries aren't the lone laptop part you can come up cheap on eBay. As I wrote back in 2009, a threadbare-out keyboard is ofttimes real cheap and prosperous to replace. I did a five-minute surgical procedure on a Dell laptop, which had sticky keys and rubbed-turned letters, and spent a grand total of $12. The result: a laptop that looked and acted like red-hot–keyboard-overbold, anyway. Again, your mileage may deviate.

Finally, if your laptop computer screen is cracked, burned out, or otherwise not employed, look to eBay for an affordable replacement. Prices and handiness definitely alter widely here, and replacing a screen isn't nearly as quick and easy as replacing a battery. The seller may offer instructions, or you may have to do a little online reconnaissance to find helper. But even if you hire someone local to do the labor, it'll probably end up costing you a lot fewer than the manufacturer would charge.

If you've had any experience with these kinds of laptop part replacements, tell me most it in the comments!

Contributing Editor in chief Rick Broida writes all but business and consumer engineering. Call for for help with your PC hassles at hasslefree@pcworld.com, or try the treasure trove of helpful folks in the PC World Community Forums.