Top 10 Things to Consider Before Buying a Used Mobile Phone
2015.08.21
There are times when you need to buy a second hand or used phone. For instance, if you have recently set up a small business and wish to equip your sales staff with cell phones so that they can market products or services on the go, you will come across a question as to which phones company should be buying?
In order to understand what it takes to buy a right cell phone, I approached Basil who heads up mobile phones prices section of a popular portal in Pakistan and has expert level understanding of used phones market. We come up with the following ten commandments that you should follow when buying used mobile
1) Check whether it is in proper and working condition – Although you know it is a used piece, you can’t pay any amount of your hard earned money to buy junk. Before you buy a used phone from someone, check whether it is in proper condition or not. Make sure that you check each and every button (or every corner of the touch screen) to ensure that you are paying for something that is fully functional. Do some basic routine tasks such as, check if speaker of the phone is working or not, make a call to someone and talk to check the voice quality on the phone.
2) Find few friends looking forward to sell their phones – It is always good to buy a used phone from someone you know. The reasons are many but the main reason is because a known person would, generally, not look forward to cheat on you by selling you something that’s broken or doesn’t work at all. Rather than ending up paying a good amount of money to a stranger seller, it is always good to ask your friends first to know whether they are planning to sell their phones.
3) Check various websites – Once you have decided which mobile brand to go for, such as Nokia, Samsung, Htc, Apple, Sony, Qmobile, or any other, you should There are hundreds of different websites that have sellers of used phones. Check a few and compare the features of phones along with prices. Find the best one for yourself but take your time to decide the same. Olx and Gumtree are good places to start your search with.
4) Compare prices of different used phones – It is always good if you compare prices of various phones before buying one. Check which website or friend is selling a used phone at what price and then if you find one worth the price asked for, buy it.
5) Check whether the seller is giving accessories – A charger, a USB cable and an earphone are the three important things that you must get with any cell phone, whether it is a new one or a used one. Check whether you are getting these three in the deal or not.
6) Ask the seller to show you the bill – If you do not wish to end up paying for something that was stolen from someone, it is always good to ask for the receipt from your seller to have a proof that he once bought the phone. You might end up in problems otherwise, if the phone’s owner tracks down his phone somehow. You can also get the EMI number checked through police to verify if the phone is stolen!
7) Check the battery – Cell phones work on battery and that is the best thing about them since you are able to carry them anywhere. Therefore, check for how long the used phone’s battery work. If you don’t want to be stuck with a non-working device in your hand that has a battery, which drains every now and then, you must check the battery before making the purchase.
8) EMI option – Equated Monthly Installment allows you to pay an amount in divisions or installments. Therefore, if the used phone’s rate is high and the seller agrees to provide you with this option, there can never be anything better than the same. Opt for it and start with the EMI scheme. However, it is always good to know what interest rate would be charged by the seller so that you do not receive the shock of your life when you come to know about the amount that you are expected to pay every month.
9) Physical appearance of the cell phone – Although it is acceptable that used phones might have certain scratches here and there, it is always good to check how does the phone look and whether it is presentable or worth the price the seller is asking for or not. If the phone is broken or highly scratched, prefer not to buy it.
10) Expandable memory – If you are someone who needs a high memory phone, you must check the internal memory or storage capacity of the used phone and even ask for the expandable capacity of the same. You can always extend the capacity if your phone has less
internal storage but all the phones have certain limits when it comes to allowing the users to extend the memory or storage capacity so make sure that you learn about the same.
Last but not least, be vigilant and make sure you have cross checked the phone with all of the aforementioned points, these rules can also be applied to laptops, tablets or any other electrical device that you might want to add up into your collection.
In order to understand what it takes to buy a right cell phone, I approached Basil who heads up mobile phones prices section of a popular portal in Pakistan and has expert level understanding of used phones market. We come up with the following ten commandments that you should follow when buying used mobile
1) Check whether it is in proper and working condition – Although you know it is a used piece, you can’t pay any amount of your hard earned money to buy junk. Before you buy a used phone from someone, check whether it is in proper condition or not. Make sure that you check each and every button (or every corner of the touch screen) to ensure that you are paying for something that is fully functional. Do some basic routine tasks such as, check if speaker of the phone is working or not, make a call to someone and talk to check the voice quality on the phone.
2) Find few friends looking forward to sell their phones – It is always good to buy a used phone from someone you know. The reasons are many but the main reason is because a known person would, generally, not look forward to cheat on you by selling you something that’s broken or doesn’t work at all. Rather than ending up paying a good amount of money to a stranger seller, it is always good to ask your friends first to know whether they are planning to sell their phones.
3) Check various websites – Once you have decided which mobile brand to go for, such as Nokia, Samsung, Htc, Apple, Sony, Qmobile, or any other, you should There are hundreds of different websites that have sellers of used phones. Check a few and compare the features of phones along with prices. Find the best one for yourself but take your time to decide the same. Olx and Gumtree are good places to start your search with.
4) Compare prices of different used phones – It is always good if you compare prices of various phones before buying one. Check which website or friend is selling a used phone at what price and then if you find one worth the price asked for, buy it.
5) Check whether the seller is giving accessories – A charger, a USB cable and an earphone are the three important things that you must get with any cell phone, whether it is a new one or a used one. Check whether you are getting these three in the deal or not.
6) Ask the seller to show you the bill – If you do not wish to end up paying for something that was stolen from someone, it is always good to ask for the receipt from your seller to have a proof that he once bought the phone. You might end up in problems otherwise, if the phone’s owner tracks down his phone somehow. You can also get the EMI number checked through police to verify if the phone is stolen!
7) Check the battery – Cell phones work on battery and that is the best thing about them since you are able to carry them anywhere. Therefore, check for how long the used phone’s battery work. If you don’t want to be stuck with a non-working device in your hand that has a battery, which drains every now and then, you must check the battery before making the purchase.
8) EMI option – Equated Monthly Installment allows you to pay an amount in divisions or installments. Therefore, if the used phone’s rate is high and the seller agrees to provide you with this option, there can never be anything better than the same. Opt for it and start with the EMI scheme. However, it is always good to know what interest rate would be charged by the seller so that you do not receive the shock of your life when you come to know about the amount that you are expected to pay every month.
9) Physical appearance of the cell phone – Although it is acceptable that used phones might have certain scratches here and there, it is always good to check how does the phone look and whether it is presentable or worth the price the seller is asking for or not. If the phone is broken or highly scratched, prefer not to buy it.
10) Expandable memory – If you are someone who needs a high memory phone, you must check the internal memory or storage capacity of the used phone and even ask for the expandable capacity of the same. You can always extend the capacity if your phone has less
internal storage but all the phones have certain limits when it comes to allowing the users to extend the memory or storage capacity so make sure that you learn about the same.
Last but not least, be vigilant and make sure you have cross checked the phone with all of the aforementioned points, these rules can also be applied to laptops, tablets or any other electrical device that you might want to add up into your collection.
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