Be Observant About When Buying A Used Cellular Phone

There are of course things you must be aware of when purchasing used cellular phones and they include everything from possible battery problems to not being able to unlock the phone because it was in fact stolen. Usually when a cell phone is stolen, the owner will call up their service provider and ask them to cancel or change their account. What then happens is the phone that was stolen will be locked and no one will be able to use it again. Here are the things you have to look out for most when buying a used cellular phone...


Caution Number 1
Check to see who the owner is. If you are buying the used cellular phone off a complete stranger, which is usually the case, ask the when and where they bought the phone from. Then ask them if they can show you the documents that came with the phone. If they can't provide these documents then don't purchase the phone because chances are it was stolen. If fact you are better off not buying a used cellular phone from a complete stranger at all, but if you do, get their details, including phone number, address and where they work. That way if you find out the phone is stolen later, you can always send the police after them and get your money back.

Caution Number 2
Does the phone work properly? This means, how long does the battery last for? Does the screen work properly and if there are other features like a camera for example, do they work? Make sure you test the used cellular phone out before you buy it. Ask the owner if you can hold onto it for a day to see how long the battery lasts for. Chances are if they won't let you test it out, there must be some kind of complication associated with it.

Caution Number 3
With the high cost of cellular phones today, there is definitely a possibility that the used cellular phone that you are considering was in fact stolen. Often thieves will steal someone's phone, wipe the memory, or re-furbish it, and sell it to an unsuspecting victim. Or, sometimes they steal the phones directly from the manufacturer, making the overall cost of the cellular phones that much higher because of the cost of recovery. Basically, the old idea is still true, even for a modern cellular phone. If the deal is too good to be true, be wary.

Of course buying a used cellular phone is a great way to save money, especially if you are one of those people who just likes to use a phone as a phone and not as a camera of music player. Essentially you're going to save yourself a heap of money.