I need some advice about purchasing a new laptop battery.

[nerd4life]

I have a Dell Latitude C640 that is over 3 years old. It still has the original battery that it came with. Well now the battery won't charge up so I'm guessing that it just needs to be replaced considering the age of it. I've seached the internet all over and see batteries ranging from $50 to $150. I'm not sure that I want to pay Dell $140 for one. So, I'm tempted to pick up a cheaper one but you know the old saying, you get what you pay for. I'm afraid if I don't buy it from Dell, it won't last as long (my original lasted over 3 years). But the batteries all look the same. I know third-party batteries are not made by dell but are alot cheaper. And I even see sellers selling Dell original batteries for alot cheaper - are these Dell's old stock or something? I just need some advice from people that have ordered non-Dell batteries. Is it worth it?

This website has it for $55 but it's not a Dell original.
http/www.level8technology.com/servlet/the-459/dell-latitude-c640-battery/Detail

This website has it for $83. They say it's a Dell original.
http/www.atbatt.com/product/4988.asp

And of course, buying from Dell at $140.
http/accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=312-0522&mfgpid=167016

 

[craxx123]

Try to use an online auction site to find another avenue to purchase Dell® genuine batteries.

 

[nerd4life]

Thanks for the tip. I saw some Dell originals on Ebay for about $60 plus shipping but all the sellers were only offering a 30-Day Guarantee. So I went ahead and bought one from the level8technology.com people since they were the lowest I found with a 1 year warranty - I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope it works the same way as my original did