I feel your pain on this, trying to grab a cheap laptop for class on a tight budget is a total minefield. eBay is way harder to track than Amazon because listings disappear and sellers use Best Offer which hides the actual final sale price. Honestly, I would suggest checking out this eBay price tracker to get a handle on historic trends. It helps you see if that discount is actually real or just marketing fluff. A few things you might want to consider when using trackers and hunting for laptops:

• Make sure to filter specifically for Sold Items in your manual searches too. Trackers sometimes struggle with Best Offer Accepted prices, which are usually way lower than the listed price.
• Be cautious about Seller Refurbished vs Certified Refurbished listings. Certified usually comes with a decent warranty, while seller refurbished is a gamble.
• Watch out for shipping costs. Some sellers drop the laptop price to look cheap on trackers but charge forty bucks for shipping.
• Double check the battery health specs. Sellers love to write battery holds charge which usually means it dies in 20 minutes. If you find a couple of models you like, hit me up. I can help you look over the specs to make sure you arent getting a snail.