Buying an iPhone 6S for the parents
 

Is there anything I should be checking when purchasing a new or bnib iphone from someone off CL? I haven't done this, and I want to buy my dad a new phone but don't want to pay $$$$$ for brand new one from Apple.

If it's new (but not sealed), I can throw a Rogers SIM card into the phone to test it (make phone calls/text), and that should be enough, right?

If it's BNIB, I would assume the seller would let me open/test it right there on the spot to check to see that it works, as long as we agreed on the price beforehand.

Anything else I should be looking into? Been an android/bb guy all my life...

buy one off a rs member for safer deals
quick look into the cell forum found this
https://www.revscene.net/forums/7113...gb-%24700.html

There's always a risk buying new or used phone from CL.

The seller can always claim "stolen" or "lost" and then your phone will be blacklisted.
They can do this even months after selling the phone to you.

Better off buying off RS member. If anything happens you can email their dean or somthing

DO NOT BUY FROM CL. What happens some ppl would sign a contract purchase insurance for the phone. Sell it on CL. Claims it was stolen, they get new phone back from insurance and the phone you purchase get blacklist basically you can't use it in North American. It usually takes a few months for any phone to be blacklisted once it is reported stone. So you can't tell right away.

Or some Cl sales will only sell the phone. Now they might want to keep the accessories or it could be stolen since usually ppl sell their phones with accessories.

Another case which happens to a friend of mine. He purchase a pretty much brand new phone. But the person who sold him the phone sign a contract with a provider and left the country. Didn't pay his bill so the carrier requested the phone to be blacklisted. I knwo this becasue I have heard from other ppl a lot of international students do this when they are about to go back to their home country. I mean why not right. Is not like they are coming back so mind as well made some money.

That's why if you do plan to buy a 2nd phone I would suggest buying from RS member. Check how long they been active on the fourms, check their reviews to see if they sold anything and their feedback. I have a few phones that I have and they are not in used. Really wanted to sell them but is not easy selling them.

Pay the premium and get it from a store.

And you can't get BNIB phones on RS's classifieds.

:speechless:

i personally wouldn't touch anything off CL for a phone

though my dad did buy his iphone from the DTES street market and it's still good almost 2 years later :lawl:

Everytime I buy a phone off CL I ask the seller if they are comfortable with me taking a picture of their ID and I would allow them to do the same vice versa. Usually they understand and its cool and offers security for everyone involved

Last time I bought a phone off craigslist it was reported stolen and bricked (cannot make call) after 2 months.

Buy from people you know or go to the store. Too much hassle to save a few bucks.

Somewhat related to the cautions people are talking about in this thread.

Take a read, but note the date of the original post (2010.)
https://www.revscene.net/forums/6043...ed-phones.html

If BNIB is a requirement, please buy it new from the store. The suggestion of buying from a reputable RS member is advised as well.

just curious; how come BNIB phones aren't allowed to be sold on RS?

i understand the stolen aspect but is that the only reason?

Also buying 6s and 6s+ beware of the battery issues some have had especially with the earlier ones. Some are eligible for battery replacement but have heard some with similar issues not eligible.

I have bought 2 phones from CL. They were both fine and worked for years. The seller never blacklisted or reported it stolen. Just gotta choose carefully. Met up with one of the sellers at the vpd station on cambie, he was cool with meeting there.

I honestly think it's worth the extra few $ hundred for the peace of mind to get it brand new in store. It's also for your parents, I'm sure they will take care of it and use it for a long time. Last thing you want is a bricked useless paper weight from CL.

If money is an issue and you have some USD.. Apple down in the States sells refurbs, also stores like Walmart etc do so too.

If I am a seller selling a genuine sealed phone... what kind of guarantee would I get letting you open a sealed package and for you to back out?

Maybe u can try eb games or a pawn shop, they might not have the best deals but at least they store u go back to if something happens

Which is an alternative compare to cl

#1 i suggest for iphones, meet up at an apple store... have the techs at the genius bar do a check for hardware/software issues... if it all checks out and no red flags by an authorized tech, then pay for the phone and any extra charges for the techs to look over the phone..

If the seller refuse, Move on...

I can't remember the reason 100% correctly, but I recall it was because people were selling phones BNIB and asking for an insane amount of money in hopes to make people pay over retail price. People were taking advantage of this and the classifieds got out of control.

I could be wrong. I hope someone can chime in with the exact details.