Sellers Of Overstock, Refurbished, Used iPhones: Any Stand-Outs?

[ITGeek]

Hi There,

As my .sig notes: Possible refugee from the Android ecosystem. My wife and I obtained a pair of 9.7" iPads and we're kind of liking them. (Actually, we really like them. We're just having "adjustment issues" .)

Brand-spanking-new iPhone 7s, at circa $700/ea., are not in the cards. But, overstock/refurbished/used iPhone 6S', at closer to ±$300, might be do-able. (We buy unlocked phones, outright, always.)

So, question is: Other than Amazon or eBay: Does the forum have favourite/trusted sellers of such things that anybody'd care to recommend?

Thanks!

 

[J. A.]

We've often had members who purchased a used iPhone on ebay and then had to notice they devices were still connected to the previous owner's iCloud ID.

Apple (USA) sells certified refurbished iPhones. Here's the website link:
Refurbished iPhone

They come with the warranty you get when you buy a new one (1 year). Apple changes the outer shell, and the battery before selling them.

 

[ITGeek]

We've often had members who purchased a used iPhone on ebay and then had to notice they devices were still connected to the previous owner's iCloud ID.

Which, I presume, makes them unusable by the new owner?

Apple (USA) sells certified refurbished iPhones. Here's the website link:
Refurbished iPhone

Thanks for the pointer. Had already been here, though. $450 ain't gonna fly with the family CFO and, TBH, that's not something I'm inclined to argue. (One reason not the least of which being because it's an argument I cannot win. Part of the reason for that being because I couldn't argue the case in the least bit convincingly.)

 

[J. A.]

Which, I presume, makes them unusable by the new owner?...

Exactly. An iDevice locked by iCloud's Activation Lock is nothing else but an expensive brick.

 

[hiphiphooray]

I've bought a few electronic devices from eBay and I always make sure to check for collection only items. If you're willing to travel 20-30 miles you can often save a ton of money.

 

[ITGeek]

I've so far had good luck buying electronics off eBay. Save one $20 graphics card that never showed up. (Seller offered a refund--I neglected to follow-up, so that was on me.)

I've had electronics show up DOA, sent them back, got refunds. (A couple times.) One time the seller wrote back "I trust you. Don't bother sending it back. I have no need for a broken <whatever it was>" and simply refunded me. One item was functional, but, not in the cosmetic condition advertised. Got a partial refund w/no hassle. Our first two smartphones, HTC Sensations, were from eBay: One brand new, the other used, but, in "like new" condition.

I don't know... maybe I'll hold out for Apple-refurbished devices, but... $900 for a pair of phones... that's a lot of money for us

 

[ITGeek]

Well, decided to double-roll the dice: Purchased an iPhone 6S, and from an eBay seller. It's a new 16GB "Space Gray" model, "open box." Still got the protective plastic on the phone. Comes with wall-wart, Lightning cable and earbuds. The earbuds aren't the original ones that came with the phone, but, they're new & unopened, as well. The seller will take it back, and pay for the shipping, for any reason, and the seller has a 99.7% Positive approval rating. $360, shipped USPS Priority Mail.

All that was a deal too good to let get by me

Only downside: Probably no warranty.

Wish me luck

 

[scifan57]

Well, decided to double-roll the dice: Purchased an iPhone 6S, and from an eBay seller. It's a new 16GB "Space Gray" model, "open box." Still got the protective plastic on the phone. Comes with wall-wart, Lightning cable and earbuds. The earbuds aren't the original ones that came with the phone, but, they're new & unopened, as well. The seller will take it back, and pay for the shipping, for any reason, and the seller has a 99.7% Positive approval rating. $360, shipped USPS Priority Mail.

All that was a deal too good to let get by me

Only downside: Probably no warranty.

Wish me luck

When you receive the iPhone, you can check the warranty status on the Apple website.
Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support

 

[zstairlessone]

Score!!! [emoji106][emoji106]

 

[ITGeek]

Score!!! [emoji106][emoji106]

Well, let us hope so

 

[ITGeek]

Woo hoo! Updated tracking: My iPhone 6S is now scheduled to arrive today--a day early!

 

[ITGeek]

Status update

The phone does indeed look, to all intents and purposes, like a brand new, unused device. Went over it, visually, with a fine-toothed comb. My wife did the same. Zero cosmetic issues. (There is one small cosmetic flaw at the very edge of the screen, near the wake/sleep button, that you can only see under just the right light at just the right angle. Looks like it may be a manufacturing thing.) Everything works. T-Mobile had no trouble provisioning it. I did check the warranty, and it's expired. The accessories are all brand-new, near as I can tell.

Operation...

Well, still getting the hang of transitioning from Android, but, one thing that works better than Google Now ever did is Siri, with my car's speakerphone. It was wonky and erratic with GN. Works flawlessly with the iPhone and Siri.

I had to wipe and re-initialize it, to get the "restore from iCloud" (the guy at the store provisioned it not realizing I'd already an Apple ID.) None of my email configs came over, other than iCloud. Don't know if that's normal.

My BT earpiece paired and worked flawlessly, too. I'll see how it works with my Asus ZenWatch2 this evening. If it works well, I'll keep the ZenWatch2. If not: eBay, I guess. After a few weeks that's where my six-month-old Android phone's going.

So, so far: I'm pleased with how this is all going