When Buying a Used iPhone: A Guide to Avoiding Scams and Finding a Reliable Device
Craigslist isn't always the most trustworthy place to buy things, especially when it comes to electronics like iPhones. However, with some knowledge and caution, you can navigate these listings safely and find a reliable used iPhone. One of the first things to check is if the phone has a clean ESN (Electronic Serial Number). A clean ESN means that the device hasn't been previously stolen or reported lost. This is important because if the phone's ESN is blacklisted, it won't work on certain carriers outside of the state where it was purchased.
To verify the phone's ESN, you can use a service like SWAPO.com/ESN, which allows you to enter the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number and check if it's clean. Be sure to turn on the phone, go to Settings > General > About, and find the IMEI number. Then, enter the number into SWAPO.com/ESN without any spaces or dashes, and click "Check". If the ESN is clean, you can proceed with the purchase.
Another crucial thing to check when buying a used iPhone is iCloud lock. This occurs when the original owner's iCloud account is linked to the device, preventing it from being sold or transferred to another user. Unfortunately, this can lead to significant inconvenience and financial loss if the new owner discovers that the phone is locked and unable to be used.
To avoid getting stuck with an iCloud-locked iPhone, make sure to ask the seller if the device has an iCloud remove feature. This process involves signing out of the iCloud account on the device, which will prompt the user for a password. If the seller refuses to provide the password or seems unwilling to help, it's best to walk away from the purchase.
Finally, check for water damage before buying a used iPhone. Each phone has a water damage indicator, usually located in one of two places: inside the charging port (on older iPhones) or inside the SIM card slot (on newer models). The indicator will turn red if the device has been exposed to moisture, which can be devastating to the internal electronics.
To check for water damage on older iPhones, hold the device up and look down into the headphone port. You should see a white or silver sticker that turns red if the phone has been damaged. Similarly, on newer models, pop out the SIM card tray by using a thin paperclip, and look inside the empty slot to find the indicator. Also, insert your own SIM card into the tray and turn on the phone to ensure it works with your carrier.
Additional Checks
In addition to these essential checks, there are several other things you should do when buying a used iPhone:
* Turn on the phone and swipe through all its features to see if anything appears broken or damaged.
* Open the camera app and take multiple photos to check that both cameras work correctly and aren't scratched.
* Examine the screen for any dead pixels, scratches, or other damage.
* Research online to see what the phone is selling for in order to ensure you're getting a good price.
Tips and Tricks
One clever way to research prices is to use eBay's completed listings feature. By clicking on "Completed listings" at the bottom of your search results, you can see what similar phones have sold for in the past. This will give you an idea of the going rate for the device and help you negotiate a better price.
By following these tips and being cautious when buying a used iPhone from Craigslist or other online marketplaces, you can minimize the risk of getting scammed or purchasing a damaged device. Remember to always do your research, verify the phone's ESN and iCloud status, check for water damage, and test its functionality before making a purchase.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enit's that time again a new iPhone has been released and that means one of two things it's either time to sell your current iPhone and get some money to help pay for the new one or it's a good time to look on Craigslist and eBay for the older models that have just significantly dropped in price those of you looking to do the latter there are a few things you absolutely need to know before you get started to save yourself potentially hundreds of dollars worth of headache okay so the first thing is to check if it is a clean ESN phone when perusing Craigslist or Ebay for used phones you will undoubtedly find more than one with the words cleaning ascend or just saying that the IMEI is clean when an ESN or IMEI isn't clean it means that it was reported as stolen or someone has missed enough payments on their phone payment plan the carriers here in the u.s. essentially have a blacklisted database of IMEI Zandi s ends that they use to tell each other to never activate this device on their network ever once blacklisted there is no way to get on blacklisted and even if device is unlocked to work on another carrier you can't use it on any of the ones here in the states it'll just say you can however use it on carriers outside of the state since they don't have access to the blacklist but click the link below for more info on how that works so when you're looking through the listings make sure it says that the phone has a clean ESN or ask the seller if it's clean before you even consider buying it here if you're in the States and let's be real craigslist isn't the most trustworthy of places so when you arrive check to see if the phone is actually clean by turning the phone on and going to Settings General about and look for the IMEI then on your own phone go to SWAPO comm slash ESN and put in the IMEI there without any spaces or dashes and click check yes and it'll come back and let you know if it's clean or not and then you can proceed with the purchase or scream at the guy for being a liar the next term you need to know when buying a used iPhone is iCloud lock I can't tell you how many emails I've gotten from people saying they bought a phone on Craigslist and now it is asking for an iCloud password that they simply don't have and it won't let them use it at all I feel horrible and it's a huge problem and shame on Apple for not educating people in this but once that happens on the phone there is really no good way of getting past those people now have a very expensive paper way to avoid this fate whenever you buy a used iPhone ask if it has iCloud remove and again just because we don't trust people on Craigslist check it and make sure that when you arrive to buy the phone from Craigslist go to the phone go to settings iCloud scroll all the way to the bottom and tap sign out it'll ask for a password at this point ask them to enter in that password so you can remove the iCloud account if they refuse don't buy the phone it's a phone they found at a bar that they're trying to make a quick buck on well what ultimately happen is whenever that original owner gets around to claiming it is lost it will lock up as mentioned before and you're out of luck the next big thing you need to check is water damage each phone has a water damage indicator though that you can see and check really quickly if the phone itself has water damage before you buy it this indicator is essentially a sticker located somewhere on the device that when exposed to moisture turns from white or silver to red if the indicator has any redness to it even if it's pinkish don't buy it so on older iPhones the 4s and below for example there is an indicator in the headphone port that you can see by holding the device up and looking down into the port the flashlight feature on your current phone will help with seeing that by the way there's also one more inside the charging port as well make sure to check both as maybe just the bottom of the phone was dunked but the top wasn't or vice versa on newer iPhones the five and up including the six six plus etc there's only one indicator and it's inside the SIM card slot to get to it use a thin paperclip or something similar to pop out the new SIM card tray and with the phone face down you can look inside the empty slot and you'll see hopefully a white or silver dot I'm not a red one while you have that out you last thing you want check is put your own SIM card into the tray and turn the phone on to make sure that it works with your carrier and that they weren't lying about the carrier that they said it was for there is a way to unlock the phone if it doesn't work for your care but even that has limitations to it as well for more info on that click the link below but it's easiest to just check and make sure that it works off the bat these four things are the biggest things to check when buying a used iPhone but also make sure to check the normal things look for wearing hair turned on swipe the screen and make sure that certain parts of the screen aren't you know dead open the camera app and then make sure that both cameras work the selfie camera and the rear-facing camera and that they don't have scratches on the mid set room and finally do research online to see what the phone is selling for to make sure you get the best price on it when one clever way of doing this is on eBay you can even click the completed listings in the revising of your search on the bottom left and see what they actually sold for and not just what people are trying to get people to buy them for and there you go I hope this helps you guys and if it did please thumbs up it or share it it's greatly appreciated and if you want more videos like this please subscribe to the youtube channel and also follow the blog at the unlocker on social networks and as always thanksit's that time again a new iPhone has been released and that means one of two things it's either time to sell your current iPhone and get some money to help pay for the new one or it's a good time to look on Craigslist and eBay for the older models that have just significantly dropped in price those of you looking to do the latter there are a few things you absolutely need to know before you get started to save yourself potentially hundreds of dollars worth of headache okay so the first thing is to check if it is a clean ESN phone when perusing Craigslist or Ebay for used phones you will undoubtedly find more than one with the words cleaning ascend or just saying that the IMEI is clean when an ESN or IMEI isn't clean it means that it was reported as stolen or someone has missed enough payments on their phone payment plan the carriers here in the u.s. essentially have a blacklisted database of IMEI Zandi s ends that they use to tell each other to never activate this device on their network ever once blacklisted there is no way to get on blacklisted and even if device is unlocked to work on another carrier you can't use it on any of the ones here in the states it'll just say you can however use it on carriers outside of the state since they don't have access to the blacklist but click the link below for more info on how that works so when you're looking through the listings make sure it says that the phone has a clean ESN or ask the seller if it's clean before you even consider buying it here if you're in the States and let's be real craigslist isn't the most trustworthy of places so when you arrive check to see if the phone is actually clean by turning the phone on and going to Settings General about and look for the IMEI then on your own phone go to SWAPO comm slash ESN and put in the IMEI there without any spaces or dashes and click check yes and it'll come back and let you know if it's clean or not and then you can proceed with the purchase or scream at the guy for being a liar the next term you need to know when buying a used iPhone is iCloud lock I can't tell you how many emails I've gotten from people saying they bought a phone on Craigslist and now it is asking for an iCloud password that they simply don't have and it won't let them use it at all I feel horrible and it's a huge problem and shame on Apple for not educating people in this but once that happens on the phone there is really no good way of getting past those people now have a very expensive paper way to avoid this fate whenever you buy a used iPhone ask if it has iCloud remove and again just because we don't trust people on Craigslist check it and make sure that when you arrive to buy the phone from Craigslist go to the phone go to settings iCloud scroll all the way to the bottom and tap sign out it'll ask for a password at this point ask them to enter in that password so you can remove the iCloud account if they refuse don't buy the phone it's a phone they found at a bar that they're trying to make a quick buck on well what ultimately happen is whenever that original owner gets around to claiming it is lost it will lock up as mentioned before and you're out of luck the next big thing you need to check is water damage each phone has a water damage indicator though that you can see and check really quickly if the phone itself has water damage before you buy it this indicator is essentially a sticker located somewhere on the device that when exposed to moisture turns from white or silver to red if the indicator has any redness to it even if it's pinkish don't buy it so on older iPhones the 4s and below for example there is an indicator in the headphone port that you can see by holding the device up and looking down into the port the flashlight feature on your current phone will help with seeing that by the way there's also one more inside the charging port as well make sure to check both as maybe just the bottom of the phone was dunked but the top wasn't or vice versa on newer iPhones the five and up including the six six plus etc there's only one indicator and it's inside the SIM card slot to get to it use a thin paperclip or something similar to pop out the new SIM card tray and with the phone face down you can look inside the empty slot and you'll see hopefully a white or silver dot I'm not a red one while you have that out you last thing you want check is put your own SIM card into the tray and turn the phone on to make sure that it works with your carrier and that they weren't lying about the carrier that they said it was for there is a way to unlock the phone if it doesn't work for your care but even that has limitations to it as well for more info on that click the link below but it's easiest to just check and make sure that it works off the bat these four things are the biggest things to check when buying a used iPhone but also make sure to check the normal things look for wearing hair turned on swipe the screen and make sure that certain parts of the screen aren't you know dead open the camera app and then make sure that both cameras work the selfie camera and the rear-facing camera and that they don't have scratches on the mid set room and finally do research online to see what the phone is selling for to make sure you get the best price on it when one clever way of doing this is on eBay you can even click the completed listings in the revising of your search on the bottom left and see what they actually sold for and not just what people are trying to get people to buy them for and there you go I hope this helps you guys and if it did please thumbs up it or share it it's greatly appreciated and if you want more videos like this please subscribe to the youtube channel and also follow the blog at the unlocker on social networks and as always thanks\n"
