What Is The Deal with Cheap Phones on Facebook Marketplace?

I was looking for Samsung S24 Ultra and was looking for a deal. Decided to check out Facebook Marketplace and it's chock full of those apparently new or nearly so for much cheaper (like $1200-$1600).

Are they stolen and the IMEI will get locked in a few days (or already is)? What's the deal?

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Comments

  • +16

    Marketplace is rife with scams for the gullible.

  • +14

    Full of counterfeit phones and scammers.

  • +9

    Either fakes or you pay for it upfront then they ghost you

  • +2

    Fakes. Which is a shame, FM should be a fine place to pick up this kind of tech and avoid eBay bother and fees.

  • +2

    🧠💣

  • +3

    Everyone i've been speaking to of late tells me it's place to get some great deals, lucky I could never bring myself to buy anything from FM, because it sounds like its the same as $cumtree.

    • +9

      Is cumtree a new website? Pornhub replacement?

      • +1

        Ha ha ha man, ha ha ha.

      • +1

        It's a new alt coin

    • +1

      get some great deals

      It's true for non-tech things that are hard to fake and deal only in cash.

      Recently got a one year old large Vegepod for $100, today got unused one for $150.

      Bulk Lego - if you enjoy building, lots of enjoyment, when you run out of space, some of the sets can be sold for big profits or donate to Vinnies, etc.

      • I suppose in that case, but I still wouldn't trust most people as far as I could throw them.

        Plus I remember what some people would say years ago when I asked why people were the way they are, and the response was "Scam or be scammed" which is some low rent sh1t.

  • +2

    Ha, I thought you were going to ask why cheap phones often come with FM radio built in (or used to?), while fancier phones do not.

    It is one of the mysteries of the universe.

    • That's for the next release. In S25 Samsung will make a hole you stick your s-pen into and turn it into an antenna.

  • +3

    Another common scam is they buy them on a plan with insurance. Sell the phone to some sucker on Fartbook Sharketplace and claim it was lost or stolen. You get left with a brick and they get paid out twice for the same phone.

  • +2

    Easy to spot scammers if the picture is generic/bad quality or the price is too good to be true. Generally if you look at the seller they'll have 10s/100s of items for sale in your city

    I lucked out and got a S22 Ultra 256GB last week for $600. Basically like new condition.

    • +7

      Yes, have a look at the sellers profile -

      what are their profile pics like ?(only pics of some far away place? - avoid. Or pics are stolen - i.e. pics of "themselves" show cars driving on otherside orf road, powerpoint are US 2 prong, etc) - avoid

      Are none of their friends living in the same area? - avoid.

      They ask for a bank deposit to secure the item? - avoid
      Was their profile created yesterday? Avoid

    • Generally if you look at the seller they'll have 10s/100s of items for sale in your city

      nice! i just scored a macbook pro at a cracking price. i paid using osko and the seller has informed me that he has already shipped the parcel and i should receive it in two weeks.

  • +4

    I wouldn't say $1200-$1600 for a phone is cheap.

    • I can't disagree there, but it's cheaper than the $2400 regular price :/

  • I would never buy a phone from some random on Marketplace

    • -1

      I would

  • Most of the S23 ultras all had the same pictures or the same printed imei number would not even consider Marketplace anyone, theres been a few ozbargainers buy these phones and realise theyre fakes afterwards

  • People still use stalkerbook? Amazing

    • +1

      Only for marketplace, since gumtree is a ghost town now.

      • +1

        I guess all the scammers left gumtree to stalkerbook market instead… easier to have all the scams in 1 place I guess.

  • People on Ozbargain bought S24 Ultra 512GB for less than $1100 during pre-order so $1600 is still nice profit for them (if they are geuine). But yes be careful of someone who asks to pay upfront or insist on bank transfer or PayID.

  • Open the sellers profile and see when the profile pic was last updated. If it was in the past day or two, chances are it is a scam

  • I’d buy a $100 on there $1000 nope .

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