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best place to buy unlocked iPhone 5s?

Bacong

Bacong

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Mar 7, 2009
2,622
1,143
Westland, Michigan
Looking into buying an iPhone 5s, unlocked, GSM. I checked ebay (which I don't really trust) and Amazon and the prices aren't really that much better.

Is there a good site you guys trust?
 
Apple.com. Free shipping, comes unlocked right out of the box and hassle free returns/exchanges. Carriers have restocking fee for returns, limited exchanges and you have to call them to unlock your phone even though you paid unsubsidized price.
 
Why aren't you buying from apple? It's not like you can get a discount on a new one, so why bother with someone else?
 
I really think the OP ment to title this as "the cheapest place to buy iPhone 5S".

Otherwise it's really a no brainer. Since apple sells unlocked 5S these days.
 
Just buy directly from Apple and avoid the hassle of 3rd party sellers and potential warranty issues.
 
Last edited:
Will the T-Mobile unlocked model work for AT&T? I assume it would, right?

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Ah; I see you can select t-mobile or sim free when you choose on the site. Can I walk into an Apple store and buy an unlocked iPhone?
 
Bacong said:
Ah; I see you can select t-mobile or sim free when you choose on the site. Can I walk into an Apple store and buy an unlocked iPhone?
Click to expand...

You may want to call the store and confirm they have stock first. The sim-free version is the "official" unlocked version.

Alternatively, the Verizon model is fully GSM unlocked AND will work on Verizon if you choose to go that route.
 
T5BRICK said:
You may want to call the store and confirm they have stock first. The sim-free version is the "official" unlocked version.

Alternatively, the Verizon model is fully GSM unlocked AND will work on Verizon if you choose to go that route.
Click to expand...

I've heard that about the Verizon model..it fully supports all LTE bands for AT&T?
 
if you are worrying about whether its unlocked and not other issues like icloud activation and whatnot, you can ask the seller for the IMEI, then check the iMEI at iphoneimei.info

If the seller does not want to provide it, explain to him you need it to actually verify if it is 100% unlock and not anything else, even if the listing says unlocked.

Dont trust a seller's word for it! I've had instances of that happening, where the listing was stated as unlocked, but when I verified it via the IMEI, it was still locked and in contract.

If the seller is adamant about not providing it, move on to the next seller. Chances are that most sellers will provide the IMEI.

If you really want to increase your chance of winning and getting the cheapest value, find a listing that ends when people in the US are normally asleep :)
 
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