Is ebay a recommended place to buy unlocked (new) GSM / LTE phones? Want to use on T-Mobile network.

[VirtualLarry]

Looking at cheapest (around $100, give or take $20-30) Samsung phone capable of GSM / LTE, and having enough RAM for Skype.

Found a listing for a Galaxy J1 mini (Prime?) for $84 or so, new. 4" phone, dual-sim, 8GB ROM, GSMArena says 1GB RAM, ebay listing says 768MB, both list Spreadtrum AP. (Quad-core 1.2Ghz)

Would prefer if it had Wifi calling, it does have Hotspot feature.

Currently using a Galaxy Core Prime, not sure if the "mini" is smaller. Previous phone was smaller, don't mind a smaller size.

Looking for a backup phone. Want it to be Skype-capable. (Old phone was not, only 512MB of RAM. New Galaxy Core Prime is capable, I think that it has 1.5GB of RAM and a quad-core.)

Edit: Oh, and it MUST have a removable battery. The Samsung Galaxy J1 mini DOES have a removable 1500mAh battery. (A little on the small side, I guess, but that works for me.)

 

[Raduque]

Swappa, https://www.bhphotovideo.com/, Amazon.

I would not use eBay for a phone.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I ended up buying a Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016?), 16GB ROM, 1.5GB RAM, 5.0" 720P AMOLED screen, for $130 + tax from BestBuy's ebay site. I found out that BestBuy has a fairly large selection of unlocked phones. I trust buying a phone from BestBuy over a generic ebay seller. (Although, I think I would stick to US sellers.)

 

[VirtualLarry]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...llPhonesUnlocked-_-75220044-S1A1D&ignorebbr=1

Asus ZenPhone 3, might have been a contender, if I hadn't already purchased the Samsung J3.

 

[Will Thatcher]

Hi,
The Zenfone 3 is a great phone, had one, before I switched to Alcatel Idol 4s!
This Alcatel rules, though I am currently looking at the latest 1+5

 

[GusSmed]

I purchased a Galaxy Note 5 through eBay last year and I'm quite happy with the phone still. Completely different category, but I don't think generic eBay is that bad as long as you follow the usual eBay precautions (seller longevity, feedback, good photos of the item).

Biggest concern about an eBay phone is the condition of the battery, particularly if it's not removable. Mine was fine, modulo some Samsung software issues that had nothing to do with the hardware.

 

[Will Thatcher]

When it comes to buying phones on eBay, there is only one important thing you need to do before ordering it, ask for the IMEI number, check it online to see if it is blacklisted, and to make sure that everything is in order get a GSX report which will tell you what network the phone is locked to, if it is unlocked or not, etc.
If it were me, this would be the first thing I would do!

 

[Raduque]

When it comes to buying phones on eBay, there is only one important thing you need to do before ordering it, ask for the IMEI number, check it online to see if it is blacklisted, and to make sure that everything is in order get a GSX report which will tell you what network the phone is locked to, if it is unlocked or not, etc.
If it were me, this would be the first thing I would do!

Swappa does this legwork for you, though. Won't let a seller list a device if the IMEI doesn't come back clean, as you're required to put it in as part of the listing and it's checked against the stolen/lost/financed blacklist.

 

[Will Thatcher]

There are other dedicated sites for this, because Swappa is not always updated, for example for AT&T you can check it on CheckEsnFree and for SPRINT you can use Ting or Sickw, T-Mobile has their official site, etc...... so just as I said do not buy a phone without checking the IMEI first and investing a couple of bucks in a GSX report!

 

[Raduque]

There are other dedicated sites for this, because Swappa is not always updated,

I think Swappa links into the major databases already, and does not maintain a database of their own. CheckESNFree doesn't even recognize my S8 as a US Snapdragon model (it tells me it has an Exynos SoC), while Swappa correctly returns that it's a US Verizon model AND it's financed status.

 

[Will Thatcher]

I think Swappa links into the major databases already, and does not maintain a database of their own. CheckESNFree doesn't even recognize my S8 as a US Snapdragon model (it tells me it has an Exynos SoC), while Swappa correctly returns that it's a US Verizon model AND it's financed status.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, the sites I mentioned are really good and work perfectly for some networks, not for all of them, CheckESN is the best one to find out if your AT&T iPhone is blacklisted, sometimes, even the original AT&T site doesn't let you know that, but CheckESN does. This is just an example.....

 

[Raduque]

I've never had CheckESNFree correctly return a US model phone. Always just returns international models.

 

[luv2liv]

CheckESNFree isnt reliable.
my wifes phone is stolen IMEI is 357942061922243
the site said that imei passed. lol

just checked again. it failed on AT&T. but passed on Cricket, which is the company i reported the stolen phone to.

 

[Will Thatcher]

Hi,
just

CheckESNFree isnt reliable.
my wifes phone is stolen IMEI is 357942061922243
the site said that imei passed. lol

just checked again. it failed on AT&T. but passed on Cricket, which is the company i reported the stolen phone to.

Just checked your IMEI and it shows failed, so it is blacklisted.