Anyone want to sell me their iPhone X as they upgrade to an XS?

[Wayne 962]

Hi all. With the new iPhone coming out, I figured I would upgrade my old iPhone 6 to a new one. I was planning on doing it with the iPhone 7, and then that phone seemed like a disappointment, and then last year the iPhone X seemed insanely expensive - it's not that I can't afford a new phone, I just don't want to feel like I have to carry the thing around like it's a fragile baby. I toss my 6 around these days and it doesn't worry me if the kids drop it or something because it's only worth about $200 or so.

Anyways, I heard the trade-in value on the iPhone X 256GB is $545, and used ones can be found on eBay for about $700-800, but I'm a bit wary of buying one on eBay, unless it's obvious that it's been paid off and is free and clear (I've heard that some of the carriers can blacklist phones if the person sells them off and then stops paying the carrier for the financing fees). Seems a bit risky?

I think a friend of mine has got one (256 GB model) that he's going to sell to me to get the new XS, but I need one more for my wife...

Thoughts?

-Wayne

[cabmandone]

Aren't most carriers offering those at half off?

[A930Rocket]

iPhones have gone insane with their prices. I've got a iPhone 8 that's about a year old and in a case. No problems so far.

I'm thinking another brand next time.

[Arizona_928]

The black list thing is very real. My old iPhone was black listed once I did an insurance claim on it, and the replacement was crushed on arrival.

Turned a then $1,000 iPhone into a paperweight...

[fred cook]

I can give you a good deal on an iPhone 5S !!

[mattdavis11]

Black list? That's just one internal part of the phone, the IMEI. If you swap it with another, it may be good to go. Usually they are tethered to a provider, but not black listed.

Never had an iphone for personal cellular service, but I do use them for other purposes. I have a 6S for a tv remote, casting device, photos, kids entertainment, etc... Rarely even leaves the house, no sim.

Maybe one day when the blackberry dies.

[cabmandone]

Something that might be helpful that I learned the hard way when I switched from Verizon to AT&T wireless, the phones don't necessarily work on the other provider's network. My old Galaxy S7's and S5 would not work on At&t's network for text messaging. I could have downloaded At&t firmware on the S7's but it didn't sound like that was a guaranteed work around.

[red-beard]

https://bgr.com/2018/09/14/best-iphone-xs-deal-t-mobile-vs-verizon-sprint/

[stomachmonkey]

I actually hate the X

The lack of a physical home button drives nuts.

Even the change in button from the 6 to 8 took some getting used to.

[wildthing]

My next phone would be a cheap Android...

[Wayne 962]

Thanks guys - I broke down and bought two on eBay. Hopefully they won't be bricks. The offers by the main carriers are interesting, but they all come with significant catches. We're with Cricket Wireless right now. In case you haven't heard about Cricket, it's the same as AT&T (it's owned by AT&T) - there's no difference at all. It's like buying a Genuine Porsche part versus a BOSCH part - the same exact part is in the box, just a higher markup and a slightly longer warranty for the Porsche part.

-Wayne

[cabmandone]

As long as you got phones for AT&T network you should be golden. If you paid by PayPal you shouldn't have too much to worry about if they are bricks.

[scottmandue]

My next phone is going to be unlocked so I can shop/change carriers at will.

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

My next phone is going to be unlocked so I can shop/change carriers at will.

Mine was "unlocked" but something about the firmware made it so my Galaxy S7's wouldn't work for text/picture messages on AT&T's network. The phone worked okay but would never get 4G LTE signal.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Wayne 962

...... (I've heard that some of the carriers can blacklist phones if the person sells them off and then stops paying the carrier for the financing fees)....

What you describe is not a "black listed", it's a carrier locked phone. When the carrier subsidizes the phone and the customer backs out of the contract the phone remains carrier locked.

Perfectly reasonable. No different than if someone defaults on their car loan.

Originally Posted by AZ_porschekid

The black list thing is very real. My old iPhone was black listed once I did an insurance claim on it, and the replacement was crushed on arrival.

Turned a then $1,000 iPhone into a paperweight...

If you got an insurance replacement phone for a "broken" device then this also makes sense.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by cabmando

Mine was "unlocked" but something about the firmware made it so my Galaxy S7's wouldn't work for text/picture messages on AT&T's network. The phone worked okay but would never get 4G LTE signal.

That's typically solved by making sure you are using your carriers network profile.

For years I ran one of my phones using a Rodgers (Canada) profile because ATT's blocked a protocol I needed.

[JavaBrewer]

Man, I just 'upgraded' from a 5s to a 6+ a few months ago It was my wife's old phone, she is now on the 8+. We run MacOS at home, but that will likely be changing to Linux in the coming year. When that happens I will go back to Android.