What Would You Check before Buying a Second Hand Mobile Phone off Someone?

iridiumstem on 20/09/2015 - 02:02
Last edited 20/09/2015 - 15:10

I am thinking of getting a Galaxy S6, second hand, as it's considerably cheaper than what I'd expect.
That said, I am slightly worried about grabbing it after hearing horror stories of buying second hand phones.
I am going to see the seller in person, so I think I could test few things before finalising transaction.

I've been thinking of checking these, but I am not sure whether I have a complete list:
1. Water Damage Seal
2. IMEI/SN check
3. Check whether KNOX counter has been tripped

What else would you guys check if you were in my posistion?

EDIT: After meeting with the seller and checking the phone, I've decided to grab the phone (it was cheap and she didn't seem to be scamming).
I've checked with Samsung Australia and transferred the warranty to my name as well (I've checked that this was possible before purchasing it).

Mobile

Comments

  • DeafMutePretender on 20/09/2015 - 02:38
    +1

    I would check the seller him/herself. Most dodgy people are amazingly bad at disguising themselves as not dodgy so if they give off a bad vibe (I'll let you use your imagination on what a bad vibe could be) then it was probably too good to be true. Think of a good excuse and retreat.

    Also, unless it's a low value item, I discriminate against sellers with bad spelling and grammar. Even the bad vibe of dodgy sellers permeates through their written communication.

    • iridiumstem on 20/09/2015 - 02:52

      It's from a facebook group that's disclosed to members of university, so I don't think I'd be seeing a dodgy seller who'd do that kind of thing for a living.
      Though I will keep that in mind (and try to see those signs while I inspect the phone).

  • Axelstrife on 20/09/2015 - 02:43
    +1

    Buy off ebay while you cannot check the phone first hand you are protected with paypal if something bad happens that's not something that would be evident within say the first 20 min of using it.

    basically if the seller doesn't describe the phone right or doesn't tell you of a problem it has like the more important one which is the battery may not hold charge for whatever reason then you are protected.

    No way id buy something so expensive off gumtree unless it comes with warrenty(a ps4 i bought screwed up off gumtree and sony sent me a brand new console.)

    • iridiumstem on 20/09/2015 - 02:58

      The description on the phone sounded like it might be under warranty (if it is not a grey import). I might double check with the seller, ask for the proof of purchase and whether it is a grey import or not (Samsung allows warranty transfers, as far as I know). It's from a priovate group in a university as well, so I don't think I will face someone who scams for living (hopefully).

      Thanks for the advice. :)

    • Axelstrife on 20/09/2015 - 03:25
      -2

      Why am i being neged i was just trying to help.

    • RJK on 20/09/2015 - 13:37

      This is sound advice.

      eBay/PayPal tend to side with the buyer in most cases, and I've always gotten my money back for anything not as describe - with one exception (an 'adult sized' beanie that could only fit children).

  • inherentchoice on 20/09/2015 - 08:13

    Ask them for the original receipt?

    I bought a 2nd hand phone but it got stolen overseas. Fortunately I had travel insurance and they paid me more than what I bought it for because I got the original receipt from the seller. The insurance payout was enough to buy a new one.

    • iridiumstem on 20/09/2015 - 13:47

      He/she couldn't provide the original receipt, but Samsung Australia agreed to provide warranty based on manufacturing date.
      As for the insurance, I think the price s/he's asking is too good to begin with; it's cheaper than 32GB Australian model.

      • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2015 - 14:09
        +1

        There's a good old saying…

        If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

        • iridiumstem on 20/09/2015 - 14:51

          True that… That said, I've met up with the seller and checked the device.
          Didn't seem to have any faults on it, so I've devided to risk it :)

  • RJK on 20/09/2015 - 13:34

    Ask if you can pay considerably more, just for your peace of mind.

    HTH :)

  • chloden on 20/09/2015 - 14:56

    Google youtube fake galaxy s6

    • iridiumstem on 20/09/2015 - 15:00

      I've checked the IMEI and the serial number from the phone with Samsung :)

      • [Deactivated] on 20/09/2015 - 15:33

        Have you checked with AMTA to see if the IMEI of the handset is unblocked within Australia?

        Samsung wouldn't be able to help you with this - the AMTA registry is the most reliable source for checking IMEI statuses.

        Google "imei check" for more information.

  • dasher86 on 21/09/2015 - 08:54

    whether or not they used it whilst on the bog.

  • bich.light on 06/10/2015 - 02:58

    I'm just saying, you not only got her number but her phone too!
    How do you like the phone? :)

    • iridiumstem on 06/10/2015 - 03:06
      +1

      It's S6 128GB (got it for $750, checked the times that it was charged and it was less than 20, so she've pretty much didn't even touch it after getting it). The price looked good before the barrage of the sales started to happen (Thanks to TA). I don't think I've gotten a bad deal anyways (I've checked with Samsung and they said they will honour the warranty based on the manufacturing date, which is good).

      The camera's amazing, the phone is alright, I play games on it but I end up playing games on tablet more (bigger screen). The phone performs far better than my old phone at the very very least. I think overall, I am very satisfied with it.

      I think the thing I like about it the most is the charging speed. Quick Charge 2.0 (technically one used on S6 is slightly worse than that, but they are compatiable) is amazing. I was thinking of using debloater, but the phone feels fast as is.

      The only thing that I am slightly peeved about is that I know that South Korean version has received minor update that adds many features from Note 5 and Edge+ (I think we will receive it later, since I think New Zealand version just received it). Also Samsung Pay not being there is something that I dislike as well (MST allows it to be used on any card reader since it works with magnetic strip reader or something like that). Plus, the back plate is a finger print magnet.

      • bich.light on 06/10/2015 - 03:15

        Does it stutter much? Thanks for the detailed report~
        And screw TA ;) haha I joke

        • iridiumstem on 06/10/2015 - 03:21

          Stutter? Ummm, I've not noticed any stutter, to be honest (though this might be because I've come from a phone that's 2 years old). That said, I don't tend to use my phone heavily and I do use Nova Launcher Prime which is lighter than TouchWiz Launcher (I shouldn't see stutters with how I use my device if it is a flagship). In fact, I usually just keep it on the Power Saving mode because it doesn't lag anyways in Power Saving Mode as far as I see.

          Performance wise, I've heard few issues with multitasking which probably wouldn't solved until Marshmallow update (Something to do with LMK setting and what Samsung did with the ART).

          That said, since I don't use the multitasking too much (i.e. I do watch youtube while going on Ozbargain, but I don't do much more than that), so I've not noticed it yet. At least SoC is decent enough imo, running AnTuTu on power saving mode gets you score that's on par with Note 4, so yeah.

          So hardware wise, I think it should run very smooth, there are bits of hiccups (LMK setting is killing off apps too vigorously) due to Samsung messing up ART (well that's one of the speculations). It probably would be solved with Marshmallow and more updates.

          That said, as an end user, I've not noticed any major issues with performance at all.

          p.s. Bundle earphone that came with S6 is crap :P EarPod (iPhone) or QuadBeat 2 (G2 til G3) are so much better.

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