Buying used cell phone at auction site. Bad idea?

[Lurker]

I read another member's post about buying a used cell phone on the popular auction site and it sounded like a good idea. Anything to watch out for?

One listing I read advised that before bidding, you should call the cell phone service provider with the phone's EIN to see if it can be activated and if there is an account balance against the phone. I also wonder if there is maybe a limit on the number of times the phone can be reprogrammed. I think I heard that somewhere. Or maybe the programming menu has been permanently locked by too many attempts to acces with the incorrect password.

I am kind of speculating here. Does anybody know if this is a good idea or too risky? I am looking to replace my wife's Virgin Mobile phone which is acting up, but I don't want to throw my money away. She has a history of destroying her cell phones in less than a year because she drops them too much, so I'm looking for something cheap. I know there are closeout phones available at Virgin Mobile right now for as low as $40 shipped, so it is kind of hard to beat that deal at the moment, but I am interested in trying or at least learning if it is feasable.

Thanks for any opinions.

 

[paulr]

Re: Buying used cell phone at auction site. Bad i

Virgin Mobile are prepaid so don't worry about outstanding balances. I wouldn't have any issue buying one on ebay. Main concern is that the battery holds a charge.

 

[revolvergeek]

Re: Buying used cell phone at auction site. Bad i

It depends on the model/design of the cellphone, but in theory there is not reason that it can't be reprogrammed many times. I bought a couple of Nokia 6340i GAIT phones used off of eBay and have been very pleased with them. I don't know anything about Virgin Mobile, but I have had no trouble getting used phones activated with Cingular (three used phones in the last 4 years or so).

 

[paulr]

Re: Buying used cell phone at auction site. Bad i

Actually I see that Virgin is selling the K9 for $49 at its web site and maybe the same at retail. I've bought a few used Kyocera phones on Virgin for $20 or so each including some minutes, so I certainly wouldn't pay $40 for a used one with no minutes.

 

[GadgetGirl]

Re: Buying used cell phone at auction site. Bad i

All good info, and the odds are that it will be all good if you buy a cell phone from ebay. I would more strongly advise that you call the phone company with the EIN to make sure it is clean (although that's still no guarantee). I'll share my story as a reason to be cautious...

I bought a cell phone from ebay a while ago that was listed as brand new, factory sealed, never used. The seller was listed as an authorized dealer. I called the cell phone shop (it checked out), I exchanged emails (everything was good), and the seller had a lot of feedback (all positive). So I won the auction, paid, received the phone and it was indeed manufacturer-sealed, never used. So I activated it and used it happily for about 6 months. Out of the blue, I received a call from a police detective several states away. He informed me that the guy that sold me my phone worked for a cell phone shop, but was stealing phones from the store and selling them on ebay. Apparently, he sold a lot of them. I was asked to send my phone to the police as evidence, along with all my email correspondance. After confirming that the police station existed, this was a real case, and I spoke with a real officer, I complied and sent my phone. The bad guy was arrested and plead guilty at trial, but of course didn't have the cash to repay everyone (I spoke with the DA's office about it). That was the last I heard... no phone, no reimbursement. All I have is a lesson to never buy electronically traceable goods from ebay again. This was shortly before ebay instituted their fraud-guarantee program. Even though if something like this happened now, I could probably get my money back, I wouldn't want to deal with the hassle.

I'm not saying you shouldn't buy a phone from ebay. I just wanted to share one experience.

 

[Lurker]

Re: Buying used cell phone at auction site. Bad i

Paulr, thanks for your advice.

The $40 deal I referenced is directly from Virgin Mobile for the K7. It is not related to eBay or any private seller. It includes free overnight shipping and at least $10 in airtime (more for a new customer) and A/C charger. It also includes a 1-year warranty and the phone is not used. So as you can see, with a net cost of $30 after you account for the free air time, it is really hard to beat that deal even with a very cheap eBay phone once you pay for shipping. You would have to win an auction for peanuts.

But the closeout deal will not be there forever, so I am curious if the eBay route is a good alternative. It seems I am needing replacement phones on a regular basis, as I mentioned. So far, it looks like it is a good idea.

Of course the K9 at $50 from VM is also a very good deal. Thanks for pointing that out.



Gadgetgirl,
Thanks for sharing your story and I am sorry that happened to you. There are a number of new phones currently listed on eBay in factory sealed packaging with the UPC codes removed. I don't know what the story is on these phones, but it makes me wonder. I will keep your advice in mind. Another CPFer recently posted a similar story about buying a serial-numbered item at a pawn shop and getting a call from the police later because it turned up stolen. He lost his money also.

 

[Eric_M]

Re: Buying used cell phone at auction site. Bad i

I've got one of these you're welcome to:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008OOUZ/102-6295232-7240919?v=glance

I've got a cell phone through work now and no longer need it. Works great.

If you're interested shoot me an email and I'll sent it your way, no charge.

Eric

 

[MaxaBaker]

Re: Buying used cell phone at auction site. Bad i

I have had 2 Kyocera Slider phones that were from Virgin mobile. The durability wasn't the greatest, and the battery life is terrible. The battery is the reason I got a 2nd one. It got to the point were the battery would last 10 hours. That's not always enough, and compared to some other cell phones it is terrible. My friend has a Sony Ericsson and the battery life will last about 3 days without dying. I am lucky if I even get 24 hours with my new slider. It's probably closer to 20 hours when my phone wants to automatically shut off. I rarely even use it either, so there is no real reason for the short lifespan /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

 

[Lurker]

Re: Buying used cell phone at auction site. Bad i

Eric M, that is a very kind offer. I have sent email.