help regarding buying iphone 4

[rana.avneet]

hello guys.this is my first post in the forum although ive been a regular reader of main tipb site.
ive been using iphone 3g fr 2 yrs now and decided its time for an upgrde.

as ive a little less budget so i am planning on buying a second hand(used) iphone 4 from a grey market here in India as the new one was just launched 10 days back and is 780$(16 GB).So i Have some queries

1. Is there any way i can get to know that the iphone 4 is actually white or someone has changed the color or casing of black iphone 4 to white. i mean looking at serial no or model no or inside settings?

2.is there any way i can get to know that how old that iphone 4 is cos most of the sellers say its only 1 month old?

3.is there any way i can test if its battery is in good condition?

4. IS there any way i can get to know if the iphone 4 is factory unlocked or unlocked using Ultrasnow without going into cydia because they dont have internet in grey market so i wont be able to pull up cydia.

5.Can you give me some tips as in what to look in a iphone 4 when buying a second hand(used) as in screen, buttons, or volume rocker

 

[anon(4697585)]

1) Nothing in settings but I personally wouldn't buy it without the box. Check the serial number on the phone matches the one on the box. If not then don't buy!

2) You can register the device on https://supportprofile.apple.com to see when the 1year warranty runs out (and see if it is a legit iPhone). Suggest you do this anyway before buying!!!

3) Not quickly but Apple will replace it under warranty if it is bad quality

4) Just put a few different SIM cards in it (borrow friends if you can)

5) Avoid anything that doesn't come with the box and original docs. Try to get a receipt or proof of purchase. Personally I'd avoid people who have a lot of them to sell as chances are they are stolen and will end up getting blocked. Check eBay and other sites where you are protected from frauds with PayPal.

Final tip is to avoid the grey market if at all possible!

 

[anon(4698833)]

1. Check the headphone jack and the dock input...many people who just do a quick external swap of the cases from black to white won't take the time to do these parts, and they'll still retain the "black" models pieces...here are pics for comparison...you can see the white inside both, the black one did not have white in either, and would be a pretty good sign it was swapped vs. stock white.

2. Like he said above, registration is the easiest way of telling exactly how old it is, because even with Apple care, there is still a very precise date for when the warranty started and ends.

3. Not really, outside of fully charging it up and seeing how long it lasts under your normal usage conditions, there's no real way of testing the battery flat out.

4. Again, like he said above, try a SIM card of a company that doesn't carry the iPhone in your market, if it works, you're set.

5. Here's where i disagree a bit from the first response you got, he said to make sure that the original box and all that, and to avoid sellers with several iPhones for sale...no real reason to count out sellers without the original box, my wife is one who never keeps boxes to stuff, but her iPhone is in mint condition, and if she sold it...a person who would avoid it because of such would miss out on a great phone for probably a really good deal (and if you're doing so to avoid getting a stolen iPhone, understand how easy it is to get a box for an iPhone, so if you ARE going to require a box, make sure the serial #'s match)...also, sellers with multiple phones can be a good source of a deal as well because the truth is, people buy bulks of these things all the time, and sell them off...no real reason to assume shady business, again, you could miss out on a good deal.

The bottom line is you just have to be careful with what you buy no matter WHAT you search out...i had a lady one time try to sell me a chinese knock off with the original box for a REAL iphone, even the phone itself looked real, but when powering it up, it was very obviously a fake. You have to use common sense and make sure you know what to look for on the phone...

- Condition of the exterior that meets or exceeds your expectations
- Menu systems (NONE of the knock off iPhones are even close...not one of them, so it will be very obvious from the get go just looking at the menus and apps)
- Go into settings and check the "About" under general settings, look for a legitimate firmware version, model # and serial #...those things can be verified online to ensure you're getting the real deal.

...good luck! Buying an iPhone 2nd hand isn't rocket science, it just takes common sense and some patience.