Buying Cell Phone On Line

**FarminCy** · 07-26-2010, 08:25 AM

Yesterday when I was taking the pontoon out of Big Creek I walked to the back of the trailer to see if we were centered. It was about waist deep water and then I realized I had my cell phone in my pocket. Dried it out and it turns on but the touch screen goes haywire every time. And since it got wet my insurance won't cover phone.

Just wondering if anyone has purchased a used phone off of Ebay or Craigslist before and how that turned out for them.

The ruined phone is a Verizon Palm Pre Plus and would like one again (mobile wifi hot spot is a life saver some times) or possibly go to a droid as well. Thought I would throw that out there to see if any CFers have one they would sell.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

**Tank** · 07-26-2010, 08:33 AM

I recently bought two Razr's off of eBay and the first 2 I bought were crap, but the seller and a 30 day return policy on them, so we sent them back with no problem. The second two we bought worked perfectly and we have had no problems with them. Just make sure you read the return policy, condition of the phone and ask questions to the seller before doing anything.

**ianoconnor** · 07-26-2010, 08:38 AM

I've only bought 1 phone on ebay, but had great results. It's definitely saves a ton of money compared with buying another one from verizon.

**CyAggie** · 07-26-2010, 08:44 AM

I have had to buy several backups, replacements, etc.
There are several sites for used cell phones besides ebay.
Dotcells.com, mobilepc,etc. All have been ok,

**jbhtexas** · 07-26-2010, 08:57 AM

I've purchased two cell phones off of ebay, with great results both times. In both cases I asked the seller for the ESN and checked with Sprint to see if it was clear.

On your water problem...my Mogul fell in the water. I ended up taking it completely apart (found a step-by-step video on YouTube). Once I had it apart, I sprayed everything with electronics cleaner, let the disassembled parts dry over night, put it back together, and it's been working fine for over a year now.

Initially, I thought I had it dried out pretty well before I took it apart. It would boot, but like yours, it behaved very badly. When I took it apart, there were little pockets of water everywhere...

**intrepid27** · 07-26-2010, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by FarminCy

And since it got wet my insurance won't cover phone.

Maybey you were wrong and it did not get wet. Maybe it got "lost" or "run over" and those may be covered. My son's 4-H pig ate his and that was covered. True story by the way. He only had the phone 2 days befor the pig incident. Got his replacement and lost it then next week in an 80 acre cornfield while detasseling. Amazingly enough we found that one.

**nickwc** · 07-26-2010, 09:15 AM

i too have a bought a phone off ebay without any problems, worked great and definitely cheaper than the US cellular store.

**zumbro clones** · 07-26-2010, 09:31 AM

I bought 3 phones on eBay. All from recellulartoo

Search for that buyer and you'll have good luck. They have reasonable prices and good products. They sent the wrong batteries the last time I used them and I informed them about it and they sent new batteries right away...I got them in 2 days.

**Boxerdaddy** · 07-26-2010, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by nickwc

i too have a bought a phone off ebay without any problems, worked great and definitely cheaper than the US cellular store.

I have had great luck on both ebay and craigslist. But you will need to check the ESN# to make sure it's clear. I prefer to buy from individuals though, instead of refurbers or stores. I usually just look for people that are getting rid of an older one. Obviously every instance will be different but take a minute to read the reviews...not just the % positive.

**Schfinkter** · 07-26-2010, 10:05 AM

I dropped my phone in water, took it all apart and put the components in rice over night, put it back together and it works fine

**colbycheese** · 07-26-2010, 10:43 AM

There was a link yesterday about peoples phones. If dropping a phone in the water is a problem, consider getting one of the phones I mentioned here:

I have the G'Zone Boulder:

which is waterproof and shockproof. I've had it for 2 years now and it is still kicking butt. It is a "dumb" phone though but at least I can take it to work (I'm a wetland/soil scientist) and hunting and fishing without a single worry.

I do plan to upgrade eventually with the G'Zone Brigade:

Click this bar to view the full image.

which is also water/shock proof but with added internet capability.

The G'Zone Brigade is internet capable but it isn't a smart phone so it won't have all of what your palm pre did, but it will hold up in water!

**Clonehomer** · 07-26-2010, 11:25 AM

I have two old phones that still work great if you need one. They are both flip phones, I think one is a LG 8300 and the other is a windows mobile flip phone that was only used about two months before my wife decided she didn't like it. It's not a Palm Pre, but it's an option if you want to go the cheaper route and guarantee that they work.

**pulse** · 07-26-2010, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by Schfinkter

I dropped my phone in water, took it all apart and put the components in rice over night, put it back together and it works fine

Mine went through the washer. Set it out in the sun for a couple of days, then into a bowl of rice for a couple more, and bingo it worked.

**mmiille** · 07-26-2010, 12:09 PM

Bought 4 phones off ebay. 3 worked great and one didn't. They said no returns and I hadn't noticed that, but I had bought through paypal with a credit card and they helped me get them to take it back and gave me my money back. Watched it go back for sale two more times before the seller sold it as a broken phone. Sometimes the phone companies sell on ebay too. Phones that have been returned during the introductory period.

**ce1** · 07-26-2010, 12:22 PM

Give the phone at least 3 days to dry out, before you declare it dead.

I ran my Android phone through the wash (okay, my fianceé did

), nothing worked after. Plugged it in to charge anyway. Next day, the phone was working, but the touchscreen didn't work and the keyboard would auto-type a row of q's and w's every time you opened it.

The day after, the touch screen was working but had some waterspots, where the backlight would show in some places, not in others.

On day four, the touchscreen was back to normal, the keyboard worked, and all was well. Only lingering issue is the letter i on the keyboard. Needs to be pushed a little harder than all the rest.