Needing to replace an old ThinkPad T480, a Hacker News user asked ChatGPT to narrow down which model suited their needs, then used it to find a listing and negotiate with the seller. They ended up with a newer ThinkPad T14 Gen 4 and were very happy with it.
I want to buy a second-hand laptop to replace my [CURRENT LAPTOP]. I mainly use it for [USES], my budget is [BUDGET] and I care most about [BATTERY / WEIGHT / KEYBOARD / REPAIRABILITY]. Suggest 3 models and years worth looking for, what spec to aim for and what to check before buying used. Then here's a listing I'm considering: [PASTE AD]. Is the price fair, and can you draft a polite, realistic offer message to the seller?
Replace the [PLACEHOLDERS] with your own details before you send it.
How to try it
- Ask ChatGPT for a shortlist of models that fit your needs and budget.
- Paste in real listings and ask what’s a fair price and what to check (battery health, charger, damage).
- Use its draft offer as a starting point, and inspect the laptop in person before you pay.
More shopping use cases
Choose school supplies your child will actually like with ChatGPT
One mum gave ChatGPT the school's supply list for her daughter, and because it already knew her daughter's tastes from earlier chats it suggested items picked for her, with shop links. Her daughter, who usually rejects what her mum chooses, kept every item and only changed a few colours.
Here is my child's school supply list: [PASTE LIST]. My child is [AGE] and likes [COLOURS, CHARACTERS, STYLES] and dislikes [DISLIKES]. Suggest a specific product for each item that fits their taste, stays within a total budget of about [BUDGET], and is available from [SHOP OR COUNTRY]. Include a cheaper alternative for anything pricey.
Find an item in stock at your local shop with a Grok agent
In October 2026 we asked Grok Bot, a desktop AI agent with its own browser, to find a 10 m Cat6 network cable at Anhoch, an electronics shop in Skopje. It searched the shop's website, found an SBOX Cat6 UTP 10 m patch cable for 250 MKD, compared two Lanberg options at 290 and 450 MKD (both warehouse-only) and used the per-branch stock list to find the mall branch that had it. We popped in and bought it in one trip; the agent didn't buy anything itself.
Find a [ITEM AND SPEC, E.G. 10 M CAT6 NETWORK CABLE] at [SHOP NAME OR WEBSITE] in [TOWN OR CITY]. Search the shop's own website and compare 2-3 suitable options in a short table with the product name, key specs and current price. Use the shop's branch or stock information to tell me which branch has each one in stock right now, and flag anything that's warehouse-only or online-only. Give me a direct link to each product page. Don't buy or reserve anything; I'll go in and buy it myself.
Sanity-check Black Friday deals with Perplexity
Which? asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for the best Black Friday air fryer deals. Only Perplexity found the experts' top pick and a working discount code, but it misquoted the deal price, so Which? suggests AI as a starting point, not the final word.
I'm thinking of buying [PRODUCT AND MODEL] for [PRICE] at [RETAILER]. Using current sources, tell me: the typical price over the last six months, the lowest recent price, other UK retailers selling it now and their prices, and any valid discount codes. Link every price to its source so I can check it.
Reference: Hacker News