There is nothing wrong with buying a used phone. Most of us enthusiasts who are now into buying flagship phones every year have started with used phones and that is perfectly alright. However, this varies from person to person. Some sees is it as a great way of saving money while others are not interested in phones a lot, to begin with.
Whatever the case might be with you, the choice is yours. If you are looking for iPhones on sale from a reputable vendor like Star Labs, you would be surprised just how rewarding the secondary market can be. But at the same time, it can be a nightmare if you are not being careful enough and that is what we want to change, to begin with.
If you are looking for a used iPhone or for any other phone, for that matter. There are a few things that one must know before they go ahead and buy the phone. Ideally, you can use these for almost every other used phone in the market and it is only going to help you a lot. This not only saves time but gives you a better understanding of how the secondary market works.
Is It Refurbished?
For those wondering, refurbished phones are the phones that have been returned to the manufacturers or the vendor for a number of reasons. These phones have been tested thoroughly, and if there are any defects, then the defects are fixed, as well. So, for instance, if you are looking a certified refurbished iPhone it means that the phone was completely handled by Apple and the condition is almost as good as new.
The good news is that refurbished phones often carry a warranty with them and more importantly, they are often cheaper, too. So, if you are in the market for a used iPhone, or any phone for general and you want to save some money, you can always look at a refurbished iPhone and that should do the job.
But What About Not Refurbished Used iPhone?
Okay, refurbished is good and we are all aware of that. However, what about a not refurbished, used iPhone? This normally happens when someone wants to sell their phone for one reason or another. They could be looking for an upgrade, or they could be looking for a different phone, altogether. The point is that the option is there for you if you want to go ahead with it.
In such a situation, we would highly advise that you check the phone thoroughly. The good thing about Apple products is that you can check the information about them online and that will give you some information on the device as well.
Aside from that, thorough physical inspection of the device is always a good idea as it gives you an insight about how it has been used and whether there is any physical damage to the phone.
Make Sure The Phone is Unlocked
You don’t want to go for a used iPhone only to realize that it is not unlocked. This is a very common oversight and in most cases, people who are in a hurry never really check for this.
If you are looking for a used iPhone, or any other phone, for that matter. We would suggest that you check if the phone is unlocked or not and only then should you make the investment in that phone.
Once you have a phone that works on your carrier and all the other carriers, you are good to go.
Make Sure The Phone is Not Stolen
Stolen phones in the secondary market is a concept that is more common than you might think and as someone who is trying to be a response as well as someone who does not want to be an accessory to a crime, checking this information is very important. You basically have to check if your phone is not stolen if you are looking for a used phone.
The best way to do that is go to a stolen phone database in your country, there should be a website for it, and cross-check your phone’s IMEI or MEID against that website’s database.
If the phone has been reported stolen or lost, you will actually see it in that database, and well, that is your sign that you should avoid that phone altogether.
The Battery Health Matters a Lot
One of the things that I love about iPhones is that they can display battery health; a feature that should be on Android as well. The battery health tells you how much health the battery has left, of course. Anything within the range of 90 to a 100 is considered to be good.
So, when you are buying an iPhone that has been used before, you should always check for the battery health. If it is an officially refurbished phone, there is a chance that the phone that you are buying will have a brand-new battery installed on it.
Checking The Warranty Status
Last but not the least, since we are on the topic of a used iPhone, be sure that you check or at least inquire about the warranty status on the phone. This is to give yourself peace of mind that you are not being fooled or being led to something that is not going to be enough for you.
If Apple Care has not run out, chances are that you are safe to buy that phone in every possible way and you should go ahead with it.
Conclusion
I have bought hundreds of phones and even now, buying a used phone makes me really careful. After all, no one really wants to be buying a phone that is eventually going to give up on them and everyone looks for something that is good and something that is going to last a long time, as well.
Therefore, always know these things when you are buying a used iPhone or a used phone, for that matter.
