I tend to just buy used hardware through eBay. You can filter to only show business sellers which will give you a bit more protection than buying from an individual - There are loads of professional companies selling refurbished laptops on eBay. You can filter this by making a search, selecting "More refinements" on the left hand side then go to the "Seller" tab and check "Seller Type" and select "Business". You would need to check the item for information about warranties but most professional sellers will offer something and if the machine is new enough it may still even be covered by the original manufacturers warranty.
