Buying A 2nd Hand Phone?

What Should You Check Before Buying A Mobile Phone Second Hand? 

How can you tell if you have a good deal presented in front of you? With second-hand mobile phones, it’s not always as easy as it may seem. Here are some of the best tips you can use to ensure that you are buying a second-hand or refurbished phone for a good deal. You’ll also find tips that can help you avoid serious disasters. 

1. Avoid Stolen Phones

If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. If someone is willing to unload a phone at a substantial price cut that seems unrealistic, it’s likely stolen and even blacklisted. Buying any electronics that are stolen is not recommended. Not only do you put yourself at risk of getting in trouble yourself, but you risk buying nothing but a paperweight. Phones are connected devices. As such, they can easily be remotely deactivated at the press of a button. 

To avoid this, you’ll want to ensure that the seller is either the original owner of the device or that the IMEI and/or the serial number of the phone shows the phone isn’t blacklisted. There are sites you can check out to find out if a specific phone has been reported stolen and blacklisted. These phones won’t be eligible to be activated on the networks within the country it was reported stolen. If the owner can provide you with a copy of the receipt and warranty details, that makes it even better.

To find the IMEI, you can look at the back of the phone, toward the battery compartment, or by turning on the phone and going into the phone’s settings. A quick and easy way to access the IMEI is by dialing “*#06#” to retrieve the IMEI from the screen. If you got a receipt, you’ll want to match up this number with the number supplied on the invoice/receipt.

2. Keep An Eye On Fake Phones

With phones being so in-demand, it was only a matter of time before counterfeits and fakes entered the marketplace. While it’s not too much of a problem for the lesser-known devices, you’ll find a lot of fake iPhones and other expensive and popular models. These can be very difficult to discern without looking at the phones up close. Because of this, you’ll want to do a comprehensive check of the phone before handing over any money. Always look for IMEIs, serial numbers, model numbers, and even where it was manufactured. These things can give you hints as to whether or not the phone is real. The fact is, that fake mobile phone sales cost the worldwide industry as much as $48 billion every year.

To keep yourself from becoming another statistic, you’ll want to do some comprehensive checks. The specific checks you need to do are ensuring that the settings show you the model number of the phone you are buying. Typically, fake phones will have fake model numbers or no model numbers at all. You want to ensure the model number matches up. You also want to look at hardware tells to figure out if it’s a real phone. Most phones will have serial numbers and model numbers printed on the outer shell. Match these up (if applicable). If you’ve done your checks and you still aren’t sure, you could call your nearest Authorized Service Center to figure out if the phone is authentic. 

3. Service Code Test

Nowadays, you will find that every phone has a service code that unlocks an advanced menu that you would normally only be able to access from the dialer. These codes can easily be found online. They can be used to do a series of tests on the phone to ensure that everything is working properly. These service codes can help troubleshoot phones and figure out if it’s in working condition. You can figure out if the vibration motor is working, the sensors, the touchscreen, and more. To learn more about service codes and how to apply them to your check, you can enroll in the mobile repairing course offered at Prizm Institute’s Training Center in Kurla.

4. Examine The Ports and Accessories

Whenever you are buying a phone, you need to look closely at the ports and accessories. You want to ensure that the phone you are buying can charge and that the accessories work. This shouldn’t be difficult. You can easily tell if a charger is working by plugging it in. You will be able to see if the charger activates. You can leave it charging to ensure it takes a full charge.

You will want to keep an eye on the phone during this time to ensure the battery isn’t bulging or getting too hot. You also want to unplug it to test if the battery retains life. If the battery drains too quickly, it’s likely dying. You can check everything from the microphone to the earphone to see if it works. As far as the accessories are concerned, you can check if the earbuds are working and if there is audio coming out of them. Always check the ports because they are essential to the long-term use of your phone. Check for any damage on the ports and you can even check the ports to ensure there is no water damage to the phone. It will have a water damage indicator that you can check. If the indicator is pink/red, it has sustained water damage. 

5. Get The Best Price

The main thing you need to do is find a legitimate phone and a value. The last step is getting the best deal possible at the surplus network. You can check to see what comparable models go for. This will give you a good idea of what the market value is for the phone. Without knowing what other similar models are going for, you won’t know if you are overpaying. The price of older models drops as new models come out. Because of this, you want to factor that into the equation when you are trying to figure out how much you are willing and able to pay for it. 

Follow the tips above and you should be able to identify the best used or refurbished smartphone for the money.