Buy a cell phone on ebay?

[Pembo]

My husband broke his cell phone today. We can't upgrade to new phones until Jan 2011 and a new one costs $300. Anyone buy on ebay? Any suggestions on how to find a reputable dealer???

We're Verizon btw.

 

[mb12345]

I would first check the buyer's feedback to make sure he is an honest seller. Then check the pictures of the phone to verify it is what you want. Also, when you buy on ebay, ask the seller to send you the phone's imei # and esn #. Then call vzw and ask them whether the esn is clear (i.e. not a stolen or lost phone). If it is a clear esn, then go ahead with the purchase.

Can you let me know what kind of a phone you are looking for? I just upgraded to a droid and have a samsung i-760 that I'll be looking to sell in the next couple of days.

 

[Disney-Kim]

I have sold quite a few of my old cell phones on ebay and they were always very nice phones...so look for people selling their own phones who have lots of positive feedback or look for sellers with positive feedback.

its best to type in your provider in the search box to make sure the phoen works with your provider...ie..."verizon blackberry curve"

there are lots of good deals on ebay and a lot of people buy phones there to avoid the 2 yr contract at the store.

 

[Magic Mom]

Is there anyway to tell if a phone has been stolen?

 

[maddiesmom0116]

You have a lot of people that win phones selling them on ebay. My ex was a manager for T-Mobile and he won 4 or 5 phones a month. I got a new phone whenever I wanted it. The newest phone that came out he was always winning a set with a male color and a female color. He sold them on ebay and made a few hundred dollars a month, he said all the managers did this. Check their feedback and if it is new, look and see if they have sold them before. If you pay through paypal and the item is not what it states then you can file a claim if the seller does not fix the issue for you.

Good Luck

 

[JB2K]

My husband broke his cell phone today. We can't upgrade to new phones until Jan 2011 and a new one costs $300. Anyone buy on ebay? Any suggestions on how to find a reputable dealer???

We're Verizon btw.

I wouldn't -- only because when you buy from "non-authorized" venues, things get a little sketchy.

Instead, buy a VZW prepaid handset (roughly $20-$30), call VZW and request to do an "ESN Swap"...it's legal and free!

 

[bjscheel]

This winter DH dropped his in the pit at the grain elevator. We turned to eBay- we buy and sell a lot there, so are not too afraid of doing so. However, the phone never showed up and the seller got kicked off. eBay refunded us.

So, DH called Verizon because he wanted this one particular model again and it is not current. They found a reconditioned one at a store in Nebraska and they express mailed it to Des Moines for us. Better yet, they actually moved up our upgrade date to that day, so it didn't cost us a thing. We can't trade again for 2 years now, but that's okay (hope he doesn't lose it again).

Try calling Verizon and see what they can do!

 

[HockeyMomNH]

My DS had a phone that he really loved that Verizon didn't offer anymore. I got a referbished one off of e-bay. I looked for a dealer that had lots of sales and good feedback. Also make sure that they guarantee that the phone is clear and can be used for Verizon.

The phone worked great, they did send me the wrong charger, but sent me a replacement with no problem.

 

[Uniquely Young]

I'm in Ohio, and have 2 Blackberry Pearls on Ebay that go off tomorrow. They have all the accessories, chargers, cases, software and are verizon. My husbands silver one doesn't have a bid on it at $25. We bought BB Curves and 2 HP Mini laptops for work. They are both like new and completely erased and ready to activate on Verizon.

 

[dis-happy]

I've bought 4 replacement phones off ebay without any problems at all. Mostly we used people that deal with phones as a business and they offered returns if necessary. It's a great way to save $$$ until your contract is up.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I buy all of my phones through ebay. The last one I bought was 3 years ago (LG NV). I have Verizon but I'm on a family plan (not as the primary member) so with the every two year renewal thing I only get $35 or $50 (can't remember which) towards a new phone. I love my phone and haven't had any problems with it. I just check feedback and read all of the details on the listing.

 

[sardanem]

I don't know if this will help you, but when my daughter lost her cell phone I got 1 free from Freecycle. It is through Yahoo and they are all over. I just asked for any Sprint compatible phone and a woman around the corner had one. We picked it up, brought it to Sprint where they changed the number over and even gave us a battery charger. I figure it never hurts to ask.

Lisa

 

[crazelion]

How do find a reputable dealer? I need know what I am looking for.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

How do find a reputable dealer? I need know what I am looking for.

I have purchased cell phones on eBay several times to replace lost phones and have had no problems. Look for a seller with a lot of positive feedback for selling similar items. Pay using a credit card for your own protection. You should be fine.

Is there anyway to tell if a phone has been stolen?

No, but it doesn't really matter because cell phone companies will activate any phone which will work on their network. They don't keep lists of stolen phones.

 

[horseshowmom]

I recently bought my husband another RAZR V3xx (we like that particular phone due to how well it picks up in our rural area) off ebay from seller gogreencellular (http://myworld.ebay.com/gogreencellular/). They are recycled phones and specify the carrier.

He's been very pleased. In fact, it seems to work better than the original one.

I also like that they have Buy It Now so I went through bing.com and saved more money on it!

 

[AUdisfan]

So, if you buy a phone off of ebay, do you then take it to the Verizon store and they switch it to your number? I am looking at doing this and I just wondered how it works.

 

[Purseval]

I have bought 2 phones, one off of Ebay and one off of Craigslist. Both sales went off without a hitch.

 

[javaj]

So, if you buy a phone off of ebay, do you then take it to the Verizon store and they switch it to your number? I am looking at doing this and I just wondered how it works.

You can do an ESN transfer online. When you're logged in to your account, Go to My Verizon, then My Services, then My Phone, then Activate a new or existing phone - and you can enter the new ESN there.

We have a family plan and are able to upgrade phones (free or cheap) every 10 months as long as we extend our contract another year, so often sell or trade our unused phones. There are definitely reputable ebay and craigslist deals out there.

 

[Avonlady1001]

If you do this w/ Verizon, buy a phone off ebay & have verizon activiate it, does it restart your contract? We 1/2 way to the end of our 2 years, but DH's phone is really junky. They've tried to fix it a bunch of times, but it just won't hold a charge no matter what. I'd love to get him a new phone but don't want our contract starting over...thinking about switching companies at the end.

Also, if anyone has done this recently, if you buy an ebay phone & have it activated, do they upgrade your plan to make you buy the $9.99 data plan they force on you now?

Thanks!

 

[Ka' eo]

We bought a Verizon Razor a few months ago for $35 from a reputable seller. Look at the feedback. We could have gotten one cheaper from an individual but decided to go with someone who sells alot and makes sure they are in good shape.

By doing this, instead of signing up for another 2 years, we now have the flexibility to decide who we want to go with. We may end up with US cellular since my dh has a discount through work on the monthly fees.

I have bought everything on ebay from expensive nutcrackers to coupons. I have really never had a bad experience. I am careful of the seller and trust that most people on there are honest.

If you buy the a Verizon phone, it does not affect your contract. So you'd be all set, Avonlady101 If you bought a smartphone, you'd have to pay the $9.99, but we did not since the razor is not.