These days, most people walk around with a smartphone in their pocket the whole time. The advantages of the smartphone are many and diverse, and it is easy to see why they have become so popular over the last decade or so. However, there is one problem which people commonly come across: the price tag. New smartphones are quite expensive, and unless you get a contract you can pay hundreds upfront. One solution, however, is to buy a second-hand phone. Often, these are just as good as their new counterparts, but at a much lower price. However, there are sometimes issues with buying phones second-hand, whether they are aesthetic, security or otherwise. Let’s take a look at some of the key things you need to bear in mind if you are buying a second-hand smartphone.
Overall Condition
Let’s start with the basics. Before you settle on a phone, you want to make sure it is in a good condition. If it is not, then you might soon discover that it was not worth your money. You don’t want to waste your money on a phone which you won’t get any use out of, so it is a good idea to make sure that you check its overall condition first of all. This means checking the outside, the case, the screen, the headphone jack and so on for any damage. Depending on your budget, you might decide to settle for a phone which has some minor abrasions or similar – it’s entirely up to you, of course. Either way, you need to make sure that you are happy with the condition of the phone before you hand over any money.
Check The Blacklist
Before you buy the phone, it is a good idea to check it against the imei blacklist. This is a list of phones which have been blacklisted as being stolen or lost. This might not sound like too much of a problem, but the fact is that a blacklisted phone cannot make or receive calls or texts. This means that you will ultimately be buying a useless phone. There are ways of getting it off the list, but it is much less hassle if you buy one that is open and available to use in the first place. If you want to check a phone you are interested in buying, you need to use an imei blacklist check website.
The Charger
If you are getting a charger with your phone, then you want to make sure that it is the right one. It is surprisingly common for second-hand phones to be sold without the correct charger – and this is something that can be incredibly frustrating. Therefore, it is well worth checking before you hand over any money. Alternatively, if you are not getting a charger with it, make sure that you can get your hands on the proper one. You should be able to find the right charger for any phone online without paying too much. Check cheap auction websites and the like, and you might be pleasantly surprised at how cheap they can be.
