Best price for iphone5s without contract? My phone went swimming :(

[paysensmom]

My phone was dropped in the toilet by my toddler and I have taken it to 2 stores that repair them and neither could do anything
Where can I get the best outright price?
Thanks so much

 

[havaneselover]

Buy used on Swappa. You'll be out $300-350. I'm close to buying a 5s to use on Straight Talk. I would personally only buy from users with a lot of positive reviews.

 

[ericstac]

Check your local craigslist .org

 

[Lisa0620]

Yikes! We use Ting no contract service for my son's phone which requires a Sprint phone. Glyde.com has a link through Ting's site for used 5s's starting at $309 for 16GB (the "buy it" link says $399, but when you click on it you see actual phones at different prices according to GB's and color.) I can pm you a referral for $25 off Ting's service if you're interested. Good luck!

 

[havaneselover]

Check your local craigslist .org

JMO, but I'd be leery of buying off Craigslist.

 

[dawnhaze]

If you have an Apple Store nearby, they replace water-damaged and other out-of-warranty but total-loss phones for a flat fee at the Genius Bar. I think it was $269 last time I checked. I stopped working for them last year so IDK if the price has changed, though.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

I take it you are asking for without contract because you are not eligible for an upgrade? When faced with a similar situation, we found the best thing to do was to trade in the broken phone for a new one at the Apple store. It's not the same price as buying the phone outright.

 

[rock_doctor]

Put it into a bad of rice for a week or two and try again. Imho the best plan out there now (it is a contract plan) is Sprints. $50 a month for unlimited everything. It is just for the iPhone. How about just swapping the phone on your existing plan. If you get a new one off ebay and tell them yours died and you want to swap. It is better then walking away and them having to chase you down for the termination fees. don't know...

 

[havaneselover]

Put it into a bad of rice for a week or two and try again. Imho the best plan out there now (it is a contract plan) is Sprints. $50 a month for unlimited everything. It is just for the iPhone. How about just swapping the phone on your existing plan. If you get a new one off ebay and tell them yours died and you want to swap. It is better then walking away and them having to chase you down for the termination fees. don't know...

I'm currently intrigued by boost mobile (sprint's no contract service). I like straight talk but for $35/month it seems like a good value (only 1gb of data). And I can get an iPhone 6 for $549 + a $50 credit. Meanwhile my inherited iphone 4 is limping along

 

[supersnoop]

If she's not eligible for an upgrade, she's probably still locked into a contract and switching isn't an option without paying an early termination fee. The best idea is to take it to an Apple Store and see if they can swap or trade it for a refurbished phone at a discount.

 

[MillauFr]

Virgin Mobile is $33 per month for unlimited texting and data. We just bought a phone at Radio Shack.

 

[DawnM]

OP, you are in a contract but not eligible for an upgrade at this time? Am I reading that correctly?

I bought 2 used phones. I bought an iPhone 5 for me off of CL about a year ago for $300. It was used only a couple of weeks before she decided she wanted an Android. It is in perfect condition now and holds a charge well.

I also bought a Samsung Galaxy 3 for my son. I bought that one from my local mom's group sales sight. I think I paid $200 about a year ago. I can't remember exactly.

Dawn

 

[aprilgail2]

I have bought phones from Craigs List and also Ebay in years past but I now use facebook, there are groups out there like Long Island Buy and Sell and other groups local to me but I am sure there are groups like that for every area, people selling used phones all the time on there. I bought an Iphone 5S with cracked front and back screens for 100.00, my friend replaced them for me for 50 bucks so for 150.00 I had a new phone.

 

[havaneselover]

I have bought phones from Craigs List and also Ebay in years past but I now use facebook, there are groups out there like Long Island Buy and Sell and other groups local to me but I am sure there are groups like that for every area, people selling used phones all the time on there. I bought an Iphone 5S with cracked front and back screens for 100.00, my friend replaced them for me for 50 bucks so for 150.00 I had a new phone.

My reluctance to use cl is anecdotal. My ex bought an iPhone 4s from a very shady guy who was sweating and shaking during the transaction. It worked, but still. That's why I recommended swappa but Facebook is another good option.

 

[tinatark]

Craigslist. We bought one for $250, I think. Met the seller at at AT&T (our provider) store to complete the transaction.

 

[zoemurr]

Buy used on Swappa. You'll be out $300-350. I'm close to buying a 5s to use on Straight Talk. I would personally only buy from users with a lot of positive reviews.

sorry to hijack.. but I really want to do this. I saw a used 5s on a FB site I use for a good price. Is there anything I need to know about it to be able to use it on ST? Thanks!

 

[havaneselover]

sorry to hijack.. but I really want to do this. I saw a used 5s on a FB site I use for a good price. Is there anything I need to know about it to be able to use it on ST? Thanks!

I think it's pretty straight forward. I have a 4 on st now (used to be my sister's). It used to have to be AT&T or tmobile but I think verizon iPhones work too (higher than a 4 which has no SIM card). Just have to get the right sim from st. It took me a while to get iMessage to work but overall it was pretty easy. I've used st for almost two years with no complaints.

 

[zoemurr]

I think it's pretty straight forward. I have a 4 on st now (used to be my sister's). It used to have to be AT&T or tmobile but I think verizon iPhones work too (higher than a 4 which has no SIM card). Just have to get the right sim from st. It took me a while to get iMessage to work but overall it was pretty easy. I've used st for almost two years with no complaints.

Thanks. For some reason I thought it couldn't be an AT&T phone? So any 5c as long as it works well and is off contract is ok? Does it need to be "unlocked"? (whatever that means..)

 

[havaneselover]

Thanks. For some reason I thought it couldn't be an AT&T phone? So any 5c as long as it works well and is off contract is ok? Does it need to be "unlocked"? (whatever that means..)

AT&T definitely works. From what I can tell it doesn't need to be unlocked. I'm
Not sure whether or not mine was. There is a place on the website where you can check for compatibility but I believe the answer is yes.