Have you ever bought a cell phone off ebay?

Lizard2022

DH and I have both destroyed our cell phones and are using ones from like 4 years ago.  Not only are they super lame phones but they have some functional problems too.  We are waiting to get new phones until our contract is up in March, because we want to switch providers.  I was told by a coworker to buy used phones off ebay.  My concern is that I'd be buying a stolen phone.  How do I make sure they are legit?  Should I just rely on feedback?  Any advice?

SWILM

What carrier are you with? I would suggest buying a "refurbished" phone. I bought a refurbed droid and it has been awesome. I got it almost 400$ off.

 

thequeeenbee

My advice is that you buy from a seller who has a positive rating (98% or better) and who has sold several items. If you do that, you should be fine. Ebay also has a pretty good buyer protection program now.

chucknorris11

Make sure it says explicitly in the listing that it has a clear ESN. Phones that are stolen would not have a clear ESN meaning you could not activate said phone.

sophabelle

i've bought several phones off ebay and have never had any problems.  i would just check their feedback for anything sketchy.