Looking at Buying a Used iPhone..Does This Sound Legit/What should I look for?

[krugs]

So I want to buy a used iphone and finally found a 16gb one in my area on craigslist for $300.

here's the description
"16 gig iphone for sale
heres what comes with it

1 cradle dock
1 usb cable (plugs into dock or phone on one end and usb or ac adapter on the other end)
1 ac adapter for the cable
updated software 2.0

and phone has been reset.

there are no scratches or blemishes on this phone its mint."

I dont think its stolen because it does come with everything and the price, although low, isnt eyecatchingly low. But in the description it says it has 2.0 software which i thought hasnt come out yet unless im thinking of something different and when i asked for the serial to check the warranty and all that he responded "I checked it out on apples web site and this is what it told me
"Our records indicate that your product is covered under Apple's Limited
Warranty which is estimated to expire on April 02, 2009.
Your product is eligible for complimentary phone support which is estimated
to expire on January 03, 2010."" Does the limited warranty and the phone support expire on different days (I know the year is different because of the one year limited and two year phone support)? I thought they would both be on the same day. Basically Im wondering what you guys think about all this and also what should I ask/look for when looking at the phone during the meetup before i pay? Thanks for the input!

 

[philgilder]

the software could be a beta version 2 - not really anything to worry about there
and the warranty is totally useless - as it has been unlocked etc it has had its warranty voided

 

[SFStateStudent]

So I want to buy a used iphone and finally found a 16gb one in my area on craigslist for $300.

Well, first, how well do you know this person? Is it a local sale? Meet in a fairly busy area, such as a really busy coffee shop or cafe. Check CL or eBay and you'll probably find that 16GB v1 iPhones will fetch about $500. He's probably selling it without the SIM card, (check with him about that), ask him to send pictures front and back, also a picture of the home screen, should come with the original box, ask him if he purchased AppleCare and then ask him to transfer it over to your name, (I've done that two times recently for my MBA and BlackBook 2.4, so it's rather easy and painless on his part), trust your instincts, if it's just too good a deal-then it's too good a deal and you might get scammed. Telephone communication is crucial, so make sure you have several phone numbers that you have tested out by calling him and he answers the phone. As "PHIL" said up above, it may be unlocked and JB, if it is, he needs to restore it to its original settings before you become the owner. PM me if you have other questions. Good luck. Be careful.

 

[krugs]

the software could be a beta version 2 - not really anything to worry about there
and the warranty is totally useless - as it has been unlocked etc it has had its warranty voided

cant i restore it to all the original settings using itunes?

 

[ipodtouchy333]

Sounds ok to me. The only thing you need to know is never do anything from Africa..... yes, I learned the hard way.

 

[krugs]

Well, first, how well do you know this person? Is it a local sale? Meet in a fairly busy area, such as a really busy coffee shop or cafe. Check CL or eBay and you'll probably find that 16GB v1 iPhones will fetch about $500. He's probably selling it without the SIM card, (check with him about that), ask him to send pictures front and back, also a picture of the home screen, should come with the original box, ask him if he purchased AppleCare and then ask him to transfer it over to your name, (I've done that two times recently for my MBA and BlackBook 2.4, so it's rather easy and painless on his part), trust your instincts, if it's just too good a deal-then it's too good a deal and you might get scammed. Telephone communication is crucial, so make sure you have several phone numbers that you have tested out by calling him and he answers the phone. As "PHIL" said up above, it may be unlocked and JB, if it is, he needs to restore it to its original settings before you become the owner. PM me if you have other questions. Good luck. Be careful.

thanks for the advise. i asked him and he said the following:
"The phone has not been reset yet but it will be reset before you buy it and
a new unused sim card will be installed, I'll let ya look at all the
functions before you buy it ill reset it after you decide to buy it or not,
the phone has not been tampered with so its only useable with at&t"

 

[ImNoSuperMan]

Sounds ok to me. The only thing you need to know is never do anything from Africa..... yes, I learned the hard way.

LOL. I still cant believe you fell for that scam. How can someone? Dont want to be rude but that was a pretty stupid to trust some random person from NIGERIA. Anyways I m sorry for your loss.