( 
)So, your battery isn't what is used to be. Most everyone has been
there. You can remember spending long summer's eves, laying on a
lounger in your yard or patio, perusing eBay and looking for that next
special treasure. Your battery would dutifully carry you on through
the night, and you had exhausted your own energy long before it had.
But, alas, no longer.
So here you are, reading my first blog post about batteries. Chances are, you found it because you ran into exactly the same scenario I described above, albeit perhaps replacing "yard" for "balcony" or "patio" for "porch." You're looking for a new battery, and you've seen the bazillion different listings on eBay for your model alone. There's all sorts of different terms. Watt-hour? More like "WHAT? Hour??" am I right?
Well, let me clue you in on some common things you'll see in listings, and you should be looking for.
1. "SAME DAY SHIP!!"
Well,
that's it for now folks. Thank you for reading my guide! I've
worked with computers for many years, and I know the laptop battery
business from the inside-out. I've recently branched out into eBay
sales of batteries I used to sell in-house when doing service work for
clients. My batteries are, of course, very high quality and warranted both through my company and through the manufacturer. If you'd like to check out my store, it's at http://stores.ebay.com/toskanmarket
Even if you don't buy from me, I hope you've found this little guide useful! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
But, alas, no longer.
So here you are, reading my first blog post about batteries. Chances are, you found it because you ran into exactly the same scenario I described above, albeit perhaps replacing "yard" for "balcony" or "patio" for "porch." You're looking for a new battery, and you've seen the bazillion different listings on eBay for your model alone. There's all sorts of different terms. Watt-hour? More like "WHAT? Hour??" am I right?
Well, let me clue you in on some common things you'll see in listings, and you should be looking for.
1. "SAME DAY SHIP!!"
The
seller ships on the same day. Nice, right? Thing is, though, they
pretty much ALL say this. So, what should you look for? Location, of
course! EBay requires that items are listed exactly where they ship
from. Some sellers try to get around this by listing an ambiguous
location. Ambiguous location = BAD.
It's probably being drop-shipped from China. Not to toot my own horn
here, but my listings say "Voorhees, NJ." Why do they say Voorhees,
NJ? Well, because that's where they are. That's where I am. When I
print a label, stick it on the battery's package, and hand it to my
mailman, that's where it happens. Right here in my little warehouse in
Voorhees NJ. Any reputable seller with quality products would be the
same (and there are a few, in addition to me *grin* )
2. "WATT-HOURS, OHMS, and SO MANY VOLTS!"The
rule of thumb here is to look at the battery you already have, and
compare what it says to the specs on the listing. These should be
pretty much the same. If the listing is for a high-capacity battery,
the watt-hours could be higher. Some laptops can take different
voltage batteries, and if the listing shows your model computer, but
the voltage is different, ask the seller. Always better safe then
sorry (and without power!). If you find a listing with radically
different values than the battery you already have, your best bet is to
leave. Either the seller made a typo, in which case who knows how much
of the listing is accurate, or the seller doesn't know what they're
doing, in which case again, who knows.
3. "High-Capacity! Long-Life! Extended Life!"These things generally mean that the battery has more cells inside than your original battery has. These batteries will give you a much longer run-time than a standard battery, but they will also most likely do something else - stick out a bit.
The benefit far outweighs the consequence for people who want this type
of battery, which many times are frequent travelers, mobile users such
as claims adjusters, campers addicted to eBay (that's me!), and the
like. Rule of thumb here:
look at the pictures! If it looks different than your battery, then
the above will be the case. If it looks the same as your battery, then
the seller has it wrong, and it is a standard-capacity battery.
4. "Original OEM! Factory DELL BATTERY!"If
this is true, then either the battery is listed for quite a lot of
money compared to after-market replacements, or the battery is used.
DO NOT BUY A USED BATTERY! You will not
be happy. Make sure you buy a brand-new, never-used, unopened battery
from a reseller you can trust. If you can't tell from the listing,
ASK! Make sure you find out exactly what you are buying. If you buy a
used battery, it will go bad. Much sooner than you'd like. I promise.
Even if you don't buy from me, I hope you've found this little guide useful! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Guide created: 01/14/09 (updated 09/21/09)
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