where do you buy your used phones?

My poor iPhail X is getting tired. overheats, locks up and battery health is in the 70% range. I've had it 2 years and it was a refurb from Amazon. 

I'm looking for a 11 pro max or 12 pro/pro max with 128 or so. Prices are all over the place on marketplace and Amazon wants your arm. Apple sells ONLY the 14 Pro and I want the camera and battery life. So where does the hive shop?

I have bought my last couple phones and my wife's phone from Swappa.  I generally wait for a month or so after the latest and greatest successor to the phone I want comes out and they start selling off the older generation.    

No complaints on Swappa so far.  Decent selection and quick shipping.  Everything has been as described.   

eBay, pawn shops.

I haven't bought one from them before, but https://www.gazelle.com/ is pretty well known.

I've bought several used phones and refurbs off of ebay.  You can have your service provider check the ESN to make sure it wasn't reported stolen or anything weird for used phones. I normally go for the refurbs less of that to worry about.

red_stapler said:

I haven't bought one from them before, but https://www.gazelle.com/ is pretty well known.

I have gotten my children phones from there and have been very happy with them.

Apple does sell them as refurbs, they are just a bit harder to find (you have to use the menu at the bottom of the screen):

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/iphone/iphone-11-pro-max

I get refurbished off ebay. 

I've had good luck with Backmarket.

swappa.com in the past,

woot.com lately (tho tbf this is more "closeouts" and "refurbs" than "used")

In reply to aircooled :

and they're more than Im willing to pay

I refuse to pay $600+ for a damn phone.

Expensive phone is expensive, come to the Android side, we have sideloading and rootability

In reply to GameboyRMH :

No desire. Never liked the OS of droids. Been running iOS since....2008? Our infrastructure is already there for it. Besides apple paid me to run their first 4 products so I can't complain too much

I've never bought a used phone.  I get the cast-off junk that my kids are done with. 

I have an Iphone XR in good shape (128 or 256gb, need to check) that I would sell. I used it on ATT but I think that it is an unlocked model. 

Edit: I missed that you are looking for something better than I have. Please disregard. 

In reply to singleslammer :

I appreciate that. My X is ok when it's not overheating and locking up randomly. 

1988RedT2 said:

I've never bought a used phone.  I get the cast-off junk that my kids are done with. 

I used to get them for the $1 to $19 fee with a two year guaranteed contract. Then sell them for $100-150 and get another. Rinse repeat. I miss those days. First 3 phones I was up $350 to use an iPhail. The 4th cost $100 and sold for $125 so basically a wash. The last two I paid $150 and $220 for so I have basically been able to use them for free for 14 years 

Excellent Amazon refurb is $499 for 11 pro max. They also ofer $111 for my X. so net prce would be 388 plus tax.

Swappa.  Three phones so far.

Had one issue, seller sold a 1 year old phone that had three (!!!!!!) overdue lines attached to it and I couldn't get it on my network without paying them.  Obviously a non-starter.  

Put in a complaint to Swappa, they looked into it with the phone ID, got my money back and banned the seller.

Great interaction with them.

So why would someone have two phones unopened they are selling?

I bought two new iPhone SEs from Costco for about $330 each last time we needed phones. Was nice not playing the used/refurb game. 

Otherwise, Amazon or eBay. There used to be a really good seller off of Amazon that I would get them from, but now I cannot find the store. 

I hate phones, but I really hate Androids, so iPhail it is.

In reply to mtn :

We bought the wife's new SE last winter for $379 through apple brand new. She'd had some E36 M3 luck with the last couple (and she's pretty hard on them like cars) so I figured a new one was in order. I still haven't had my own new phone yet. All the contract ones were refurbs

I've used Swappa for both new and used phones.  Will do again.

bobzilla said:

So why would someone have two phones unopened they are selling?

 

I bought 12 phones for work 2 years ago, opened one for testing, never opened the others. They sat on a shelf for a year then I sold them to gazelle unopened, E36 M3 happenens. 

Someone here recommended supplytronics who has an eBay store.   Got my wife's there - no problems