Buying an open box phone on eBay

Discussion in 'Geek Cave: Computers, Tablets, HT, Phones, Games' started by rhythmdevils, May 23, 2020.

  1. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Thought I’d see if you have any thoughts. They could be a great deal if they’re new just open box. Or a pretty bad deal if they’re a demo or show unit that got manhandled everyday all day by people who didn’t care about damaging them. Most eBay sellers sell these open box phones in bulk and can’t tell you their history.

    I’m thinking the only safe way to go is to either find one with 100% battery health meaning it’s never been used (they advertise this if it’s the case). Or find one that is “new open box” Possibly by avoiding big sellers.

    the retail value on actual new previously owned phones is just way too high.

    The iPhone 8 Plus sells for 500 or more new on eBay and it’s what...3 years old?
     
  2. squishware

    squishware Friend

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    From my limited research the problem (with Androids) is sometimes you cannot get a carrier to provide service on certain specific phones. If it one has been shut off for non-payment that phone is dead to the carrier no matter what. I do not know about Apple.

    I did buy my second VG40 (used on ebay from a liquidator) for a dedicated source on my junior system. It was used and had a few scratches on the screen. I did not need to put service on it so the risk was slim.

    I spent a weekend reading reviews of sellers and reading between the lines and finding patterns. Good Luck!
     
  3. FallingObjects

    FallingObjects Pay It Forward

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    I'd be wary of it being reported as stolen/lost as well. It's probably worthwhile to see if you can get the IMEI info from the seller as well and check if it's on a blacklist for your region.
     
  4. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    I buy all my phones on ebay. Not iphones though. You just have to do some research and read feedback and pay attention to adjusted feedback, that little number that indicates how many folks left bad feedback that eventually changed it. That is a red flag!

    Last few phones, LG G7, LG v30, LG v20, LG v10, all bought on ebay used from companies or individuals that rated the condition. No issues at all with unclear EISN that cannot be activated. If in doubt get the numbers from the seller and look them up, lots of tools on the net.

    And even if you do get a bad one like I did wheee the screen was way worse than described, take lots pf pics. Getting a refund is not a problem on ebay.

    I am sure there are some big resellers of apples refurbed iphones since they do not sell them on the apple refurb site.

    As for iphone pricing being high, why buy an iphone in the first place, crappy batteries, mediocre sound, oh but they have cameras that are good and you can put little ears on pics and stuff. Just kidding, I know lots of folks have good reasons for buying Apple stuff. :p
     
  5. RedFuneral

    RedFuneral Facebook Friend

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    Agree with the above. Make sure to try & activate it before the return window closes as a lot of these eBay phones are marked as lost/stolen.

    Happened with me a few years back where my old phone died just before I needed to go on a trip. I rush shipped an eBay phone from a high-feedback company and headed over to Verizon. It was marked stolen and they refused to activate it. In an interesting twist of fate they had the next model up which had looked over twice the price on the website, I ended up with that and it ended up costing the same as the eBay phone(broken down over 24 months) due to various discounts. It pays to check in with your carrier for active deals which may equalize the price between them & random internet phones.
     
  6. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    This one happpens to be for another purpose and I won’t likely use it as a phone. But this is all great advice regardless.

    For phones I use I usually just inherit from a family member who gets a new iPhone every time they make a new model because his work pays for it. I don’t mind being one generation behind. Especially these days WTF else do we really need. It’s all about improving iOS now.

    anyways.
     
  7. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    I even buy open box laptops and MacBooks on eBay. They are a gamble, but eBay always sides with the buyer if you can take photos of the issue, so... there's that. It's mostly just the hassle of having to box everything up and send back that's preventing me from using eBay more these days.

    But that goes for pretty much any online retailers.

    I've started to buy things new that I know I won't regret purchasing even 2-3 years later. For instance, I still use my iPhone XS now after 2 years. Still a phenomenal phone. I didn't give a damn about the iPhone 11 at all.

    I did get suckered into buying a 16" MacBook, though, but... that's just a fanboi speaking. Strictly serious: I'd say buy it and leave about 50% of your mind open to potential issues and a bit of back-and-forth with the seller before an eventual return.
     
  8. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Give Swappa a try. They have various verifications and protections and many times a great deal. I got a mint Note 4 a few years ago for several hundred off retail.
     
  9. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    I wound up buying an “open box” iPhone which I asked the seller about. Turns out it was used for 3 months until he could get a new one. So it’s not new but it’s also not a floor model and I feel pretty happy about that. 3 months is nothing even if it’s not technically open box. Fingers crossed.
     
  10. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Is there any advice out there about “cleaning” / wiping previous data from a used phone/computer etc to make sure there’s no CIA spyware or even just weird issues still loaded on the device?

    Is the standard reset > “delete data and settings” for iPhone good enough? Planning on doing that twice.

    surprisingly I couldn’t find anything on the internet about safely cleaning used phones. Maybe I’m just paranoid.
     
  11. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    You can restore the phone from iTunes.

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201252
     
  12. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    Is that enough go wipe everything?

    I’ve read that to permanently delete something you have to delete it then write over it possibly multiple times. That’s why I’m planning on erasing everything twice.
     
  13. fastfwd

    fastfwd Friend

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    Not if the phone is jailbroken. To make sure that it isn't, follow the directions here under "If your device turns on but gets stuck during start up" to put the phone into recovery mode and reinstall the latest iOS: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201412
    That's for something else: deleting your own secret data from an obsolete-technology magnetic hard drive to prevent even a sophisticated adversary with specialized equipment from recovering it. It doesn't apply to this case.
     
  14. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    If the device is encrypted (like an iPhone would typically be) then to erase the data they don’t try to obliterate the data from the flash but instead change the private key, without that any data that had been stored on the phone is worthless.
     
  15. rhythmdevils

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    I got the iPhone 8 Plus and well it shouldn’t have been advertised as new open box that’s for sure. Scratches on a corner and around the protruding camera. Not a big deal but what concerns me is that the battery health is at 85%.

    is that what you would expect from aging alone or does it mean the phone was actually used more than 3 months? (As I was told upon inquiring)

    I was expecting close to 100% battery health.
     
  16. haywood

    haywood Friend

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    The definition of open-box on eBay is pretty sketchy, I wouldn’t expect it to be as new which is the original concept. Your best bet is to buy from private sellers (or anyone I guess) that shows the actual device in photos so you can see the condition for yourself.

    Anyway the battery health is pretty low for three months of service but I suppose it’s possible. Check if there’s any warranty left, if it was only used for three months it should still have some. It’s possible to check the charge count but you need to use a Mac or PC program to do it. If it’s >> 90 then it was likely used for more than three months.
     
  17. rhythmdevils

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    Open box certainly is sketchy. Since loooking I’ve seen a lot of variance in the use of the term. The way it’s actually used it basically just means the item is being sold with the original box.

    I contacted an excellent local MAC repair shop ( so many times the apple store has told me something is not fixable, I take it there and they fix it while I wait and it costs less than expected)

    they said 85% battery health on a brand new iPhone 8 Plus was too low. So I’m going to return it. Going to buy an actual brand new one from the USA. And shell out an extra 150$. But that’s how it goes.

    Just thought I’d update the thread. Hopefully this has been useful or insightful for others.
     
    Last edited: Jun 16, 2020
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I bought an open box Pixel phone on ebay. Everything worked great... except the GPS was flakey. I am thinking that many of these phones are returns, some with intermittent defects, that someone bought from a store in bulk.
     
  19. haywood

    haywood Friend

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