Hi,
I see often people offering to sell a new and sealed iPad or iphone. Upon contacting the seller, he mentions that he doesn't have the receipt. I have seen soooo many of these. So, my questions are:
1. How are these people getting these devices?
2. If I buy one, do I have warranty, provided that I don't know the store/supplier?
Thanks guys!
Unwanted gifts ?
Not to the extent this is going on.
It is not a scam. We need to meet in person in order to finalize the deal
They also share the device serial number
Could be stolen merch, or otherwise grey imports, etc. DIY shrink-wrap machines are cheap as chips compared to how much iPhones/etc can be sold for if "sealed".
Possibly resealed to make it look newer (might even be replaced with a rocks/other paperweights if it's a true scam).
Also might be stolen. There's been a bit of news lately about African youth gangs walking into stores in large numbers, then they all simultaneously snatch something (phones from tech stores are an easy target) and run out. Even if there are guards, you can't stop all of them.
Not sure how much is media sensationalism and how much is truth. There's no way of telling how easy it would be to actually sell them on the 2nd hand market.
If it's a sealed phone no receipt;
Most likely on plan from telco.
They will claim back on insurance lost/stolen, and the IMEI will be blocked.
Some of them indeed mentioned that they got it as an upgrade from their telco provider. But I am worried about the ownership. Because as you mentioned, they can still go and claim that it has been lost/stolen
Tell them you'll only pay via paypal into their personal bank account?
ask them to write you a receipt and sign it. record their id.
there are also people who use stolen IDs and sign up on plans.
they visit a bunch of stores and get phone after phone .
then when the telco doesn't get their first monthly payment the imei is blocked.
by which time the phone was sold to someone.
jeeze, just pay a good price from a normal store.
this will end in tears.
You have to ask yourself is it worth the minimal saving in not getting it through a legit store or seller. $1k or the like is still a lot of money. Having said that I have purchased a phone off Ebay from a seller which was fine. Its a gamble. Buy at own risk is the moto. If it goes well great. If not don't complain about how you got scammed.
I see often people offering to sell a new and sealed iPad or iphone.
It's not difficult for the scammer to buy a roll of shrink wrap from Officeworks and do the shrink wrapping by hand or with a specialized tool to make a 'used' product look 'new'.
No receipts also mean the seller can claim on the insurance for lost iPhone after they sold it to you. Then you will lose your $1000+ money. IPhone will become a brick.
got it on a plan, they keep plan sell phone or tablet
"On plan" means that the phone doesn't belong to the seller though - which is why it's on a plan. It's not exactly illegal, but technically it is, and it comes with the same risks for the buyer.
Exactly, have bought plenty off gumtree, using 2 x Xr now got for $700 each brand new. Your warranty is direct with Apple and linked to your Apple ID when you set it up you don’t need a receipt.
So, if any hardware issues happen, do you go directly to apple store?
What about ownership: What if the original owner registers the device as lost, won't your device lose warranty or even get blocked?
If the device is iCloud locked (i.e. the original owner did not unlock the phone before selling it), then it is most likely stolen. Your device is then a brick, and Apple cannot help you. Your only option would be to track down the owner of the Apple ID who last enabled Find My iPhone on the device.
Also, if your device is IMEI blocked by one of the telcos, then you are equally screwed. Apple won't assist you with this either. If the phone is IMEI blocked, you won't be able to activate the device when setting it up as a new phone.
Yes or ring apple care, check the serial no and imei before you buy it.
https://checkcoverage.apple.com/au/en/;jsessionid=node0c95yh…
https://www.imore.com/how-check-activation-lock-buying-used-…
Do NOT buy, unless you want to risk having your device IMEI blocked in the future.
See here: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/7434472/redir
Rubbish i have bought more than 20 iPhones from gumtree over the last 3 years, check imei, check iCloud unlocked and you won't have problem. Apple handles warranty, i even bought a US iPhone that was only 6 months old and screen went Apple replaced it.
Telcos don't care about the phone they chase the owner for contract payment anyway.
why are you buying 20 iphones?
Family, have swapped a few times myself, also have flipped some.
Back in 2014, I bought Macbook Air from Kogan when there's crazy ebay mega deal which I plan to re-sell for higher price. I was naive so I happily provide receipt whenever they ask for it, I said to them that I will give them the receipt upon pickup. After dealing with various offers, finally one person decide to pickup my macbook, then he tested out the laptop on the spot and he asked for the receipt at the end. Upon seeing the receipt, he was angry because he taught that I was paying more. I explain to him that the amount I pay for the Macbook is not your concern, I gave him the price that he is willing to pay and I willing to let go. Nevertheless, he still took the macbook but he was being grumpy.
Because of this experience, if I want to re-sell something for profit, I would never give them any information of how much I paid for originally. To relate to your post, maybe this can be one of many reasons you are seeing some sellers who sell brand new item without receipt.
afaik myer can give a gift reciept.
Yes, most of physical stores can.
I think I won't buy anything without a receipt. What if that item is stolen?
On any way, thanks for the details. It really helps.
Clearly a scam of one description or another. As you say, it's all over the place. There's not THAT many people with brand new, unopened, genuine gear that don't have receipts.