Essential Tech for a Steal

By Cat Schwartz
March 3, 2010

Of the tech items that you simply can't live without, which are the biggest steals on eBay? That's a question we posed to Cat Schwartz, our resident Tech Expert. After replacing her defunct keyboard with a new one she bought for a song (it's hard to type without an "F" key!), she was more than happy to oblige.—The Editors

These days, most of us don't have the cash to drop on every neat-o gadget that's hits the market. That hands free vacuum may look appealing, but the more pressing purchases are often more straightforward. On my list: a replacement hard drive (mine won't stop beeping) and keyboard (not sure how that "F" key went missing), and a memory card with a larger capacity. I've found that no only are MSRPs way down on these items, but they can be found on eBay for even less. Here's a list of my favorite finds.

External Hard Drive

Your office computer may back up automatically, but that's not the case at home. Back up your files weekly on an external hard drive. You can find one that holds a terabyte (1000 gigs or about 300,000 photos) for well under $150.

One Terabyte Hard Drive (buy it now price, $79.95)

Wireless Keyboard and Mouse

Once you go wireless, you'll never go back. It's so nice to have the flexibility to place your keyboard where you want it on your desk or lap, and it looks much better not to have wires jutting out. With an average selling price at around $37, a wireless keyboard is a great, low cost upgrade to any system. Just be careful where you leave yours; I recently found mine hiding in my couch.

Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse (buy it now price, $39.95)

Memory Cards

It has happened to all of us. You use your digital camera, cell phone or video camera to capture that one perfect moment, and the "full memory card" notification light starts to flash! Find out what kind of card you need and then search eBay for one with more memory. An 8-gig card has an average selling price of under $20 and holds about 2000 songs or 9000 low resolution images.

Dane 8G Memory Card (buy it now price, $22)

All-In-One Printer

I have a printer, a scanner and a fax machine, and each one of these space hogs has more issues than the next. With a compact size and cool features like faxing right from your PC, wireless network connection and lovely image print quality, an all-in-one is the way to go. I can't wait to ditch all my old devices and steal this printer for $90.

HP Officejet Wireless All-in-One Printer, Scanner, Fax (buy it now price, $89.99)

Laptop

This is the category that really gets me. Gone are the days that you need to spend thousands of dollars on a portable computer with all the bells and whistles. Think carefully about the features you most need in a laptop and forget the rest. You can save big—especially if you're willing to buy used. I can't wait to pull this baby out of my travel bag in the security lane at the airport. It's got everything, including a web cam, big hard drive, fast processor and of course, a cool design and color. I'm getting it for under $300. You can find these great deals all day long on eBay.

Dell Latitude Laptop (buy it now price, $275)

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