I am no stranger to buying used stuff. A smart move in many instances.
So I've toyed with the idea of buying a used cell phone since there are obviously a bunch of rich geeks out there who will want the latest version of the best so they can overcompensate for their own short
comings, and there may therefore be some nicely usable if-not-quite-the-very-latest phones out there.
Now, buying a used cell phone, that I have never done.
So, I was thinking about this. Obviously the usual rules apply: ensure the thing works, try to gauge the seller's honesty, find out the origin of the device, get a solid bill of sale and the like.
But some extra precautions can and probably should be taken for a cell. For one thing, when I went to see one I was interested in, I brought along or asked for a SIM to actually try the phone, I looked up the IMEI both electronically (enter code) and on the label, and called it in with the provider to ensure it had not been blacklisted. (I also always print the craigslist ad so there is a record of who placed it, possibly.) It may also be a good idea to check the water sensor if any to see if it may have been submerged, while you're inside.
Anal you say? Maybe.
But maybe not enough. Upon further research it dawned on my naive self that there are potentially big loopholes in such an assessment that can come back and bit you back big. The whole issue of blacklisting for example is where it gets tricky.
For instance, suppose you're a deadbeat. You have a contract, but can't pay. What are you going to do? If you don't pay, the provider will eventually lock up your phone and you don't have a working phone anymore and you're screwed. So what is a tricky deadbeat to do? Well, you could sell your phone quickly for some hardcash while it still works. The buyer will check that it does. It works. All fine, you get cash to go buy some booze. Well, not really fine for the buyer, cuz a week later the original provider gets fed up with the seller not paying the bill and locks the buyer's (me!) phone up. Not so good.
Or you're a thief or somebody who found a phone. What to do? Well, you could put it up on CL for a great price, sell it in a day while it still works, and 2 days later the real owner calls his provider and locks it up. Not so good. Even less so if 2 days later the clever legal owner tracks you down with the hidden app and comes in with the Popo or some burly friends...
Or you have an insurance, declare the phone lost, get a new one, and immediately or even before getting the new one, you sell the old one quickly before the system catches up.
etc etc
Yup, issues there... Of course, you can tell the Seller up front that you will check for blacklisting and ask for an ID to put on the bill of sale, to discourage a dishonest seller and save yourself a trip. I do the former, the latter I hesitate cuz some honest sellers might be turned off by the privacy intrusion (I admit I might be too).
So what is a used cell phone buyer to do? Thoughts on the whole issue and how best to protect oneself? yea, yea, I could buy a new one for $700 or 2 laptops worth... Maybe not.
What's interesting about this and sets this used phone thing apart from, say, buying a landcruiser, is that your cruiser can't quite that easily be remotely-locked unexpectedly after you've bought it...
(oh, and if you still believe that buying a new $700 phone for *only* $100 with a 2 years contract is a great way to save money, well, I have a bridge that I can sell you too)
So I've toyed with the idea of buying a used cell phone since there are obviously a bunch of rich geeks out there who will want the latest version of the best so they can overcompensate for their own short
comings, and there may therefore be some nicely usable if-not-quite-the-very-latest phones out there.Now, buying a used cell phone, that I have never done.
So, I was thinking about this. Obviously the usual rules apply: ensure the thing works, try to gauge the seller's honesty, find out the origin of the device, get a solid bill of sale and the like.
But some extra precautions can and probably should be taken for a cell. For one thing, when I went to see one I was interested in, I brought along or asked for a SIM to actually try the phone, I looked up the IMEI both electronically (enter code) and on the label, and called it in with the provider to ensure it had not been blacklisted. (I also always print the craigslist ad so there is a record of who placed it, possibly.) It may also be a good idea to check the water sensor if any to see if it may have been submerged, while you're inside.
Anal you say? Maybe.
But maybe not enough. Upon further research it dawned on my naive self that there are potentially big loopholes in such an assessment that can come back and bit you back big. The whole issue of blacklisting for example is where it gets tricky.
For instance, suppose you're a deadbeat. You have a contract, but can't pay. What are you going to do? If you don't pay, the provider will eventually lock up your phone and you don't have a working phone anymore and you're screwed. So what is a tricky deadbeat to do? Well, you could sell your phone quickly for some hardcash while it still works. The buyer will check that it does. It works. All fine, you get cash to go buy some booze. Well, not really fine for the buyer, cuz a week later the original provider gets fed up with the seller not paying the bill and locks the buyer's (me!) phone up. Not so good.
Or you're a thief or somebody who found a phone. What to do? Well, you could put it up on CL for a great price, sell it in a day while it still works, and 2 days later the real owner calls his provider and locks it up. Not so good. Even less so if 2 days later the clever legal owner tracks you down with the hidden app and comes in with the Popo or some burly friends...
Or you have an insurance, declare the phone lost, get a new one, and immediately or even before getting the new one, you sell the old one quickly before the system catches up.
etc etc
Yup, issues there... Of course, you can tell the Seller up front that you will check for blacklisting and ask for an ID to put on the bill of sale, to discourage a dishonest seller and save yourself a trip. I do the former, the latter I hesitate cuz some honest sellers might be turned off by the privacy intrusion (I admit I might be too).
So what is a used cell phone buyer to do? Thoughts on the whole issue and how best to protect oneself? yea, yea, I could buy a new one for $700 or 2 laptops worth... Maybe not.
What's interesting about this and sets this used phone thing apart from, say, buying a landcruiser, is that your cruiser can't quite that easily be remotely-locked unexpectedly after you've bought it...
(oh, and if you still believe that buying a new $700 phone for *only* $100 with a 2 years contract is a great way to save money, well, I have a bridge that I can sell you too)
Last edited:
es.... 
