Buying a Droid off ebay...

[ndeer44]

Well my current phone is broke and i dont have insurance and i think im going to buy a droid. i am finding unopened droids for 350 on ebay. First question if i happen to buy a droid off ebay am i out of luck if the phone becomes defective? What will i need to fix the phone under warranty? Also is there a risk of buying a phone off ebay? Like the seller writing down the ESN number?

Thanks

 

[iPirate]

I'm all against buying on ebay.

 

[hookbill]

You run the risk of purchasing a stolen phone. Now people who purchase successfully from ebay probably never even tell us but I've seen more then a few people who got ripped off. It is a bit of a gamble.

 

[BayouFlyFisher]

I've bought phone's off of Ebay before and never had a problem. As usual when buying off of Ebay, check the seller's history carefully and use PayPal with a credit card. You will at least have some recourse then if the deal goes sour.

Good luck

 

[Vulcan1600]

There is a big risk buying a phone off of eBay. What is the seller's rating, have they received positive feedback on other phone sales? I've sold several phones on eBay myself, but I have 100% positive feedback, been an eBay member for several years, and when I ever list a phone, I guarantee 100% the phone is unlocked and ready to use. If you want to PM me the link to the Droid you're looking at, I would be happy to go look at it, and give you my honest opinion. I'll even email the seller to get the ESN number to verify it is not on the lost or stolen list.

Bottom line is be very aware before making the purchase. Using PayPal apparently can also help if you do get a bad eBay experience but I've never had that happen thankfully.

 

[iMpathetic]

Well there ARE risks to buying a Droid off of eBay... you're dealing with a possibly unscrupulous individual instead of Verizon... at least it isn't an AT&T phone or there wouldn't be any difference!

 

[tktouch12]

i've purchased phones off ebay and been fine. they were from the big 'stores' though, so they all had perfect ratings.
couldnt you return it if its stolen or reported lost?
if you get a good seller, you should be fine.

 

[CrashnBrn]

I've gotten screwed on a phone from ebay before. It should be fine if you do your research. Remember, if it's too good to be true, it is.

 

[gruve]

I've sold 5 phones on ebay within the last year. If the seller has 100% feedback with a high sell rating you're probably fine. Ask them for pictures, close up's to be more specific. Any loyal seller will provide them. Stay away with people with low seller ratings ie: 1-5 feedback.

 

[modified]

Just check the seller rating and you are fine. I only buy items with the price of $100 or more if the seller has a 100% rating. If not, i find a different one.

I also send them a question to check if they are real and English speaking.

Ebay is safe if it is used properly.

 

[zero7starz]

Yea, what you're really going to want to do is get the ESN/MEID from the seller of the phone and call Verizon Customer Care (you have to call, we can't check in the store) and ask them to check it against the lost/stolen list of ESN/MEIDs. If its on that list, you'r'e F'd from the get-go. Otherwise, I've never had a problem getting the phone off ebay. You however will not be able to add insurance to your phone because you do not have a Verizon proof of purchase (or a dealer proof of purchase) and you will be restricted to motorola's 1 year manufactures warranty.

Because heres the thing, if you buy a phone off ebay and you don't get it, or the phone is in bad condition then you can file a paypal claim and get your money back. If the phone is locked, you still bought the item as described, its just not actually useable on the network.

 

[the5rivers]

I bought my Droid via Ebay from a reputable seller, with 100% feedback, power seller, etc, and he also sold a lot of them as well. It was brand new and never used. I also read his feedback to make sure everything would work out ok.

I did an ESN switch online, and my insurance carried over to cover my Droid. I verified this via the Asurion website as well.

 

[John Short]

eBay-backed shill-bidding

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...olis&completed=1&all=1&rows=50&sort=12&_rdc=1

Current and recent auctions bid on by EBAY-BACKED SHILL-BID ID pmolis( 1071)
Member since: Jul-31-04 in France
All Feedback - 8,118 Feedback received
Feedback left for others - 8,338 Feedback left WITH A FEEDBACK SCORE OF JUST 1071 <---- HUGE FLAG!

OF SPECIAL NOTE IS THAT THIS SHILL-BID ID IS BIDDING ON EBAY ID jayandmarie ( 870565)
Member since: Jan-02-99 in United States
All Feedback - 1,888,154 Feedback received
1,964,721 Feedback left WITH A FEEDBACK SCORE OF JUST 870565 <--- FLAG!

AS AN EXAMPLE, SEE Item number:150410047069, LOOK AT Bid History OF THIS PARTICULAR AUCTION, CLICK ON THE o***m (WHICH IS pmolis ID) AND LOOK AT THE Bid History: Details FOR BIDDER o***m WHICH IS pmolis ID... THIS IS WHAT EBAY-BACKED SHILL-BIDDING LOOKS LIKE!
ID 9***t IS NOT SO INNOCENT HERE EITHER! HE IS OBVIOUSLY SHILL-BIDDING ON SELLER 1 (jayandmarie - Bid activity (%) with this seller: 76% ) AND SELLERS 2 AND 3, AS WELL!

FROM pmolis' BUYING HISTORY, IT IS CLEAR TO SEE THAT EBAY-BACKED SHILL-BID ID pmolis IS ALSO A SHILL-BID ID FOR:
amoeba-outlet ( 150392), amoebablowout ( 96030), recordrow-blowout ( 65044), nours77 ( 1699), fclna ( 602), AND
diskodisko( 1255) <--- WHO JUST CHANGED HIS ID ON Feb-10-10 TO TRY TO AVOID DETECTION FOR SHILL-BIDDING!

I BELIEVE EBAY TO BE USING ID pmolis (FRANCE) TO SHILL-BID/CONDUCT FEEDBACK MANIPULATION/LISTINGS PADDING FOR PURPOSES OF STOCK MANIPULATION AND HAS BEEN DOING SO SINCE 1994!

 

[Enk]

I bought my Droid via Ebay from a reputable seller, with 100% feedback, power seller, etc, and he also sold a lot of them as well. It was brand new and never used. I also read his feedback to make sure everything would work out ok.

I did an ESN switch online, and my insurance carried over to cover my Droid. I verified this via the Asurion website as well.

How did you get your insurance to carry over? I just put my brand new Droid on craigslist for $300 because I want to buy a Palm Pre Plus off eBay but the biggest thing is that I'm worried about insurance. Right now I have insurance on my Droid, I pay the 7.99 a month. How do I transfer that over to a Pre if I get one off eBay?

 

[Erron]

I would buy it off craigslist before ebay. Then while you are standing there with the guy youre buying it from you can check and activate it before paying up.