Totally, look for phones in “excellent” or “mint” condition, read the description carefully, and check the seller’s feedback carefully. I’ve bought 4 or 5 phones on eBay with great results. Every phone I’ve gotten is indistinguishable from new.

use Swappa

Absolutely. I’ve bought all of my phones from eBay and never had an issue.

I personally would be very wary of eBay as even with a paid check before buying, the seller could potentially take your money then claim on their insurance. The phone then becomes blacklisted (sim no longer works, only works abroad or on wifi). If you confront the seller they could just say a previous owner must have reported it stolen.

CeX used electronics store guarantees against this & also gives a 2 year warranty

eBay is fine. Just check the seller’s reputation first before buying.

If overall positive feedback is greater than 99%, and they’ve sold hundreds of items, then there’s no problem buying from them.

I’ve bought dozens of phones from eBay over the last two decades, never had any issues.

Over the past 10 years most of my phones have been used, and I’ve been way happier with it. Save money for the same thing.

Sure . I normally buy top of line flagship phones used. Except for my most recent purchase, they all came from ebay . Most recently I purchased something ‘renewed’ from Amazon.

Make sure the description says the battery is good and that the photos show the screen in good order . I don’t care about scratches/cracks on the back because the thing is going into a case anyways .

I’m on about #2 or #3 IPhone from eBay.
No issues, but I always made sure I purchased ones that were in the condition I liked in the photos and also were listed either for the carrier I had in mind or unlocked and then threw in a mvno sim as soon as I’ve got it. eBay is pretty good about processing returns that are legit and I’ve always tried to vet the device the day I received it. Issues with other electronics I’ve filed a notice report immediately and either returned or accepted a partial discount. Looking to sell my old devices on eBay soon. Not going to make a fortune, a few bucks helps, yanno.

Just look through the product info and make absolutely sure it’s not a “Bad IMEI” phone. These are usually stolen phones laundered through china, and will not connect with most regular carriers in the US (or in much of the EU)

Use swappa

Depends on the condition and the age but I personally say yes it’s worth it especially if its still getting security updates

I bought mine and had no problems. Must check Seller rating. Just to be sure first.

Yeah, maybe not ebay. I used Swappa back in the day and that was cool. But phone hardware hasn’t improved THAT much in the past 5 years. You can go pretty far back and have a pretty decent phone. Android phones lose their value a lot faster so you can usually get them super cheap. Should probably buy unlocked

I bought my unlocked phone on Backmarket. Works great so far.

I’ve had good experiences both times, definitely communicate with the seller and make sure you know what you’re getting as there’s a lot of shady people who will rip you off. Also, check and see what other people have said about them in the feedback section.