• Select the Right Type of Monitor

• Understand Monitor Features

• Get the Appropriate Monitor Accessories

• Find Monitors on eBay

• Buy Monitors with Confidence

Select the Right Type of Monitor

Select the Right Type of Monitor

Choose your ideal cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor or flat-panel liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitor by determining what applications you’ll use, which features are most important, and where you’ll place the monitor.

LCD monitors

Flat-panel LCD monitors take up minimal space on your desk, consume less power than CRT monitors, and have low electric and magnetic emissions. They also offer superior brightness, making them a better monitor choice for highly lit areas such as your home office.

Each LCD monitor screen contains hundreds of pixels (picture elements) made up of liquid crystals. Electric fields can charge selected pixels to form images. Most LCD monitors also embed thin-film transistors (TFT) within the panel to reduce crosstalk between pixels and improve image stability. The process ensures flicker-free monitor performance, perfect focus, and distortion-free images when you look at the monitor directly. LCD monitors may distort when you go past the viewing angle, but this won't be an issue if you always sit in front of your monitor.

Although LCD monitors have a higher list price than CRT monitors , they weigh less than CRT monitors and usually cost less to ship.

CRT monitors

Although deeper than LCD monitors, CRT monitors provide rich, accurate colour across the spectrum, making them the preferred monitor of many graphic artists. They also offer superior response times compared to LCD monitors, quickly updating visible colours on fast-moving games and movies.

CRT monitors employ an electron gun to shoot beams through a grille or mask on the inside of the monitor’s screen. Phosphor dots coat the screen and glow red, green, or blue to create the colours and images you see. You can count on a CRT to provide multiple resolution choices, good brightness, and undistorted images from wide viewing angles, and slightly more contrast than LCD monitors.

Get a CRT monitor with a refresh rate of 75 Hertz or higher to reduce screen flicker and prevent eyestrain.

Understand Monitor Features

Understand Monitor Features

Like most electronic devices, computer monitors have a long list of features and specifications. Understand the basics when you shop for your monitor on eBay.

• Monitor screen size: Get the largest monitor your budget allows so that you can easily read text and comfortably fit information on your screen. Manufacturers measure screen size in inches, diagonally across the screen. Item listings should include overall screen size, including the bezel (casing) measurement, as well as information about the actual viewable screen area. Common screen sizes include 15-inch monitors, 17-inch monitors, 19-inch monitors, and 20-inch & Larger monitors.

• Monitor resolution: Resolution, the crispness of a monitor's image, is measured in pixels per inch (ppi) or dots per inch (dpi). You'll see a horizontal and vertical measurement, with higher numbers offering greater detail. Most people use a 1024 x 768 resolution for everyday work. CRT monitors can display multiple resolutions; LCDs are optimized for only one. Compare LCDs at their “native resolution.”

• Monitor dot pitch: Dot pitch indicates the distance between adjacent sets of dots on your monitor screen. Lower numbers produce a sharper picture.

• Monitor adjustment options: Select a monitor with adjustability options that allow you to raise and lower the screen’s height to minimize neck pain, back pain, and eyestrain. Panel tilt will allow you to adjust for different light conditions. Some monitors even allow you to rotate between landscape and portrait modes.

• Monitor connectivity: Connect your LCD monitor to your computer over a digital visual interface (DVI) connection to produce the highest-quality images. Your graphics card must support DVI. You can also use analog signal processing. CRT monitors plug into your computer's existing analog monitor port.

• Monitor controls: Tuning controls allow you to adjust your monitor’s contrast, brightness, horizontal and vertical alignment, and more. These are handled by an on-screen menu and/or buttons on the face of the monitor.

Monitors can also include useful extra features such as built-in speakers so that you can listen to music; USB ports for connecting additional devices to your computer; A/V inputs to connect external audio and video sources; a built-in TV tuner; or picture-in-picture capability. If you want a monitor with one or more of these features, use it as a keyword when you search for your monitor on eBay.

Get the Appropriate Monitor Accessories

Get the Appropriate Monitor Accessories

Shop for all your monitor accessories on eBay.

• Monitor arms & mounts: Monitor arms allow you to extend and adjust your LCD monitor on your desk. You can also use monitor mounts to hang your LCD on the wall.

• Monitor stands & risers: Monitor stands and monitor risers elevate your monitor on your desk and provide extra storage space.

• Monitor cables: Buy cables to connect your monitor and your computer.

• Screen glare filters: Use a glare filter to make your screen easier to see and minimize eyestrain.

• KVM switches: KVM switches allow you to share your keyboard, monitor, and mouse with multiple computers.

• Screen cleaning kits: Traditional cleaning agents can damage your monitor. Buy a screen cleaning kit designed for your LCD monitor to prevent damage.

Find Monitors on eBay

Find Monitors on eBay

Once you know what type of monitor you want, go to the Computers & Networking portal, click Monitors & Projectors, and start searching for item listings on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for CRT, Standard Monitors, LCD, Flat Panel Monitors, Monitor Accessories, and more. As you dig deeper into the site you'll also be able to narrow down your choice by screen size.

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a 19-inch flat-panel LCD monitor, type "LCD 19-inch” (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Monitors with Confidence

Buy Monitors with Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to C$1,250.

• eBay Security & Resolution Centre: Visit the Security & Resolution Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.