so i went to meet a guy last weekend to buy an iPhone 5 (Craigslist)

[Garz]

I sell all of my devices on CL. I always show paperwork with serial number to show when warranty expires. I don't hide anything. I want to buyer to be as confident as possibly can be. Part of it is asking the right questions before you meet. Ask to run the serial number on a Apples site before you meet.

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

the ad read as follows:

White iPhone 5 at&t 16gb $350 OBO. only 3 weeks old!

after a few emails the final price was $300, he was desperate and needed the money. We met at a Barnes & Noble bookstore about an hour away from where i live

as soon as i had the device in hand i ran the serial numbers to see if it was purchased 3 weeks ago or not (warranty) it turned out it was indeed a launch day device originally but was "replaced" 3 weeks ago. the funny part was i asked the guy, before meeting, when exactly was the device purchased and he said "3 weeks ago" ... i did not make the purchase

another ad i responded to the seller no longer had his device due to him meeting with someone the night before and the potential buyer just grabbed the phone and ran off!

craigslist is a pretty shady business lol. i have bought a lot of items via Craigslist but when it comes to smartphones people lose their damn minds!!

I would have offered that guy $250 then and there when you found out it was
a replacement. Still have a warranty going until September 21st

 

[Duvi]

I'm not gonna lie... a 3 week replacement for $300 is awesome. I sold an unused replacement 4S for $340 a couple of weeks ago and it's actually better than new phones at times.

The process that apple uses IMO is a lot better than most manufacturers/carriers. In fact, I'd rather the replacement over the 9 month old device.

I understand he wasn't honest, but as long as the phone was clear of physical or liquid damage, I would have purchased it.

 

[BLiNK]

whether buying or selling i always meet in a public place

in fact i am meeting with someone tomorrow evening @ 7:00pm cst
(White iPhone 5 16gb purchased in May - $300)

we'll see if its legit!

 

[xlipstickandbruisesx]

Why can I never find somebody desperate for money hahaha. It's probably because I don't ask people to discount their items when I think they are already giving a good deal because I hate when people ask for money off the price I list but maybe I will try it out lol.

Agreed. But I will say sometimes you can get away with a good deal by confronting them with their misrepresentation. I got a 2012 Macbook w/ Apple care for $650 because the dude exaggrated in the listing. It was listed for $750 and I talked him down to $700. So I go meet him to check it out and he advertised as mint condition and looks brand new. Well the top case has some light scratches. Nothing too deep but I could notice them. I checked everything out, his Apple care papers and ran Mac diagnostic and confirmed on Apple's support website. So all that looked I told him "that it doesn't look brand new because of the scratches and the ad didn't say anything about it and was passed off as new condition". I said the best I could do for this is $650. Now, I already knew $700 was a steal for it but I used his own inaccuracy against him. So of course he took it. Couldn't let the money walk away. So I the laptop, box it came in and Apple Care papers all for $650. So some times someone being shady is also not that bright either LOL.

 

[swarlos]

Assuming he didn't have applecare+?


Sent from Jack Bauer's PDA.

 

[BLiNK]

Assuming he didn't have applecare+?

nope

 

[BLiNK]

now the tricky part will be, this evening, i will need a nano sim (active) so i can test the device. i'll have to pick one up at my local AT&T store which will then deactivate the current sim in my 4S. then if for some reason the deal falls through i will need to reactivate my original sim..

sounds kind of like a PIA but worth it i guess. hope it does not mess with my unlimited data plan

 

[Duvi]

Why can I never find somebody desperate for money hahaha. It's probably because I don't ask people to discount their items when I think they are already giving a good deal because I hate when people ask for money off the price I list but maybe I will try it out lol.

Most of the time, the prices they list aren't what they expect to get. Most sellers leave bending room.

 

[Fausty82]

now the tricky part will be, this evening, i will need a nano sim (active) so i can test the device. i'll have to pick one up at my local AT&T store which will then deactivate the current sim in my 4S. then if for some reason the deal falls through i will need to reactivate my original sim..

sounds kind of like a PIA but worth it i guess. hope it does not mess with my unlimited data plan

Why not just meet him at the AT&T store? That makes your life easier, and may flush out any scammer who doesn’t want to risk doing a deal at the AT&T store... #winning

 

[xlipstickandbruisesx]

I list my items for more than I would expect only because no matter what price you list, somebody will ask for a discount. I still think $650 for 2012 mbp with applecare is an amazing price and I have just never found something like that myself. I haven't even found a mbp for $750 unless it was 3-4+ years old.

 

[finn5975]

sounds kind of like a PIA but worth it i guess. hope it does not mess with my unlimited data plan

You'll be good to go on your unlimited plan, that much I can assure you. If you're rocking the 4S, aren't you due for an upgrade soon? No interest in waiting to see what drops in Sept/Oct (says the guy with ZERO patience )

 

[i507]

I list my items for more than I would expect only because no matter what price you list, somebody will ask for a discount. I still think $650 for 2012 mbp with applecare is an amazing price and I have just never found something like that myself. I haven't even found a mbp for $750 unless it was 3-4+ years old.

650 isn't bad at all I've found everything over 750 I would have jumped for that buy at that price!

 

[kch50428]

This thread became an iMore Blog post... Craigslist horror stories: What not to do when buying, selling, or trading used iPhones | iMore.com

 

[BLiNK]

You'll be good to go on your unlimited plan, that much I can assure you. If you're rocking the 4S, aren't you due for an upgrade soon? No interest in waiting to see what drops in Sept/Oct (says the guy with ZERO patience )

my upgrade is due March 2014 so this is my best plan of attack ATM

 

[BLiNK]

welp, met with that guy earlier this evening..

White iPhone 5 16gb - $300 - not a scratch. no issues at all. AND just like when i was born - Naked to the World!

i also had a couple of friends outside the building watching/waiting just in case

 

[Massie]

So you got it? Congrats!

(Do I dare ask what version of iOS?)

 

[BLiNK]

So you got it? Congrats!

(Do I dare ask what version of iOS?)

ha! 6.1.4

i am going to roll with iOS 7 beta as soon as i can!

 

[Massie]

ha! 6.1.4

i am going to roll with iOS 7 beta as soon as i can!

Cool, enjoy it! In the meantime, you might enjoy messing around with this sort of thing.

 

[xlipstickandbruisesx]

Enjoy your new phone!