I buy a lot of electronics, music equipment, and clothing from the second hand market. Sometimes it’s as simple as walking in a thrift store and seeing what inventory they have on any given day. Often I’m lucky, in some instances finding old synthesizers for $30 that only need a few minimal repairs to work again. Other times I’m lucky enough to find dress shirts from top brands that only have a minimal amount of wear in them. However, there are limitations to shopping at thrift stores. For instance, if I want a second hand laptop or cell phone that is only a few years old, I have to turn to Ebay or local listings. Even getting a good deal isn’t always worth buying a consumer electronic from a previous owner. Laptops sometimes have warranties on them, especially if the original owner made a point to add one at the point of purchase. Usually these warranties are not transferable from one owner to the next, making them void once the product changes hands. I learned this difficult lesson with an air conditioner when I bought my first house. The seller asked for more money than this place was worth because he had just replaced the air conditioner. After telling me about the amazing warranty that he purchased, I reluctantly agreed to his final asking price. But as soon as I needed a small air conditioner repair, the heating and cooling technician from my HVAC supplier told me that the warranty was no longer active because it cannot be transferred from one owner to another. No matter how great the seller’s HVAC warranty was, it was worthless to me because I’m not the original owner.