Buying brand new sealed and wrapped phone

• 

  kipps on 18/12/2017 - 22:01

  +4

  The box always has the IMEI on it in my experience. It is how the stores do stock control.

  • 

    tempura on 18/12/2017 - 23:07

    What's the likelihood it checks out okay on the day of purchase, then come few weeks or months time, IMEI is blocked?

    • 

      kipps on 19/12/2017 - 06:30

      Get the receipt they got at time of purchase so you have proof that they bought it. Otherwise it could have been stolen and could be barred in any event.

      • 

        tempura on 19/12/2017 - 06:45

        Even so @kipps,that doesn't mean the right owner not to report their phone as stolen, pocket the cash and get a new phone right?

        Say he gives out the receipt, then few weeks time seller reports the phone as stolen, phone is now bricked, buyer go to Telstra shop bringing the proof of purchase receipt under his name, what will it do? Telstra rep will basically say get the ef out.

      • 

        whooah1979 on 19/12/2017 - 07:16

        @tempura:

        phone is now bricke

        It depends on the brand/os. Some may get a new life by spoofing, and other can by shipping it overseas.

      • 

        kipps on 19/12/2017 - 07:40

        @tempura: I don't understand your comment. There are exceptions to having an IMEI barring lifted. Ie, owner produces proof of purchase to demonstrate that the barring should not continue. Hence my comment. 2nd hand phone buying is risky and it seems that you do not know enough to go about this risky process.

      • 

        tempura on 19/12/2017 - 08:18

        @kipps: hence I am here to understand and wanting to know more about it.

      • 

        tempura on 19/12/2017 - 08:19

        @whooah1979:

        So once bricked, can an Andro phone say SGS7 or SGS8 or Huawei Mate etc be unbricked (jailbroken)? Just to feed my curiosity.

      • 

        whooah1979 on 19/12/2017 - 10:49

        @tempura:
        You've to google it. Spoofing or unbricking would be tagged as inappropriate.

      • 

        tempura on 19/12/2017 - 10:49

        @whooah1979: fair enough; in all honesty, this was pure for my knowledge but I understand where you coming from.

• 

  RockyRaccoon on 18/12/2017 - 22:12

  If you are buyng from ebay just look at this

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6p76rDbS18

  Sealed and wrapped takes ona new meaning.

  It's new ask for the receipt of original purchase make sure its in the name of the person selling it to you.

  the IMEI will be on the outside of the box.

  So if I was buying this way I would

  Immediately check the IMEI on the outside. If that checks out then I would say ok, but it needs to be opened together to confirm that the IMEI is the same.

  You can tell seller that you will buy if these are both the same, if they refuse then walk.

  Problem you face is that if you have no way on contacting seller later they coud report it stolen after you bought it. If you have bought thru ebay you should pay via PayPal, not cash, that gives you extra protection.

  • 

    tempura on 18/12/2017 - 23:09

    If you noticed, there literally heaps of people selling phones from Telstra; as in, they do plan contract and get new phone but decided to keep their old phone and cash in their new 'plan' handset.

• 

  CyberMurning on 18/12/2017 - 23:21

  +1

  Seller signed new contract with a provider. Phone is sealed and working fine for weeks or months then seller will told the provider phone is stolen. Provider kill the phone. You are out of money and own a brick.

  • 

    kipps on 19/12/2017 - 07:43

    The seller only gets a benefit from reporting the phone stolen in this case if the phone was insured. Otherwise they would get no benefit out of reporting the phone stolen. The seller therefore will be really reluctant to give out details about the purchase of the phone - ie, the carrier and original proof of purchase. Otherwise they will have serious difficulty explaining how they came to receive payment from you and you received the phone & original POP.

    • 

      CyberMurning on 19/12/2017 - 07:51

      Correct. Insurance fraud. Ask for receipt. Check receipt name matches his/her driving licence (not photoshoped)

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  tempura on 19/12/2017 - 06:27

  Thanks folks. Just never know this thing will happen, i guess the safest bet is for both buyer and seller to be in Telstra shop for ownership change if there is any. Not sure if the ownership change process exists or not, may become laughing stock when walking in to Telstra shop.

  • 

    kipps on 19/12/2017 - 06:32

    You can’t change ownership of the device with telstra only the service itself.

    • 

      tempura on 19/12/2017 - 06:42

      Right, so this is very risky business if the phone is on a postpaid plan. The risk far exceeds the cost benefit.

      • 

        CyberMurning on 19/12/2017 - 07:52

        And the question is how do you know that the phone is from post paid or not. Some post paid phones are unlocked.

      • 

        tempura on 19/12/2017 - 08:19

        @dragonindespair: I don't.