Buying off Ebay, Gumtree ?

Peely1

I am looking to purchase a Samsung Galaxy S3 from one of the sites listed.
But with all the scams going round and sometimes very cheap phones listed, I have become a little dubious !
Most are described as weeks/days old ??

Is there a way of checking a mobile out ?

I have heard about IMEI no's, checking also to see that the phone is not barred/blacklisted etc. But someone also mentioned that a phone could be sold and then the original owner report it stolen at a later date and the phone becomes useless ?

I do intend to purchase one face to face to narrow it down, but how do I know it's legit without having a full purchase reciept from the original owner in front of me ?
Is there anything that would confirm it was 100% and not going sting me for £300+ later ?

Many thanks for any advice ......

Rusty!

Nope, nothing you can do to prevent a future IMEI block unfortunately.

I've had phones from eBay and Gumtree a few times and it's never been a problem for me, but it does happen.

juggy09

Am selling an Sansung galaxy s3 on ebay, just got it through upgrade but am happy with my htc one x.

Genuine sale my username is tombo442 if you would like to check.

I have also bought quite a few phones from ebay and had no problems, just check there feedback and use a bit of common sense and you should be ok.

Jon_01

The percentage of dodgy phone isn't that high (we were getting about 10 calls a week, mostly from Gumtree), but that's no consolation if yours is one of the one's that is.

As above, there is no way you can be sure that the phone won't be reported lost or stolen weeks after you've bought it, all you can do is as much checking as you can...

Peely1

juggy09 wrote: »

Am selling an Sansung galaxy s3 on ebay, just got it through upgrade but am happy with my htc one x.

Genuine sale my username is tombo442 if you would like to check.

I have also bought quite a few phones from ebay and had no problems, just check there feedback and use a bit of common sense and you should be ok.

Yeah, Ebay seems to offer the safest option, but I was curious that there was a scam going on that I hadn't heard about because there seems to be a recent large amount advertised on Gumtree either new in box or even sealed in box for between £250 and £350 ........... there is even one on there for £170 !!!

Just can't see what the catch is if you are buying it from their premises and meeting face to face ? :huh:

Rusty!

Some are just 'unwanted' upgrades (more like they took the upgrade to sell it on), some are scams (in that they take your money then report it lost/stolen somewhere down the line).

The safest way would be eBay, paying by PayPal which you fund with a credit card. At least if you're outside the PayPal refund window (40 days, I believe) you can then take it up with your card company.

Jon_01

Peely1 wrote: »

Just can't see what the catch is if you are buying it from their premises and meeting face to face ? :huh:

Rented home and they're moving out next week/month and have just opened acc's for all the family with all the networks with no intent to pay any off them...

juggy09

Peely1 wrote: »

Yeah, Ebay seems to offer the safest option, but I was curious that there was a scam going on that I hadn't heard about because there seems to be a recent large amount advertised on Gumtree either new in box or even sealed in box for between £250 and £350 ........... there is even one on there for £170 !!!

Just can't see what the catch is if you are buying it from their premises and meeting face to face ? :huh:

As i said just use common sense, if it was me i would not go near someone selling a samsung galaxy s3 for £170 or anything below £300.

Also heard a few stories about gumtree, would stay away from there buying things like mobiles.

macman

You have some limited protection on eBay if you follow the procedures to the letter. On Gumtree, none whatsoever, as the exchange of cash or goods is not routed through them. It's purely an online equivalent of a small ads column.
i have bought a few items on Gumtree, but only on the basis of cash with collection-so if it turns out to be not as described, I can walk away.
With a mobile you obviously can't check the provenance before handing over the cash.

Peely1

juggy09 wrote: »

someone selling a samsung galaxy s3 for £170 or anything below £300.

You take £300 for yours mate ?

linni

I've bought 2 S2's and a S3 on Gumtree and I haven't had a problem (yet). If you meet the people and find out why they are selling it. I always test the phone when I am there and have a good chat with the sellers to see if there is anything that might seem dodgy. Or maybe I've just been lucky! I once went to a really disgusting place and couldn't wait to get out the door.