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New or Used 5S?

R

Rhyno37

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 23, 2011
130
0
So I'm wanting to go back to iOS after switching to Android. Had the 5 a few months ago and loved it. Found a 16gb 5S on eBay from a seller with good ratings for $340. Comes with the original box and accessories as well as the otter box it's been in since day one. Looks to be in perfect condition. It is out of warranty.

My alternative would be to buy a new one for $549 + tax (~$595). What do y'all think I should do?
 
If you don't mind used and it's in good condition, I don't see an issue with it. Only thing you'd have to worry about is if it's iCloud locked.
 
New or Used 5S?

The only issue I could foresee is if you have issues in a month or so. If you buy from Apple, you take it to Apple for replacement or to be fixed. If you buy from EBay, as rapicell said and it is locked to iCloud or find my IPhone, it becomes a possible nightmare. Sure you can send it back to seller and get your money back, but then your without a phone a few days and have to deal with EBay and seller. Heck id probably buy a refurb 5s from Apple. I tend to be cautious dealing with EBay etc., ever since the activation lock. Just my opinion..
 
rapicell said:
If you don't mind used and it's in good condition, I don't see an issue with it. Only thing you'd have to worry about is if it's iCloud locked.
Click to expand...

All I need to do is have the seller disable iCould correct? The seller has a 100% rating over many transactions
 
Rhyno37 said:
So I'm wanting to go back to iOS after switching to Android. Had the 5 a few months ago and loved it. Found a 16gb 5S on eBay from a seller with good ratings for $340. Comes with the original box and accessories as well as the otter box it's been in since day one. Looks to be in perfect condition. It is out of warranty.

My alternative would be to buy a new one for $549 + tax (~$595). What do y'all think I should do?
Click to expand...

I'd buy new at Apple for $599. You even get 32GB and a choice in any of the 3 colors.
 
As a buyer on Ebay, you have virtually zero risk....buy the phone on Ebay, if you don't like it for ANY reason, return for a full refund even if the seller has no return policy. Ebay's return policy trumps any no return policy the seller might have so buy away. You have 6 months to return for any reason really. Ebay policy sucks massively for the seller and is great for the buyer. Only issue would be the inconvenience and time of it all to deal with a return....but you would get all your money back including shipping cost.
 
As the buyer, you are protected if the phone is not what what the seller described in their auction listing. So if you don't mind buying used, this the way to go.

Frankly, I like buying electronics, especially phones, brand new or refurbished, so I would buy the 5s factory unlocked directly from Apple. Yes, you pay more for it, but at least if something is wrong with the phone within the first year, you can get it fixed or replaced under warranty by Apple.
 
ET iPhone Home said:
It's right HERE.

You can select SIM-FREE (FACTORY UNLOCKED) for $599, gold, silver, or black, 32GB. There's a 16GB option too for $549.00 But for $50 more, go 32GB.
Click to expand...

U.S. cellular is a CDMA carrier like Verizon not GSM so I don't think that'll work
 
Bear in mind that a phone's battery will start to be a poor sport after about 2 years of use.

So you may be looking at a $75-$100 battery replacement within a year.

I'm not saying not to get the used phone, that's still a good deal. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.
 
nburwell said:
As the buyer, you are protected if the phone is not what what the seller described in their auction listing. So if you don't mind buying used, this the way to go.

Frankly, I like buying electronics, especially phones, brand new or refurbished, so I would buy the 5s factory unlocked directly from Apple. Yes, you pay more for it, but at least if something is wrong with the phone within the first year, you can get it fixed or replaced under warranty by Apple.
Click to expand...

Where can one find refurbished iPhones? Sorry I cannot find them at the Apple Store website and I'm interested. Thanks.
 
Small White Car said:
Bear in mind that a phone's battery will start to be a poor sport after about 2 years of use.

So you may be looking at a $75-$100 battery replacement within a year.

I'm not saying not to get the used phone, that's still a good deal. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.
Click to expand...

And I'd say this is exactly why you should get a new one. That, and if it's used that means someone took a crap while using it on dozens of not hundreds of occasions. And that's just gross.
 
willyx said:
Where can one find refurbished iPhones? Sorry I cannot find them at the Apple Store website and I'm interested. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I was speaking more for the refurbished MacBook Pro laptops that I purchased directly from Apple. If you keep an eye on eBay, refurbished iPhone's do pop up on there from time to time.
 
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