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Buying a iPhone from craigslist or ebay is it a catch 22?

Applejuiced said:
I agree, I would also trust more a seller with proof of receipt than one without.
But that doesn't guarantee me that he will not screw me over if he wants to.
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so what you think apple could do to prevent this from happening
 
coolwierdo said:
so what you think apple could do to prevent this from happening
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Apple wouldn't care if you got screwed over from one of these blacklist transactions. I suppose if the phone still had warranty and you find a hardware problem, you could get it replaced which would solve the blacklist issue
 
Don't risk buying from cl
I actually bought an iPhone 5 from lc it was working fine for about 4 days
Out of nowhere bam it was blocked
Called the carrier and they said it was reported stolen
 
Princejb134 said:
Don't risk buying from cl
I actually bought an iPhone 5 from lc it was working fine for about 4 days
Out of nowhere bam it was blocked
Called the carrier and they said it was reported stolen
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When did this happen to you? Was it sealed in box or was in used? No receipt?
 
eBay is a little safer than Craigslist but does not guarantee you a phone that owner won't report stolen. They can just wait 3 months and that's when eBay/paypal will no longer be able to help you. I've also heard of stories of receiving packages but some rocks/toys instead of iPhone.

At this point right now the 5s costs more on Craigslist/eBay than apple because apple is currently low on stock.

If say your phone does get black listed and you can no longer contact seller/ eBay and PayPal won't help then best bet would be to find a hardware flaw in your phone and get it replaced at the apple store.

I never shop for iPhones on eBay because of how much people on eBay and really hard to win one for a good price.
 
I just bought a phone on ebay.

Been asking the seller to give me the receipt but he wont.

Its working fine so far but I haven't left any feedback, ive left it open in case it gets blacklisted.

Definitely get a receipt as manufacturers want you to email it in if you ever need to repair it !
 
You could ask if it has insurance and get it transferred over to your name else you won't buy it. Yes they could lie to you and say it has no insurance but that's another measure you could take.

I have found that calling someone out on something, face to face mind you, tends to reveal enough in facial expression and body language as to whether or not they are being truthful, at which point you make a decision based on risk.

Is there a way to determine if a specific IMEI is insured? That would be ideal.
 
StophMac24 said:
You could ask if it has insurance and get it transferred over to your name else you won't buy it. Yes they could lie to you and say it has no insurance but that's another measure you could take.

I have found that calling someone out on something, face to face mind you, tends to reveal enough in facial expression and body language as to whether or not they are being truthful, at which point you make a decision based on risk.

Is there a way to determine if a specific IMEI is insured? That would be ideal.
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AppleCare stays with the phone.
Its not registered to a particular name or transferred when the item is sold.
It just covers that specific iphone serial number no matter who brings it in for warranty repair or replacement.
 
It's safer to buy from eBay but you can negotiate for a better deal on Craigslist.
 
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