If you are in the market for a netbook you know that the starting price for a decent netbook is about $250, you will be hard-pressed to find a brand new netbook that retails for under $200 and if you do find one at that price, you should probably check the specs!

If you are a student and do not want to spend a heap of money on a computer then a netbook is a great product to look into. If you would like a netbook under $200 then your best bet is to shop around the used netbook section on amazon, I linked directly to the page for used netbooks but you can narrow down your selection by playing with the filters on the left. You will find that there are a lot of netbooks that retail for around $300 that you can buy used for less than $200.

Can you buy a new netbook for under $200?

Like I mentioned earlier, when you skimp on the price you also skimp on the quality and power of the netbook. If you want a good netbook for close to $200 our top pick is the Acer aspire one this powerful little netbook packs quite a punch at only 10.1 inches! Here are some of the features

• Up to 4 hours of battery life
• 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N455 processor
• 250 GB hard drive
• 1 GB DDR3 RAM
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capability
• 10.1-inch LED-backlit CrystalBrite screen (1024 x 600 resolution)
• Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 video processor
• Many many more features!

To see a full list of the features and specs visit this page

Brand New Netbooks for under $300

If you have some room to move on your budget you can get a great netbook for close to $250, in fact four of the current top selling netbooks are under $270! If you can muster up another $75 dollars you can buy a really good netbook and not have to worry about some of the hassles that come along with buying a used netbook. A great page to visit on Amazon is the netbooks under $250 page where you can find some really good deals, but hurry I find the deals disappear quickly.

A few months ago I found a really good deal on that page and figured I would order in a week or so. I came back to order a week later and the price had gone up another $30! I was a bit angry and wished I just put it on my credit card and bought the thing! I eventually just bought it for $290 instead of $260.

Tips for Buying a Used Netbook

When buying a used netbook you never know what you are getting. Before you pull the trigger and make a payment make sure you understand the terms and conditions of the sale. Check to see if the seller has a return policy, check to see if they have sold other products online and if they have a positive rating and reviews. Before sending them $200 ask to chat with them online or over the phone.

You should ask to see detailed pictures of the netbook and look for any signs up damage. Superficial scratches are not a problem (unless you are particular about the appearance) but if you see any dents on the case this means the netbook may have been dropped.

I found a great way to make a big purchase online is to ask for their skype name and add them. Then you can actually talk to them and have them show you the product before you buy! This has given me a lot of confidence in the past. If a person says they do not have skype ask them to download it, if they really want to make the sale then they certainly won’t mind.