Other Possible or Fake? iPhone 6,7,8 sold as new in 2022

[Joxop]

Hello,

on a website I found iphone 6, 7 and 8 for sale, sold as brand new.

I thought Apple would withdraw older models from the market when the new ones came out.

Can anyone tell me if technically it is possible to find brand new iphones 6,7,8 in 2022?

The seller is in China. I am thinking to buy one of these phones but I suspect it could be an older phone, refurbished, with changed IMEI number, sold as new.

Any idea if my suspicions are unfounded and technically they could actually be brand new?

 

[JM]

Anything’s possible.

But I wouldn’t buy anything unless it’s in person or from Apple.Com.

 

[now i see it]

I’d say they’re counterfeit

 

[webkit]

Apple itself typically continues to sell new iPhones for about three years after launch e.g., you can still buy a new iPhone 11 from Apple. However, other sellers like phone carriers, electronics retailers, etc. could have new unsold stock sitting around indefinitely. There are also private individuals who may have purchased a new iPhone or received one as a gift and never used it. Even original new/sealed iPhones from 2007 show up on sites like eBay.

 

[Pierre535]

Having lived in China, fakes are rather easily available and are so good in some cases that its practically impossible to tell them from the real deal. We saw fake iPods, Sandisk memories, Pioneer, the list goes on. They make a fake Rolex that keeps better time than the real watch. I would definitely beware!

 

[ian87w]

Hello,

on a website I found iphone 6, 7 and 8 for sale, sold as brand new.

I thought Apple would withdraw older models from the market when the new ones came out.

Can anyone tell me if technically it is possible to find brand new iphones 6,7,8 in 2022?

The seller is in China. I am thinking to buy one of these phones but I suspect it could be an older phone, refurbished, with changed IMEI number, sold as new.

Any idea if my suspicions are unfounded and technically they could actually be brand new?

Apple still sells the iphone 7 Plus brand new in my country in 2020. So it's possible for old inventories to linger around.

Having said that, random stores on the internet is highly unreliable. There are so many refurbished iphones with fake parts sold as new out there in the open market. I would avoid them unless you simply want to collect them as collectors item.

 

[ukms]

You can still buy new iPhone 6 and onwards in many countries from legitimate and reputable resellers. When a model is discontinued by Apple they don’t just destroy all the existing stock. Whether I would buy one from China is another matter.

 

[Joxop]

Thank you everyone for the replies.

Once you're holding the phone in your hands, is there any foolproof way to figure out if the phone is new VS counterfeit/refurbished/used/with fake parts?

If they offer a return policy I could order one and send it back if it fails the test.

 

[Andeddu]

Thank you everyone for the replies.

Once you're holding the phone in your hands, is there any foolproof way to figure out if the phone is new VS counterfeit/refurbished/used/with fake parts?

If they offer a return policy I could order one and send it back if it fails the test.

I would avoid purchasing a supposed new phone from China as there is little chance it will be unused.

Even so called “brand new” older phones sold on eBay in the US/EU are used, repackaged and resealed. A lot of people were complaining about this on my SE1 thread because it is almost impossible these days to buy one which is genuinely new.

It is easy to know if the phone is a complete counterfeit as the iOS installed will be an Android skin. I would generally just shine a torch into the ports to see if there is any dirt or lint to determine if the device is new. I did that with my new SE1 I picked up 2.5 months ago and the ports were completely immaculate confirming the phone to be as advertised.

 

[ukms]

I would avoid purchasing a supposed new phone from China as there is little chance it will be unused.

Even so called “brand new” older phones sold on eBay in the US/EU are used, repackaged and resealed. A lot of people were complaining about this on my SE1 thread because it is almost impossible these days to buy one which is genuinely new.

It is easy to know if the phone is a complete counterfeit as the iOS installed will be an Android skin. I would generally just shine a torch into the ports to see if there is any dirt or lint to determine if the device is new. I did that with my new SE1 I picked up 2.5 months ago and the ports were completely immaculate confirming the phone to be as advertised.

Maybe on eBay there are problems but there are reputable independent mobile sellers who have new stock, you can check serial numbers with Apple not always 100% accurate but pretty good.

 

[Andeddu]

Maybe on eBay there are problems but there are reputable independent mobile sellers who have new stock, you can check serial numbers with Apple not always 100% accurate but pretty good.

Good luck trying to find “new old stock” anywhere. Most independent brick and mortar shops sell refurbs or used phones so you’d struggle picking up a specific older phone unless you were really fortunate. I spent weeks searching the internet along with physical stores for a new SE1. I reckon the same will be true for other phones from that era such as the 6S/7.

 

[Joxop]

I would avoid purchasing a supposed new phone from China as there is little chance it will be unused.

Even so called “brand new” older phones sold on eBay in the US/EU are used, repackaged and resealed. A lot of people were complaining about this on my SE1 thread because it is almost impossible these days to buy one which is genuinely new.

It is easy to know if the phone is a complete counterfeit as the iOS installed will be an Android skin. I would generally just shine a torch into the ports to see if there is any dirt or lint to determine if the device is new. I did that with my new SE1 I picked up 2.5 months ago and the ports were completely immaculate confirming the phone to be as advertised.

So how did you manage to find an old iPhone SE1 that was brand new, you bought it on eBay?

 

[Andeddu]

So how did you manage to find an old iPhone SE1 that was brand new, you bought it on eBay?

Yep. The seller specifically said it was “NOT REFURBISHED” and genuinely new. I received it in a sealed box which I could tell was sealed by Apple and not some reseller. I then checked the ports of the phone which showed zero dirt or lint proving to me that the phone was genuinely new.

Most older phones on eBay and elsewhere are being classed as “brand new” when they are NOT brand new.

You could communicate with the seller first if you wish to clarify that the phone is indeed new and unused.

 

[asus389]

I recently bought a new 8 plus from eBay. So it's possible. It was immaculate and came loaded with iOS 10 which is the original OS that came with that phone. Most sellers try to get away with selling "new condition - used" phones as "open box" if they have the original box/charger. Sometimes they are returns purchased from carrier auctions or new old stock. The 8 series was sold as new from apple as recently as spring of 2020, and longer at some retailers or prepaid carriers.

 

[Joxop]

The shop where I was thinking to buy this old iphone is called "onBuy". If you google it and search for phones in that shop you will see what I am referring to exactly. Unfortunately (it seems) there's no way to communicate with the seller over there.

I will look on eBay now as well. Maybe you guys who had good experiences on eBay can tell me the name of the seller? I never bought on eBay.

 

[Andeddu]

The shop where I was thinking to buy this old iphone is called "onBuy". If you google it and search for phones in that shop you will see what I am referring to exactly. Unfortunately (it seems) there's no way to communicate with the seller over there.

I will look on eBay now as well. Maybe you guys who had good experiences on eBay can tell me the name of the seller? I never bought on eBay.

I can’t recall which seller I purchased mine from on eBay however they sell refurbished and used phones. The only reason I was able to get a new SE1 was because they purchased a batch of new old stock from a mainstream carrier and had 8 SEs… I was lucky enough to purchase the last available one.

You can always risk it on that website because they’re clearly a legit business. I guess if you go for an 8 there will be a higher chance of it being a new device as there will be a lot of unused stock still on sale.

 

[ian87w]

The shop where I was thinking to buy this old iphone is called "onBuy". If you google it and search for phones in that shop you will see what I am referring to exactly. Unfortunately (it seems) there's no way to communicate with the seller over there.

I will look on eBay now as well. Maybe you guys who had good experiences on eBay can tell me the name of the seller? I never bought on eBay.

Why are you so adamant in buying these old phones from risky sellers? If you’re in the US, try sites like Swappa first. You won’t be finding a brand new sealed for these old iPhones that easily, might as well go for used from reputable site.

 

[tastesliketailpipe]

If you buy it on eBay and it’s advertised as ‘brand new’ but arrives clearly not ‘brand new’ then you get can eBay involved in getting your money back.

 

[Joxop]

The iPhone 7 was released in 2016. If the phones are brand new it means they have been on the shelf for 6 years. Doesn't this affect their battery at all?

 

[ian87w]

The iPhone 7 was released in 2016. If the phones are brand new it means they have been on the shelf for 6 years. Doesn't this affect their battery at all?

Not necessarily. Apple keep making iPhone 7 until at least 2019-2020. My iPhone 7 Plus which I bought new in 2020 came with iOS 13 out of the box.

 

[Joxop]

Not necessarily. Apple keep making iPhone 7 until at least 2019-2020. My iPhone 7 Plus which I bought new in 2020 came with iOS 13 out of the box.

You recommended me to buy a refurbished phone in your previous reply and now you tell me you bought a brand new iphone 7 two years ago! So it is possible after all.

It's also good that you told me about the iOS13, I think if I had found that I would have assumed the phone was not new. Thanks

 

[Jim Lahey]

Unless Tim Cook hands it to you directly from his private stash I would assume any phone of that vintage purporting to be new and unused is probably not as advertised.

 

[HDFan]

The shop where I was thinking to buy this old iphone is called "onBuy". If you google it and search for phones in that shop you will see what I am referring to exactly. Unfortunately (it seems) there's no way to communicate with the seller over there.

I will look on eBay now as well. Maybe you guys who had good experiences on eBay can tell me the name of the seller? I never bought on eBay.

It is certainly possible that a new phone was bought by someone who never opened it and wants to sell it, but it would be quite rare. I would never buy from a place when there is no way to communicate with the seller. If your money means anything to you I'd only buy from 1st tier sellers that have good customer service, guarantees and refund policies. Ebay can work, but you have to know what your are doing to avoid being scammed. There have been numerous posts about scams on Ebay and elsewhere so beware.