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iPhone XS How to safely purchase a "new" pre-owned XS?

K

kuklachica

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 30, 2009
63
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This discussion began in my other, unrelated, thread, but I'd like to get more feedback. I am meeting someone to purchase an XS (not pro) this Saturday. The price is ridiculously good. In my area (a rural area), prices are pretty low for iPhones, relative to other areas of the country. The only phones that are selling for a high price are the 11s. Anyway, the price didn't raise alarm bells for me, but it did for others in the group here. The owner of the phone said that they sent their XS in for a claim and Apple sent a replacement, but in the meantime they bought the new 11, so are selling the replacement XS. I want to make sure I am covering all my bases before buying it. Here's what I've done in preparation for meeting on Saturday. Is there anything else I could/should do prior to meeting? I don't want to be annoying and have the seller bail, but also want to make sure I'm not buying a problem phone.
  • I've checked the IMEI on a couple of sites and it looks fine, but I don't really know what I'm looking for.
  • I asked the seller if she had receipts for the replacement and she sent me screen shots of the confirmation emails from Apple. However, they were really blurry so I can't make out the numbers, but can see that there is a repair number, etc. Is this enough to prove it wasn't stolen, or should I ask for clearer pictures? Attached is one of the three screen shots she sent.
  • The documents show that the replacement was issued on Nov 14th. But when I look up the IMEI number, it says it's not under warranty and is not eligible for warranty. Is that unusual?
  • Anything else I should do?
When we meet I'm planning on:
  • Checking the battery health %
  • Making sure volume etc work correctly
  • Checking for cracks, scratches, etc (would it be totally weird if I brought my jeweler's loupe to inspect closely?)
  • Anything else I should do?
 

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Ask for the model number in settings/general/about, if it starts with an N it’s an Apple replacement. Don’t inspect anything under magnification (loupe) unless you want to be disappointed.. If you can’t see any issues with a close inspection with your eyes it shouldn’t bother you..
 
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I read your other post and if I remember correctly it was $500 for the XS? That's not an unbelievably eyebrow-raising, flag waiving price. Also not knowing the seller's motivation, could be more than he/she was offered on a trade-in, purchased a new phone and just wants to recoup some $$$, or maybe they're in a financial bind. Give it a visual inspection, test the functionality, and if it checks out, go for it. Meet up in a public place for your safety, trust your instincts, if it doesn't feel right, don't do it. But also don't overthink it either.
 
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Yes, $500 for the XS, 256GB, new (replacement), never used. Some other posters made it sound like it should be $1000.
 
kuklachica said:
Yes, $500 for the XS, 256GB, new (replacement), never used. Some other posters made it sound like it should be $1000.
Click to expand...
Again, I can't speak for everyone's situation, sometimes due to circumstances, deals can be had. Check it out, if it doesn't look right in person, or of the seller seems shady, then walk away.
 
$500 does seem sketchy. This phone could be very, very easily sold for $650+.

But anyway: erase the phone to factory settings and see if it isn't locked.
 
AppleHaterLover said:
$500 does seem sketchy. This phone could be very, very easily sold for $650+.

But anyway: erase the phone to factory settings and see if it isn't locked.
Click to expand...


By locked, what do you mean?

What if it has already been reset to factory settings (or was never set up to begin with)?
 
AppleHaterLover said:
$500 does seem sketchy. This phone could be very, very easily sold for $650+.

But anyway: erase the phone to factory settings and see if it isn't locked.
Click to expand...
I have my 64GB XS Max up for sale atm for €500.

I have recently bought the same model with larger storage. Now doubting my asking price after seeing this thread 😉
 
kuklachica said:
By locked, what do you mean?

What if it has already been reset to factory settings (or was never set up to begin with)?
Click to expand...
If it was reset to factory settings, or never set up in the first place (very likely, since it’s a replacement unit) then iCloud activation lock, Find My, etc are not enabled. If that‘s the case you should be just fine except for making sure the device isn’t stolen, which apparently you already did by checking on some websites using the IMEI, and that it isn’t locked up to a particular wireless carrier‘s network (or if it is locked to one, at least make sure that the carrier whose network it’s locked to is the same one you have your wireless service contract with). To find out if it’s locked to some specific carrier network, just insert your SIM card into the phone. If it picks up a signal, you’re good to go. If it doesn’t get a signal and/or says “invalid SIM“ or anything to that effect, you’ll have to check with the original carrier and see if they can unlock it for you. The sites where you checked the IMEI to see if it was stolen should also be able to tell you if the phone is carrier-locked.
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BugeyeSTI said:
Model number will tell you if it’s an Apple replacement and not a 3rd party replacement (asurion). As far as the serial# I guess you can use it to tell which plant it came from and when it was assembled.. Not sure if that’s important to you
Click to expand...
The IMEI is also important. It can be used to determine if a device was stolen.
 
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kuklachica said:
This discussion began in my other, unrelated, thread, but I'd like to get more feedback. I am meeting someone to purchase an XS (not pro) this Saturday. The price is ridiculously good. In my area (a rural area), prices are pretty low for iPhones, relative to other areas of the country. The only phones that are selling for a high price are the 11s. Anyway, the price didn't raise alarm bells for me, but it did for others in the group here. The owner of the phone said that they sent their XS in for a claim and Apple sent a replacement, but in the meantime they bought the new 11, so are selling the replacement XS. I want to make sure I am covering all my bases before buying it. Here's what I've done in preparation for meeting on Saturday. Is there anything else I could/should do prior to meeting? I don't want to be annoying and have the seller bail, but also want to make sure I'm not buying a problem phone.
  • I've checked the IMEI on a couple of sites and it looks fine, but I don't really know what I'm looking for.
  • I asked the seller if she had receipts for the replacement and she sent me screen shots of the confirmation emails from Apple. However, they were really blurry so I can't make out the numbers, but can see that there is a repair number, etc. Is this enough to prove it wasn't stolen, or should I ask for clearer pictures? Attached is one of the three screen shots she sent.
  • The documents show that the replacement was issued on Nov 14th. But when I look up the IMEI number, it says it's not under warranty and is not eligible for warranty. Is that unusual?
  • Anything else I should do?
When we meet I'm planning on:
  • Checking the battery health %
  • Making sure volume etc work correctly
  • Checking for cracks, scratches, etc (would it be totally weird if I brought my jeweler's loupe to inspect closely?)
  • Anything else I should do?
Click to expand...
Find out if the phone is unlocked for use on any carrier’s wireless network (or if it’s locked to a particular carrier’s network, make sure it is the same carrier that provides your wireless service). You can do so on the same sites where you checked the IMEI to see if the phone was stolen (maybe you already have that information in the results pf your previous checks). Or you can find out by simply inserting your SIM into the iphone.
 
Sorry for so many questions and my ignorance. I haven't seen anything re: carriers when I checked the IMEI. What is a good place to check, and what do I look for?
 
Aydy said:
I have my 64GB XS Max up for sale atm for €500.

I have recently bought the same model with larger storage. Now doubting my asking price after seeing this thread 😉
Click to expand...

Well, Apple would give you more than that if you trade it in. They gave me $370 for my XR
 
Current Apple USA trade in on XS is $500 (same regardless of GB storage).

To OP: seller says it is a replacement phone from Apple, sent you email Apple sent before shipping it.

FYI, replacement phones Apple provides, are most often not new phones. They are Apple refurbished used phones. Apple puts them in a plain box (forget if white or brown).

An Apple refurbished replacement phone is a bit of a crap shoot actually regarding it’s precise history.

But....from what I have read on Mac Rumors, almost all are very satisfied with Apple certified refurbished phones (whether a replacement, or purchased refurbished on Apple’s website).

Apple does NOT open a phone they provide as refurbished/ replacement unless they have to. They do extensive diagnostic checks however. Those checks will identify if it contains a non official Apple screen or battery for example from a 3rd party repair. Or if it is blacklisted as a stolen phone. They would never provide that as replacement phone.

I tell you this as the replacement phone the seller has may not be totally perfect as new. Small scratches on metal, battery not 100%. If there is someway you can verify that the phone is actually an Apple certified refurbished/replacement phone you will have solved essentially all of the concerns.
 
Thanks for the info brucemr. Actually, in the listing photo it was packaged in a brown box, so that makes sense. I’ll definitely check battery health when I meet with the seller. Are these the same quality phones that Apple sells in their return store?
I’ve asked the seller for the model number, but they are reluctant to set it up to get to settings and I’m worried about asking too many questions.
 
I just figured out it is a refurb. Is it worth the chance? Does it affect value?

"Activated: Yes" ?
 

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kuklachica said:
Thanks for the info brucemr. Actually, in the listing photo it was packaged in a brown box, so that makes sense. I’ll definitely check battery health when I meet with the seller. Are these the same quality phones that Apple sells in their return store?
I’ve asked the seller for the model number, but they are reluctant to set it up to get to settings and I’m worried about asking too many questions.
Click to expand...

You say you are rural, but not what country. In USA was only one Xs model, 1920.

For what matters*, yes, same as what Apple sells in their online refurbished store.

*Obviously, since they sell refurbished at a somewhat premium price, and buyers can return no questions asked, that they will cherry pick the best of the best for that. But I guess by you have figured out by now, that a tiny scratch on the metal side is not what matters.
 
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So, I'm basically thinking I'm going to check the battery health and wear and tear, and try to put in my SIM and see if it works?
 
It did come in both a white box and brown box. From the listing.
 

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kuklachica said:
So, I'm basically thinking I'm going to check the battery health and wear and tear, and try to put in my SIM and see if it works?
Click to expand...
Yes. Basically. That’s all you need to do once you know for sure it’s not stolen. But if it was a replacement phone supplied by Apple to the seller, it’s most likely refurbished and therefore it will be in the pretty much the same condition as if it were a new one. Especially if seller is being honest and told you the truth when he said he never actually used it because he bought a newer iphone 11.
 
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