Introduction

Since 7 April 2020, the entire Singapore has been under a ‘circuit breaker’ shutdown whereby all non-essential businesses, schools and activities have taken a halt for about a month in order to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Last week, news reports indicated long queues at electronics stores as Singapore residents scrambled to get brand new or used laptops at various brick-and-mortar stores before the ‘circuit breaker’ measures were underway.

However, perhaps you did not queue at one of these brick-and-mortar stores in Singapore simply because you wanted to avoid crowds and to avoid the risks of getting infected with the virus.

That being said, you might still be on the hunt for a used laptop, say, a Macbook, to either replace your old one or because you have had to work at home or study due to circumstances beyond your control.

How do you go about now, since all non-essential movements are practically banned?

Here are the options you could explore.

Retail Stores

This option might come naturally to many prospective laptop buyers as these retail stores might be located near neighborhood heartland malls or just a stone’s throw away from the homes of buyers like yourself.

However, if you urgently need a laptop during this ‘circuit breaker’ duration, you will be unable to purchase your desired laptop, brand new or used, at these stores because they would be closed in line with the strict Singapore government measures limiting social movements to curb the virus.

Moreover, even without a ‘circuit breaker’ situation, these brick-and-mortar retail stores might offer only a limited range of used laptops for you to select from. What you can get as a customer would be determined by the range of laptops available in a particular shop.

If you were to hop from shop to shop in a bid to see the widest range of laptops available, a lot of time and effort on your end would be needed.

What is more, these retail stores usually do not charge the most competitive prices as they have profit margins to hit.

Should you wish to trade your existing laptop in, some of these stores might not want to obtain your existing laptop if it has major defects - such as a poor battery life.

Therefore, you would be missing out on getting the best price as well as the most suitable used laptop as a customer - should you stick to the brick-and-mortar option.

Be prepared for limited or no warranty periods for the laptops sold in retail stores as well.

Peer-To-Peer Marketplaces

After brick-and-mortar store options, alternative platforms you might think of are peer-to-peer marketplace (P2P) platforms like Carousell, eBay and Craigslist.

At first glance, these P2P marketplaces might seem like the next-best solutions to get your desired laptop, given the wide availability of sellers on these marketplaces.

Nonetheless, reliable sellers such as Reebelo found on Carousell and relevant P2P marketplaces are few and far between. In order to ascertain the reliability and credibility of your prospective sellers, you would again have to invest time and effort searching the Internet and reading tons of customer reviews to see if a prospective seller can deliver on what he or she has promised on her site.

Many of these sellers are individual sellers looking to make a quick buck off their existing device and might not honestly reflect the true condition of their existing laptop.

Therefore, unsuspecting buyers like yourself who might be desperate to get a laptop to use at home might be shortchanged - in terms of price and quality.

Additionally, you run a huge risk of the seller not delivering your desired laptop to your house (in the case of the ‘circuit breaker’ measures), even after you have paid in full (by credit card for example).  Even if they were to ship their device over, you would have to incur the additional shipping costs. In case of seller default, you would have to spend additional time and resources filing police reports to get back your money.

What is striking is that these P2P marketplaces do not have a security net to sieve out dishonest and unreliable sellers. Therefore, the phrase caveat emptor, ‘let the buyer beware’, certainly applies here.

Reebelo

If you are keen to avoid the unnecessary hassle of having to check out the most competitive price for your desired MacBook or other laptop, check out Reebelo, Singapore’s trusted electronic marketplace for secondhand and refurbished products.

Rest assured that you will not be getting a stolen laptop, for Reebelo has been working with the Singapore Police Force to ensure that every product transacted on our website is in accordance with the law. Our business partners are all reliable and have proven track records.

Our refurbished devices have been completely cleaned, repaired and inspected to ensure that what you would get is as good as brand new, if not better.

Enjoy significant cost savings of up to 70% when you purchase pre-loved MacBooks. For example, if you decide to get a MacBook Pro (2012), you will only have to pay a reasonable price of $579 (as opposed to its original price of $1499.

Enjoy Double Savings With Reebelo

Consider enjoying double savings when you trade your existing laptop in with us to get your desired laptop. Simply check out this link here and get started! The significant cost savings would be very useful for you during these difficult economic times owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If  your existing laptop contains defects, consider trading it in with us as we hope to reduce the amount of technology waste that goes into landfills.

Browse our wide collection of electronics here, ranging from your desired MacBook to other lesser known but good quality phone models!

Reebelo offers a FREE home delivery and pick-up service for all devices transacted with us - thus, you can look forward to a contact-less and seamless customer experience with us!

We are operating remotely even during this ‘circuit breaker’ period. Thus, all transactions will be done remotely to maximise the safety of our staff and customers nationwide.

Shop with Reebelo and stay COVID-19 free.