iPhone XR Swappa advice?

[McRumour]

Have never bought or sold anything on Swappa (or ebay, for that matter)
Contemplating purchase of an iPhone there whose condition is listed as "NEW".
It's the model, colour and storage size I want. The price is OK.
Seller's description states:

• Unopened retail packaging
• Never opened or used

He also ssys it's unlocked and
"Brand new sealed in the box. Not financed. Never activated. Sim free version which is compatible with gsm and cdma carriers. I'll throw in a new black tpu case and tempered glass screen protector."

His 1 photo just shows front of Apple box with a post-it of his Swappa verification ID number on top of it and the case and screen protector he's including in sale on either side.
He's been a Swappa member for 3 years and apparently sold 22 items. He has 5 stars

I asked where and when he bought phone. He replied....at Apple store and picked up on 26th (does not say the month).
I asked whether he'd include the original sales receipt if I were to purchase it.

What more might I want to know before proceeding. Is this risky? HELP

 

[timeconsumer]

I’m not sure there’s more you’d need to know as according to the seller it’s “brand new sealed in the box”. My guess is that perhaps the seller bought it and didn’t use it, it’s now past the return period so the only option is to sell it. I guess you can ask which month it was purchased in, because if it was purchased on December 26th it’s kind of a red flag to me as to why the seller isn’t just returning it to the Apple store for a full refund.

 

[burgman]

If he won't post a picture of the receipt with personal info blocked out, I would pass. Every carrier has been running some form of free Xr promotions so, technically it isn't financed, but a new line is needed. very risky in my opinion. You have some protection via Paypal but is the savings worth whatever savings you get? If it's real cheap then that's another red flag.

 

[McRumour]

I’m not sure there’s more you’d need to know as according to the seller it’s “brand new sealed in the box”. My guess is that perhaps the seller bought it and didn’t use it, it’s now past the return period so the only option is to sell it. I guess you can ask which month it was purchased in, because if it was purchased on December 26th it’s kind of a red flag to me as to why the seller isn’t just returning it to the Apple store for a full refund.

BRILLIANT!
or....I'm so dumb ;-)
now that you say it...that's so obvious
I'll ask him...it's important if I want to extend Apple Care - to know purchase date...which is why I asked for receipt if I buy it.
[doublepost=1546032481][/doublepost]

If he won't post a picture of the receipt with personal info blocked out, I would pass. Every carrier has been running some form of free Xr promotions so, technically it isn't financed, but a new line is needed. very risky in my opinion. You have some protection via Paypal but is the savings worth whatever savings you get? If it's real cheap then that's another red flag.

Said he'd include it with personal info blocked out...tho seemed a bit taken aback by the request, I thought
Yes...my own carrier is offering this model with no down payment and 0% over either 24 or 36 mos.
Thanks for that reminder...
He says it's not financed in his description however - so I guess his written assertion protects me if it turns out it is. Paying with AmX thru PayPal should also help.

No, it's not "real cheap"....
He's asking Apple's price (well 1 cent more) but *no sales tax*. Which saves me $71.16
And at worst I think I'd have 10 months left on the original 1 year warranty and 1 month on the 90 day phone support

What do you think?
Good deal or forget it?

 

[snow755]

do not buy stuff from ebay what ever you do has far has iphones go

 

[dooku77]

Swappa is very safe. I buy and sell often. They require the imei number to be added for verification the device isn’t lost, stolen or on contract. If you buy you have swappa and PayPal protection.

 

[now i see it]

If you hem & haw too long someone else will likely snatch it. Then it'll be gone.
When it comes to buying stuff on Craigslist, eBay and Swappa, you've got to move pretty quickly/ otherwise it gets sold to someone else.

If it were me, I'd buy that phone if I wanted it. There's no 100% guarantee that any sale of anything will go down perfectly with no problems (used cars, furniture, electronics). There's always a bit of risk for both the buyer AND the seller. At some point you've got to trust people (somewhat) otherwise no transactions could ever take place.

Buy it - is my advice. Swappa is the best marketplace there is for used phones.

You think buying a new quality iPhone on Swappa is scary, try selling expensive used cars on Craigslist. Now that's always hairball- and I've sold three. No problems... and Craigslist is rife with scammers.

 

[mlody]

I am not sure what your financial situation is, but in my opinion the savings ($70) is not worth the potential hassle. If thos was $200 off the retail, than it would be a different story.

Buy it directly via Apple and put it on a credit card (if you can) and enjoy another year of warranty via you credit card.

 

[McRumour]

Great advice from everyone...
I'm going to follow mlody's suggestion above...for $70 saving - not worth the uncertainty
Will buy online at Apple...and have added protection of being able to return within 14 days if there's a problem
Thanks all...
next... phone case and screen protector (it never ends, does it?')

 

[cyclingplatypus]

Swappa requires the IMEI and does a check on that IMEI, it also requires the user to post certain images of the device powered on and ties it to the seller - would you mind posting a link to the phone?

 

[McRumour]

would you mind posting a link to the phone?

here it is - but not sure this forum allows this link to be posted...?

https://swappa.com/listing/view/LRNV83082

 

[timeconsumer]

here it is - but not sure this forum allows this link to be posted...?

https://swappa.com/listing/view/LRNV83082

I’d avoid this.

“Bought a few days ago and picked up on the 26th. If necessary, I can provide it but I will need to block out any of my personal information.”

If he bought it a few days ago, it seems to me it would make sense to return to the Apple store for a full refund. Just seems odd to me...

Edit: I suppose it is possible that maybe he had an iPhone sitting around collecting dust that he used for the trade in deal on the XR, which allowed him to get the XR for much cheaper and he’s trying to make some extra money. But seems to me it would make more sense to just return it to the Apple store for full price.

 

[stflush]

There were a number of deals posted on Slick Deals earlier this month that provided some ways to acquire phones for significant discounts, mainly associated with the trade in program and a loophole that was open for weeks. With a seller rating like that I’d almost guarantee this is legit and the seller has no reason to return the phone. It's also perfectly reasonable to prefer to buy from a retailer vs a seller like this over the small price difference. Personally I almost bought a Xs Max to resell but ended up spending the gift cards I acquired on items I kept instead.

 

[slippery-pete]

Online sale sites scare me. Always have, always will.

 

[cyclingplatypus]

I'm with stflush on this one, this guy has sold 23 phones on swappa and apple was running a killer trade-in deal before the holidays, I bought my daughter's xr that way - he's firm at $750 because that is probably close to $200 (if not) more than he paid which is why he didn't want to return it to the apple store. I have sold 9 items on swappa - I'd go swappa with a longtime seller over eBay or even craigslist every time - hands down the easiest way to sell - I have never had a listing on swappa for more than 3 days. Not just phones either, tablets, watches, and I even sold a MBP on it.​