what about if I purchase a phone online like ebay or amazon? How does that work then?

It would work like any phone you buy from anybody.

As for telus, you probably have to activate the phone with them. I've never been with telus before, only using their prepaid plans.

This page has all the carriers listed in every country that are participatingin the national blacklist.

Some error with the page, but you can still use the drop down box.

Then you have a recourse to claim it through ebay / paypal AS LONG AS the seller bails on his / her bill within the claim time (I think 30 days?). I suppose if you buy Squaretrade then you are covered longer.

It depends on the phone honestly.. with Android phones the price of a phone drops by half a few months after it came out! Look at Moto G and X!

I am never buying a phone off Craigslist ever again! Too many scammers .. My friend purchased a brand new sealed iPhone that ended up having rocks inside to give it weight..

Your friend should have opened the box to see if everything was there. I even do that when I buy electronics from the big box store in front of the cashier to make sure I don't get clay or actual bricks.
Posted via RS Mobile

This thread should be changed to "Buy anything off CL at your own risk..."

Cars
Audio
Phones
Ipods
EVERYTHING.

hookers

With proper research (perb), hookers can be pretty reliable.
Posted via RS Mobile

Had a customer come into my store a few days ago inquiring about why his Galaxy S3 was not working with a rogers SIM card.

Turns out it was bought used for $300 and it was blacklisted :feelsbadman:

Why people dont thoroughly test electronics before handing over cash is beyond me..

As mention... the seller could have called it in weeks after selling the phone to you and try to get the phone back saying the buyer stole it..


I think the best step is:
before meeting the person, write a quick doc with something like

Date:
Name of Seller:
Some ID # (like drivers license or something)
Name of Buyer:
Some ID # (like drivers license or something)
Device/Item:

Signature of seller
Signature of buyer


Have 2 copies ready.. before showing this, make you check the IMEI first before actually inspecting the phone.. if it doesnt pass IMEI, why check out the phone.. then make sure when you buy a device, make it it comes with ORIGINAL accessories... its its only a phone, chanced are the seller stole it and the original owner didnt report it it...
If its something I would eventually sell, I ALWAYS keep my original box and all the accessories I know I wont use in the box and store it in my closet...

if everything is all good.. pull out the paperwork... this way if the seller is an ass and reports its lost/stolen, you have proof... If the seller doesnt want to fill out the paper, then something might be wrong and best to walk away...

That's an idea in theory, but it will never work. Who would be willing to supply that sort of info to sell a phone?

Along with that, not everybody buys a phone with the intent to sell it later on down the road. Most people just see a phone as a phone and not a partial future investment towards another purchase.

then I would rather not buy a phone then having to risk losing $300+

DL# doesnt really mean much to anyone anyways... its not like a SIN card which I would never give out.. haha

I think buying/selling ANYTHING on CL used or new is a risk in the first place.
If you can't take the risk spend a bit more on a brand new one from the stores.
Much more expensive, but no risk!

Plus, it is going to be hard to get them to give you a DL# or even to sign a paper.

I had a seller gave me his business card, maybe that would work better?
If anything happens, you can go talk to their boss/company!

then like I said, I would rather not buy... call me paranoid but I would rather not buy something that seems like a good deal...

there are some stuff that you dont these precaution and some stuff that is better... after hearing all these horror stories about cell phones, I rather take up all these precautions then loose my money after a month or 2...

I think we are at a point where some guarantees are needed. Buying selling used phones isnt the same anymore.

Sold my GS3 recently, and offered the guy my business card and to cross check it with my DL. I think if someone is willing to do that for you, it reduces the likelihood of black listing.

had a guy wanted to check my DL for a $100 video games + accessory when we were to meet up :suspicious:

didn't actually go down that way once it was in-person...you can usually just tell by prior communications and the way they dress/interact

The thing is for bill arrears blacklisting, that can happen several months down the line. The phone can work just fine during transaction, but it usually take cell companies a few months to blacklist phones that is due to non payment. In the end, it is like taking over a car lease without checking things out.

From what I noticed, it is usually the younger crowd who are nearly done with their student visa and have nothing to loose that do it. Still a hassle and it is the prime demographics for these wireless gadgets.

I think if people want to be safe and want to get phones off CL, get only factory unlocked iphones and meet up at Apple store; even that has risks.

What if the seller was the 2nd owner, or maybe even 3rd owner? Or the phone was stolen, sold to a buyer, and that buyer (who didn't know it was stolen), sold it to you?

I think getting their information is only good if the seller was the original owner of the phone.

111

If the first owner got the phone as part of a plan (ie a lease) and the first owner lapsed on it.. basically the rest of the chain is SOL.

It is up to you to check the IMEI is blacklisted or not, the chances are for stolen phones it is really quick to get blacklisted.. so chances are the seller who sold it to you is the thief.. there is just not enough time for another transaction.

In cases like this just ignore them. I hate when people beg for price reductions. READ THE FUCKING AD!
Posted via RS Mobile

just sold my s3 last week when i picked up the s4 and when i showed up the guy was "short $10" usually im a bit of a dick and ill just walk away, but i know selling electronics is a pain so i just let it slide, but now if anything goes wrong fck him, that $10 can go towards fixing it lol

should have kept the battery

I've had t his happen to me. I never let it slide. I just start packing up then they magically find the extra money.

Same here. If we agree on a price I expect to get that much. If you don't have enough then you get to a bank or buy it from someone else.