Buying an iPhone

[gsusser]

I'm a long time buyer/seller though mostly inactive for several years. I've purchased several iPhones in the past but things seem radically different now. Hopefully, someone has a helpful tip or two. 

I started looking for a used iPhone 2 weeks ago. I'm down to the wire and need to make a purchase today or tomorrow. It's been quite a frustrating experience on eBay. The vast majority of sellers are businesses whose listings are usually lacking for info - battery health is almost always stated only as > 80%, many listings refer the buyer to photos when asked about cosmetic condition and prices seem higher than elsewhere. As for the battery, Apple recommends replacement when it falls below 80%. I do not want to get stuck with a battery at 80% only to have to replace it soon. As for looking at photos to discern scratches and scuff marks, my devices (computer, iPhone) usually won't display that well. These guys seem too lazy to want to check individual phones - I always get a response of something like, "sorry, it's inventoried." Buying a phone on eBay is not as simple or as much of a bargain as it used to be. 

[ebooksdiva]

This is my opinion…but…

You would do better to buy a cell phone locally.

I’ve read too many posts in this forum where buyers don’t receive what they ordered, the phone is locked, stolen or the tracking shows delivered but not at the buyers address. 

[mtgraves7984]

I'm down to the wire and need to make a purchase today or tomorrow.

@gsusser 

^^^ This can't be a good thing when buying a phone here. Why the time constraint on your purchase window?

[gsusser]

That's another issue which I didn't mention. The feedback for half the power sellers is not good - I've come to determine that anything below 99.2% positive is questionable. They also don't give out IMEIs so you can't determine if it's a clear phone.

Anyway, right afer I posted my message I decided to heck with eBay and bought a phone on Swappa. Not that there seems to be much difference.

[gsusser]

Time constraint - I live out of the country. My friend in CT will be bringing the phone to me and he's leaving in 2 weeks for my locale. 

I suppose I should be grateful that I don't have to buy a phone here in Colombia. It's like the wild west.

[tinsoldierunderground]

+1 to what ebooksdiva posted... These boards are full of threads concerning smart phone deals gone bad.

I would DEFINITLY buy locally.  In spite of what ebay will have you believe, there are some items you just shouldn't buy on here.  

[simba6]

That is an item that needs to be purchased from an Apple dealer.   It's the only way to have clear title to it and avoid  issues later like it's a stolen phone.

[gone.c-33]

This is your 3rd thread about iPhone battery life in a few days. Like others have mentioned, smartphone purchases on eBay often end up less than satisfactory and issues may take a while to show up, taking you past the Money Back Guarantee deadlines.

For all those reasons, I would highly suggest you purchase the phone from a proper authorized Apple vendor which means your device will be covered by AppleCare for a year for free.

[gsusser]

It's my second thread not third. What difference does it make? But I'm happy to know you pay attention to my posts. If you want to complain about repetitive posts, two other people posted the same thing as you. I also mentioned that I made a purchase on Swappa earlier in this thread, so what is the point of your writing? In any event, it is unlikely that I will buy anything from eBay again so you've probably heard the last from me. They're like a different company from when I first became a customer.