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Difference? [between these two iPhone 5s Verizon]
- Thread starter Zamzor
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yes when you buy an iPhone from apple through Verizon they will charge you 200 dollars because you are then locked into a 2 year contract. An unlocked (or contract free if you will) iPhone 5s Verizon will set you back 650 dollars new from apple. the 5s from eBay for 500 is contract free and the Verizon model is the most desirable model because it works on most carriers in and outside of the US with the exception of sprint.
They are both probably locked to Verizon the one through Apple for $200 is subsidized by Verizon and requires a 2 year contract.
Why would you assume the one from eBay is stolen? While 500 is a little low in terms of what they are fetching (the Verizon model) I wouldn't say its stolen. I buy and sell phones on eBay quite frequently and thanks to eBay's protection getting scammed is nothing more than an inconvenience.
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the Verizon model is unlocked per FCC requirements and works out of the box with ATT, Tmobile and most other carriers except sprint.
The one from Apple requires a $450 loan, in the form of a 2 year contract with a $450 contract termination fee. It is locked and cannot be used anywhere except the carrier and will be turned off if the contract is unpaid.
If you're finding one on eBay for $500 it will be of uncertain quality and origin. Likely it has one of these issues:
It may be severely used with cosmetic damage
It may be defective
It may be a defective refurb with no warranty
It may be stolen
etc etc
Typically it is safe to buy unlocked brand new condition phones on eBay for $600, but $500 indicates defects, flaws, stolen property etc.
I've been consistently getting 540 for 16gb iPhone 5s's in excellent condition with boxes. Verizon models that is