HP TouchPad Sale Revived, eBay to Offer $99 Tablet Computer

The HP TouchPad sale is being revived - for one day only - on HP's eBay store, which will offer heavily discounted $99 tablet computers during another round of the fire sale.

TechCrunch reported Hewlett-Packard, based in Palo Alto, Calif., will sell the 16GB and 32GB models of the TouchPad for $99 and $149 respectively on Sunday on its eBay store.

The fine print: The TouchPads up for grabs in the eBay sale are refurbished, not new models and are final sale. The refurbished TouchPads come with a 90-day warranty rather than a one-year warranty for new models.

However, employees will get the first pickings, according to an email from HP. Those who work at HP will get an opportunity to purchase a TouchPad before the sale goes public.

In an effort to give HP employees first chance at a very limited supply of refurbished TouchPads, there will be a short delay between when the product is posted live for sale on eBay and when the general public is notified of the sale, an email to employees, posted by TechCrunch, read. In September, employees were given first dibs for another round of sales, though none were left for the public.

HP will also offer an accessory bundle to complement the refurbished tablets which includes a wireless keyboard, TouchStone charging dock and case for $79.

TechCrunch reported that sales will most likely be limited to two SKUs per eBay member and will require PayPal for purchases. HP has not disclosed how many TouchPads will be available for sale Sunday beginning at 6 p.m. CST, but they could be guaranteed to sell out.

In August, HP unleashed the first round of its TouchPad sale, which had the $99 tablets flying off the shelves. The sale was an effort to sell remaining stockpiled inventory, as the tablet computer was pulled two and a half months following its release. Rather than clearing out inventory, HP created a demand with consumers for a heavily discounted tablet.

Since the fire sale, other electronics retailers have followed suit; Amazon priced its first tablet, the Kindle Fire, at $199 to create demand. BlackBerry dropped the price of its PlayBook from $499 to $299. Needless to say, consumers are looking for a cheap tablet computer alternative for theApple iPad2, which starts at $499.

If history repeats itself, it's fair to say the TouchPads will sell out quickly at $99.

Beginning at 6 p.m. CST on Sunday, you can buy your $99 or $149 HP TouchPad on HP's eBay store page.

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