Where to buy used phones...?

[Obice]

Hey,

I'm wondering of where I might find some used phones, particularly aging flagships.

I know about Kijiji, eBay, Amazon, Staples and Best Buy but I'd like to avoid these if I can.

[Obice]

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

[JackQuint]

Check out the Mobile Base. They're in Vancouver but ship nationwide. really good retailer with the best prices I've seen on most of their product.

However, their product is a bit older (eg. iPhone 7 and older, Pixel 2 and older).

[darlicious]

Well sarcasm won't get you a phone. If you live in Vancouver I can offer you some excellent local retailers selling used, reconditioned or new phones at great prices. Of course if you live in the rest of Canada I can't help you. If you've read any of my posts you might have learned I like to save people money...but maybe not you.

[geopublic]

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@Obice wrote:

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@geopublic wrote:

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@Obice wrote:

Hey,

I'm wondering of where I might find some used phones, particularly aging flagships.

I know about Kijiji, eBay, Amazon, Staples and Best Buy but I'd like to avoid these if I can.

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@Obice

 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/used-mobile-devices/ci/27595/N/3801316913

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I seen that website before, interesting, isn't it coming out of the USA though?

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@Obice  They deliver to Canada free shipping plus you can prepay for duties. They will also provide warranty and accept returns for DOA items. Item condition 9 means almost new.

[Obice]

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@darlicious wrote:

Where do you live?

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Canada...

[darlicious]

Where do you live?

[Obice]

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@geopublic wrote:

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@Obice wrote:

Hey,

I'm wondering of where I might find some used phones, particularly aging flagships.

I know about Kijiji, eBay, Amazon, Staples and Best Buy but I'd like to avoid these if I can.

---

@Obice

 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/used-mobile-devices/ci/27595/N/3801316913

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I seen that website before, interesting, isn't it coming out of the USA though?

[geopublic]

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@Obice wrote:

Hey,

I'm wondering of where I might find some used phones, particularly aging flagships.

I know about Kijiji, eBay, Amazon, Staples and Best Buy but I'd like to avoid these if I can.

---

@Obice

 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/used-mobile-devices/ci/27595/N/3801316913

[Obice]

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@GinYVR wrote:

@ObiceApple is actually rolling out a genuine parts program to 3rd party repairers https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/29/apple-verify-third-party-repair/

The chemistry in some of the replacement batteries are often suspects.. if you think 90 days warranties are bad, there are ones that can fail in a few weeks.

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I know they are rolling that out, doesn't mean it's trustworthy. Come on, this is Apple we're talking about, and I'd call out Samsung as another big brand if I knew of any shady business practices they were doing, too.

My point is is that a warranty implies the longevity of a device, so if it's 30 days, the device is likely to fail some time around that, 90 days, same thing, 1 year... same thing.

[GinYVR]

@ObiceApple is actually rolling out a genuine parts program to 3rd party repairers https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/29/apple-verify-third-party-repair/

The chemistry in some of the replacement batteries are often suspects especially places that offers to replace batteries for $20 bucks.. if you think 90 days warranties are bad, there are ones that can fail in a few weeks.

[Obice]

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@GinYVR wrote:

@kselmakWith iPhones it is quite important to see what the maximum percentage of the battery health is. I don't think getorchard shows that, and it varies depending on the phone's original owner and usage pattern.

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If Apple goes through with their software manipulation tactic then it's fair to say that the once important battery health reader will become quite irrelevant to most and also confusing to the majority.

For those unaware of the fact, Apple plans to or is already enforcing (not sure) to make the battery health reader show any replaced batteries as in "bad health" to force you to go to the Apple store rather than a third party.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlvlgmjMi98

[GinYVR]

@kselmakWith iPhones it is quite important to see what the maximum percentage of the battery health is. I don't think getorchard shows that, and it varies depending on the phone's original owner and usage pattern.

[kselmak]

At some point pm was promoting or pointing the customers at https://www.getorchard.com/

Anybody tried them out?

[GinYVR]

@ObiceWith private sales you have worry about the phone that is being sold is actually being financed.. and the seller might lapse on their payment. When that happens the phone will be black listed (in North America) and you are SOL in the eyes of the carriers because you are not the original purchaser.

If you want deals with phone, wait till Bestbuy / Walmart have their $200 gift certificates (they were over just a few days ago) and get whatever phone Koodo is offering on small tab for $0 (they had iPhone 8, Pixel etc). The extra $10 you pay for Koodo service vs Public Mobile over the 24 months (- the value of the gift certificate) is the cost of your phone.

As with any electronics, always try to pay with a credit card that doubles the warranty. The extra warranty is actually a pro rated.. ie you get a quote on the repair, if it is too much vs the purchase price, they just refund you.

[kselmak]

I'm eyeing these Umidigi phones

[Obice]

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@will13am wrote:

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@Obice wrote:

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@will13am wrote:

@Obice, what is your budget, needs/wants?  Unless you are trying to get a used iPhone to save some money, there is no reason a new android cannot be obtained at a reasonable price. 

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1080p OLED display (preferably), 5.5 inch or bigger screen, down-firing speaker or stereo speakers

I am looking to spend $200 at the most and since that's pretty much "nothing" nowadays... $300 is the utmost.

I'd prefer android over iOS and for the price I'm willing to pay android would be more feasible.

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I can tell you that you are not likely to find the phone that you want for the price you are willing to pay no matter where you search.  OLED screens are more expensive that LCD and this is reflected in the phone price.  Stereo speakers is not a standard feature, it is viewed as a premium feature.  By the time the used market brings phone cost down to $200, the thing is well worn and not worth getting at any price.  You need to recalibrate either the wish list or the pricing. 

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I could always just buy a Note 3 and have an OLED 1080p display, down-firing speaker, but it's an old phone that's quite slow, so I "have" to find something newer.

[Obice]

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@dna2016 wrote:

@Obice is there a reason why you want to avoid these places.  I've bought some good phones at very good prices through Best Buy marketplace (not the best buy retailer), brand new under $400 and under $300.  There's also Facebook marketplace as well.  I think it all depends on your budget.  If you're looking for something really inexpensive then you could always go to 7-Eleven.  They have new phones under $200, even under $100.  All the phones they sell are unlocked phones, bought a couple for my parents when they had a sale.  Walmart Mobile also has phone sales at times, considering it's back to school I'm sure they'll have some deals right now, but those deals tend to be attached to contracts.  I know you said you're looking for used, but nowadays you can get brand new phones (which will have a 1 year warranty as well) for not that much more than a used phone (which is a buy as is sale), unless you're looking for some high end used Iphone or something.

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I want to avoid these places because with the exception of maybe Kijiji, they are all corporate, highly-cost inflated places to go. They sell items to people that aren't meant to last and then the buyer has to come back to buy another or they gotta spend more money to buy something that'll last longer but is also not designed to last.

If you notice, each phone has a warranty of about 30 to 90 days, that means that if it is refurbished that the refurbished parts are likely to break around the 30 to 90 day mark and then as mentioned above you're forced to buy again.

No thanks.

[dna2016]

@Obice  I've bought brand new phones through Best Buy Marketplace that were brand new and not on a contract, just gotta filter as best you can to find them.  There's Best Buy marketplace phones and then there's Best Buy phones.  Marketplace will have more used than new and are not attached to any type of service contract.  If you don;t go to Marketplace and just look at the Best Buy phones, then you'll be looking at phones attached to a contract.  Also keep in mind, based on my experiences in the Best Buy Marketplace there were very few new phones, mostly used, refurbished, but I was able to find the rare brand new phone.

[will13am]

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@Obice wrote:

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@will13am wrote:

@Obice, what is your budget, needs/wants?  Unless you are trying to get a used iPhone to save some money, there is no reason a new android cannot be obtained at a reasonable price. 

---

1080p OLED display (preferably), 5.5 inch or bigger screen, down-firing speaker or stereo speakers

I am looking to spend $200 at the most and since that's pretty much "nothing" nowadays... $300 is the utmost.

I'd prefer android over iOS and for the price I'm willing to pay android would be more feasible.

---

I can tell you that you are not likely to find the phone that you want for the price you are willing to pay no matter where you search.  OLED screens are more expensive that LCD and this is reflected in the phone price.  Stereo speakers is not a standard feature, it is viewed as a premium feature.  By the time the used market brings phone cost down to $200, the thing is well worn and not worth getting at any price.  You need to recalibrate either the wish list or the pricing. 

[dna2016]

@Obice is there a reason why you want to avoid these places.  I've bought some good phones at very good prices through Best Buy marketplace (not the best buy retailer), brand new under $400 and under $300.  There's also Facebook marketplace as well.  I think it all depends on your budget.  If you're looking for something really inexpensive then you could always go to 7-Eleven.  They have new phones under $200, even under $100.  All the phones they sell are unlocked phones, bought a couple for my parents when they had a sale.  Walmart Mobile also has phone sales at times, considering it's back to school I'm sure they'll have some deals right now, but those deals tend to be attached to contracts.  I know you said you're looking for used, but nowadays you can get brand new phones (which will have a 1 year warranty as well) for not that much more than a used phone (which is a buy as is sale), unless you're looking for some high end used Iphone or something.

[Dunkman]

@Obice 

Xiaomi brand of phones are fairly popular witht the budget conscious consumer.  Ali Express has several ones.  

This popular RFD thread has one presently, but outside your budget range:

https://forums.redflagdeals.com/aliexpress-xiaomi-mi-9t-400-64gb-420-128gb-big-price-drop-2294490/

If you are a member, Costco also sells unlocked phones.  Sometimes can get a fairly good deal when Costco is clearing some out.  

https://forums.redflagdeals.com/costco-moto-g6-play-149-99-2309137/

[Obice]

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@will13am wrote:

@Obice, what is your budget, needs/wants?  Unless you are trying to get a used iPhone to save some money, there is no reason a new android cannot be obtained at a reasonable price. 

---

1080p OLED display (preferably), 5.5 inch or bigger screen, down-firing speaker or stereo speakers

I am looking to spend $200 at the most and since that's pretty much "nothing" nowadays... $300 is the utmost.

I'd prefer android over iOS and for the price I'm willing to pay android would be more feasible.

[will13am]

@Obice, what is your budget, needs/wants?  Unless you are trying to get a used iPhone to save some money, there is no reason a new android cannot be obtained at a reasonable price. 

[Obice]

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@pcouturier wrote:

Bestbuy does have phones that are not attached to a contract...a friend brought his there.

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Right... I was looking at the wrong section of the site... and the phones you get upfront are.

[pcouturier]

Bestbuy does have phones that are not attached to a contract...a friend brought his there.

[Obice]

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@pcouturier wrote:

Facebook Marketplace, just make sure to test the phone to make sure it works correctly and in good condition.

Also, bestbuy website seems to have good deals on cellphones.

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I see.

I don't agree with Best Buy, the website only shows leased smartphones and I have no interest in going into a contract -- kinda why I'm here (on PM).

Facebook Marketplace is a no-go as I do not have Facebook.

[pcouturier]

Facebook Marketplace, just make sure to test the phone to make sure it works correctly and in good condition.

Also, bestbuy website seems to have good deals on cellphones.