Buying off adverts.ie

Ferris_Bueller

Has anyone ever bought a phone off someone on adverts.ie or a similar? What are the general things to look out for? They are obviously so much cheaper to buy second hand then to buy a brand new phone, but I feel as if the phone could just not work the day after you buy it and you have no come back.

Anyone have any good or bad experiences to share?

long_b

Many experiences selling and buying - just one dodgy one

Have a look at the feedback

Ask questions
Ask for receipts if possible
Go for unopened if you can

Most importantly - try a SIM in it !

The main danger would be from a phone that was got at the start of a contract that has since been broken by the owner - AFAIK the only way to avoid this is to get a feel for the seller.

scudzilla

Adverts is a great place to look, i sold a phone there and the person who bought it was more than happy (not an android though)

Things i look for on adverts that 'Should' hold you in good stead.

A good feedback, any negative then i'll leave it, also see when the seller registered.

Another thing i'll keep an eye on is if the seller is a boards user, A Regular boards user with 1,000+ posts is another plus in my eyes and wouldn't try and deliberately scam ya.

And of course, the age old rule, if it's too good to be true then it probably is

lord lucan

Offer €20.:pac:

Nedved85

I once bought an iPhone and laptop a few years ago and had no problems. Have bought a few other things on there as well but not as high value.

Have also sold numerous items myself and had no problems selling either,

Just test out the phone for a few minutes before handing over the money,

Tinkerbell4484

Bought an iPhone 4 from a lad in Galway in December,it's blacklisted and I've absolutely no comeback,yes should of tried a sim it in before I bought it but it was locked to 3 and I'm 02.

BeciMester

I've bought 2 phones off Adverts so far (N95-8GB and an Orange San Francisco), good experience both times. Just google some testing guidelines on the phone you have in mind - for the N95 I memorised a code that shows the IMEI and I compared it with the sticker under the battery, as there were Chinese fakes going around at that time I wanted to make sure it's original; for the San Fran I popped my SIM in and downloaded a small app from the Market, that's hard to fake. Check if every accessory is as per the advert. And 100% make sure you see the phone working before you hand over any money! Put a SIM in it, send a text/ring someone, if it's on a different network than yours, ask the seller to try with his SIM. Most importantly: if at any stage you have ANY doubt (even a shadow) just walk away. If the seller is unhelpful, tries to rush the deal, or is unwilling to let the phone tested, walk away. There's other fish in the sea. Listen to your instincts.

Tinkerbell4484 wrote: »

Bought an iPhone 4 from a lad in Galway in December,it's blacklisted and I've absolutely no comeback,yes should of tried a sim it in before I bought it but it was locked to 3 and I'm 02.

Your best bet is to sell it to a foreigner who'll take it home to their country. AFAIK it's only Ireland and the UK these blacklisted phones don't work in, but I'm open to correction on that.

ongarite

Bought my Galaxy Nexus off adverts.
No problems at all, checked phone was working and registering SIM before sale was completed.

IrishHomer

I bought a HTC Desire HD from adverts, very good purchase and saved lot off retail price.

Look up sellers record before committing to buy.

Vahevala

It is always a risk. You never know if they are selling it during contract, they stop paying the bills and your phone could end up as a paperweight.

Though in saying that... I have sold quite a few phones to people, I as a seller also look to sell to someone who I can trust.

It isn't without it's risks. I have never bought a phone from there and there isn't a lot of comeback for you if things go wrong. Go into it with your eyes open.

Slunk

Bought two desire hds recently from adverts. Both had custom roms. Tested with two Sims and made calls. One of then hadn't got the Google apps such as market,Google talk etc. Only noticed when i got home. Contacted the seller and he talked me through installing them myself.

As previous posters said. Check feedback, boards posts and general impression when you meet and look over the phone.

Sold a phone myself which went without any problems.

Most sellers are genuine but if its too good to be true it probably is.

tallus

Been buying and selling stuff on there since the old boards.ie for sale in 2005.
Ended up moderating the mobiles for sale for a time too.

Mods do take action against users who break the rules but most times you won't get your money back, so the golden rule is "caveat emptor" or buyer beware Make sure you're 100% happy with the phone before you complete a deal.

MyPeopleDrankTheSoup

Bought my current Galaxy S2 on there for €350 and happy but I was only looking for phones still in the shrink wrap, didn't want to take the risk of a bust second hand phone.

It was locked to Meteor, it was trivial to unlock and use my Tesco mobile sim.

Was looking for ages on adverts.ie and one Limerick lad was 'selling' a phone and wanted me to pay via Paypal but then I'd collect it! Immediately set off alarm bells and I asked for his Facebook and he wouldn't give it so pretty sure it was a scam then.

Contacted adverts.ie support but they did nothing. A week later someone posted on the adverts.ie page saying he paid via Paypal 2 weeks earlier but had received nothing so finally adverts.ie closed the page. I hope he got his money back from Paypal.

CantGetNoSleep

I've bought my last 4 phones from there (3 of them were posted), and all perfect.

As above look for feedback, try to get sealed packages, and a feel for the seller. Check prices the phone you want is selling at, and don't go too far below this.

One of my rules of thumb is to avoid all ads with English grammar mistakes

kel8911

Im looking to buy an Iphone 4 or 4s and was looking on adverts. I came across something called electronics reviews limited.. It says they are a company in Malaysia that sell Apple products for half the price. Have been e-mailing somebody from there but when I tried finding any info on google nothing at all comes up.. They said the website was under maintenance work and would be up an running shortly. I'm thinking its a scam but if not a really good website!! Has anybody ever heard or dealt with them before??

Jarren

I purchased SGS2,Htc Desire S, Ipad 3 off adverts.ie.
Ask for a receipt,turn on your device to check if is working, put a Sim in it.
Check the sellers feedback before buying, any doubts just walk away.:)