Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Is buying iPhones from Swappa safe?

E

ErnstStavroBlohard

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 2, 2016
83
86
I'm worried about some of the new (resale) listings in particular.

New (resale) condition screams to me refurbished.

In which case who knows who's done the refurbishment. Apple? Joe down at the corner store?

Then I worry what if it's a "frankenphone" with aftermarket parts, including a Chinese third-party battery.

Basically, I'm looking for reassurance from those of you who've made successful purchases from Swappa and got the genuine article.
 
Swappa has lots of different sellers, so there's no way to make a definitive statement.

I was looking for a very good quality iPhone 6+ but just got too spooked at eBay. I buy lots of stuff on eBay, but a used iPhone just seemed too risky.

Then I found swappa.
And bought this phone:
https://swappa.com/buy/stock/5261/view

The phone was exactly as described and mint. It's awesome. New phone (Apple warranty replacement). Flawless. Couldn't be happier with it.

But that was my experience. The seller was top notch. Everything worked out great. Lucky me.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: SweetApples, Freakonomics101, Applejuiced and 1 other person
Ask the right questions:
- When was the phone purchased?
- Are you the original owner?
- Is this phone a replacement?
- When was the phone activated and when does the original warranty expire?
- If it was a replacement, was it replaced at Apple?

Personally I don't get hung up on the whole refurbished thing. If it was refurbished from Apple, what do you have to worry about? I have had brand spanking new devices with issues and yet it was the refurbished replacement that went on to be problem free. This Macbook I am typing on was purchased as a refurb from Apple 3 years ago. Not one single issue.

If you don't receive what was described, dispute it. If the seller does not make things right, then open a Paypal dispute. Paypal will back you much more than Swappa, which I unfortunately know from experience, but I was able to get my money back.

If you ask the right questions, and the seller is not more than willing to answer them all (you are not inconveniencing them....they want that sale as much as you), then run. They should have nothing hide, plus, the questions/answers give you a paper trail in the event you do need to dispute a purchase.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mpavilion, Loc H. and Applejuiced
We all have different experiences. I've purchased four iPhones on Swappa and only one was able to be activated on my account. The others were either iCloud locked or still active on another account. All were from dealers with high ratings and 300-1300 sales. Thankfully Walmart now offers brand new, full Apple warranty iPhone 5s phones for $150 that can also be used on Page Plus.

I've never had any problems with several Androids from Swappa, just iPhones. Others will report far better experiences.

Note that if the sales goes bad, Swappa only refunds their $10 fee and lets you recover the rest from the seller or via a PayPal dispute. Mine were all refunded promptly after I paid to ship their defective phone back.
 
Just ask the right questions and you should be okay. I have purchased several phones from Swappa and I have not yet encountered any issues.
 
I've had nothing but positive experiences using Swappa. I have both bought and sold there.
 
Make sure you buy from sellers with lots of positive feedback. I've sold 10 phones on there before and have never had a problem, nor have my buyers. I bet many of the "new" phones listed are ones people buy on contract and then sell immediately to get as much money back as possible, and since iPhone's have the most value, that's what most of those people buy.
 
Swappa is very safe and I've used it many times. The only problem to watch out for now is the fact that phone financing is such a big thing. You could buy a phone from someone who has a clean ESN at the time of sale but later on decides to stop paying their bill. One day you could wake up and have a phone that can no longer get service.

So if buying from Swappa, I'd challenge any seller to prove that they aren't on installment payments.
 
  • Like
Reactions: M. Gustave
mjschabow said:
Swappa is very safe and I've used it many times. The only problem to watch out for now is the fact that phone financing is such a big thing. You could buy a phone from someone who has a clean ESN at the time of sale but later on decides to stop paying their bill. One day you could wake up and have a phone that can no longer get service.

So if buying from Swappa, I'd challenge any seller to prove that they aren't on installment payments.
Click to expand...

I would think in scenarios like this, the buyer would still be covered via PayPal (I guess depending on the length of time that passes between when the phone stops working and when you paid for the phone). So hopefully in those scenarios, the buyer wouldn't be completely burned.
 
ErnstStavroBlohard said:
I'm worried about some of the new (resale) listings in particular.

New (resale) condition screams to me refurbished.

In which case who knows who's done the refurbishment. Apple? Joe down at the corner store?

Then I worry what if it's a "frankenphone" with aftermarket parts, including a Chinese third-party battery.

Basically, I'm looking for reassurance from those of you who've made successful purchases from Swappa and got the genuine article.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have sold and bought many on Swappa and never had an issue. Just make sure they have good feedback or at least has feedback if you want to be safe. This was mine that I just bought my 6s plus from to get my by till the 7 comes out.

https://swappa.com/listing/CEP169/view
 
I've bought and sold several phones on Swappa, they're as safe if not safer than any other site.
New- resale means just that. They must be NEW never-activated for that classification. If they have been activated, they are to be listed as mint not new. If they are refurbished there is a spot where that's to be listed and must be disclosed.
Also Swappa runs the device id to verify the phone. If the phone is under a payment plan it will be known and not allowed. If the number isn't clean, if it's stolen, or blacklisted, it is not allowed. Is it 100% foolproof, who knows, but then again what in life is? Just my .02
 
DevinNj said:
I've bought and sold several phones on Swappa, they're as safe if not safer than any other site.
New- resale means just that. They must be NEW never-activated for that classification. If they have been activated, they are to be listed as mint not new. If they are refurbished there is a spot where that's to be listed and must be disclosed.
Also Swappa runs the device id to verify the phone. If the phone is under a payment plan it will be known and not allowed. If the number isn't clean, if it's stolen, or blacklisted, it is not allowed. Is it 100% foolproof, who knows, but then again what in life is? Just my .02
Click to expand...

Swappa can't tell if it's got a payment plan on the phone. Only if the phone is blacklisted. I have come across a phone or two that said they had a payment plan on it. I reported those and they got canceled as they didn't follow the rules.
 
  • Like
Reactions: potentmf, DevinNj and Applejuiced
Always ask if it's on a payment plan. Whenever I sell my phones, I clearly state that the phone is not on a payment plan and has no balance whatsoever. If it is still on a payment plan, it's up to you to judge if you trust the seller to continue to pay it while you own it.
 
KillaMac said:
Swappa can't tell if it's got a payment plan on the phone. Only if the phone is blacklisted. I have come across a phone or two that said they had a payment plan on it. I reported those and they got canceled as they didn't follow the rules.
Click to expand...

I thought Swappa also verified if the phone was in a device payment plan. I didn't know they can't see that info, thanks for the heads up.
 
That is in the rules only. They can not check if it has a payment plan. That is just telling the seller to not sell devices with payment plans.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Applejuiced
I was looking to get a 6s+ new resale from a seller with many ratings, but due to the questions I asked, I don't feel good about it, or many of the other phones. The seller answered my first set of questions, but since they are a buyer and reseller, they can't confirm if the phone is in fact ready to be activated. Another guy chimed in down in the comments and said that he just got burned by someone else on there who sold a phone, but then had the ESN blacklisted later down the road.

Yet another person said that they purchased a supposed New Resale phone and the buyer got it, used it for awhile, but then the seller purposely reported the device as lost since it was still under their account, which then blacklists the ESN. Then the buyer is not able to use it, and PayPal is being iffy on their dispute right now.

It's still up for sale right now, but I doubt anyone will buy it since myself and a few others grilled the seller for answers and nothing seemed 100% safe about it. He didn't answer my second round of questions either, which leads me to believe that it may be a sketchy sale that even the seller is unsure of. I doubt they're trying anything shady, but it is risky. I'm sure you can find good phones on Swappa, but you have to ask all the right questions, and if you feel unsure about it at all, don't buy it.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ErnstStavroBlohard
I have bought and sold over 20 devices on swappa with ZERO issues. Don't trust what everyone tells you about swappa.
 
ARizz44 said:
Ask the right questions:
- When was the phone purchased?
- Are you the original owner?
- Is this phone a replacement?
- When was the phone activated and when does the original warranty expire?
- If it was a replacement, was it replaced at Apple?

Personally I don't get hung up on the whole refurbished thing. If it was refurbished from Apple, what do you have to worry about? I have had brand spanking new devices with issues and yet it was the refurbished replacement that went on to be problem free. This Macbook I am typing on was purchased as a refurb from Apple 3 years ago. Not one single issue.

If you don't receive what was described, dispute it. If the seller does not make things right, then open a Paypal dispute. Paypal will back you much more than Swappa, which I unfortunately know from experience, but I was able to get my money back.

If you ask the right questions, and the seller is not more than willing to answer them all (you are not inconveniencing them....they want that sale as much as you), then run. They should have nothing hide, plus, the questions/answers give you a paper trail in the event you do need to dispute a purchase.
Click to expand...
How do I talk to the seller personally?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back