A Guide to Buying an iPhone on eBay Easily and Safely
By Drew Clarke
Purchasing an iPhone is an investment, one that will benefit your ability to communicate with friends, family and clients, finding a place to eat, getting accurate directions turn-by-turn to your destination and even making restaurant reservations. The iPhone has changed how we communicate with each other and gain knowledge on a daily basis more so then any other device in history. It's put power in our hands unlike any other device in history. Getting your iPhone can be a different story.
Apple & ATT really only have two ways to get an iPhone, from one of their stores in person or from one of their online stores. There is a serious advantage to buying from a reseller; substantial savings coupled with lack of contract, or contract extension. So where to go? eBay of coarse.
Purchasing an iPhone on eBay can be pretty straight forward, but there are a few key things to look for.
� Look for a seller that is based in the USA
� Check their feedback, look for any signs the account may have been hijacked
� Ask questions prior to buying regarding shipping, tracking, etc.
� Is it new or refurbished?
� Where did the refurbished model come from?
� Is the iPhone still within the warranty period? If so, for how much longer?
� What version of software is installed?
Assume most eBay sellers have the best of intentions in mind, but there are a few bad apples, no pun intended. There are also often promo codes run from different search engine providers or PayPal that could save you as much as $50 on your phone purchase by simply looking for a coupon code. Speaking of, always pay via PayPal because the buyers' protection plan it offers.
Whether you choose to bid on an iPhone in an auction or pursue the buy it now options, also pay attention to the shipping price. Some sellers list their items lower then their competition but bloat the shipping to help cover their costs of listing, consider the total price you pay.
Your choice for iPhones will generally fall into one of three categories:
� New and locked to ATT
� Used and locked to ATT
� New / Used and unlocked.
New ATT phones mean that once it arrives, you need to contact ATT to get the phone setup properly and be understanding that your phone is tied into their service. A used ATT phone is the same, however it may have never been properly unregistered to the previous owner and can often lead to be a wait in line at your local ATT or Apple store to get this processed taken care of. An unlocked phone will have a premium on it, sometimes 100% or more over the price of locked phones.
Utilizing software to unlock your iPhone means you don't need to stay within the constraints of ATT, nor do you need to worry about having someone else unregistered your phone. It also means you can save hundreds of dollars over the inflated price of eBay sellers selling unlocked phones since the software costs only a faction, and you won't be susceptible to a longer contract or new early termination fees (only your existing ones if you're currently in a contract).
Lastly, watch for trends on eBay. Once you sign into your account an advanced search option is to look at previously ended auctions, this will help you gauge where the price is going. The iPhone is still very sought after so supply and demand continues to fluctuate, looking at the past sales trends will give you the information you need so you don't overpay for your new iPhone.
Buy a used iPhone from this new on line store, there are huge selection of second hand iPhones and iPhone accessories.
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