The Lifehacker bit looks more like clickbait for other articles than a solid piece on how to buy used phones without getting a lemon, but has good advice all the same on how to stay safe and keep from buying stolen. As they point out, the most important parts is checking the ESN or IMEI to see if it's on a lost or stolen database, and meeting them down at a corporate mobile phone store for the carrier brand the phone has been branded to (even if you don't want to activate with them and go an MVNO instead) to do the inspection and transaction.
As for avoiding lemons, I covered the whole process
a couple years back. Things have changed a wee bit on the CDMA carrier end for activation with some MVNOs, but that's neither here nor there when it comes to overall usefulness. Here's the short and sweet relevant bit for you:
Is there anything I should check for?
If you’re going the Craigslist route, or want to ask the right questions of someone selling the device, here’s a short list of things to ask on:
- What is the ESN/MEID (if CDMA) or IMEI (if GSM) of the phone? (already covered this, if they won’t disclose, it’s likely stolen/lost/under defaulted contract – make it a dealbreaker)
- Can the phone charge/does it hold a charge?
- Are any of the external connectors loose? (power/USB/headphone)
- Do all the buttons work?
- If it has a touch screen, are there any dead spots?
- If it has an SD card slot, does it work?
- Does the phone hang or crash? (if it needs restarting frequently, it’s likely a lemon)
- Are there any scratches/cracks on the screen?
- Does it have the battery cover, battery, and charger?
- If it has hinges or sliders, are they loose? (if the moving parts are loose, it can indicate abuse or a hard life)
- How hot does the phone get when you use it? (if it gets hot frequently and it’s not a model known to run hot, it could be suspect)
- Has the phone’s memory been wiped and reset to factory default?
Clearly, not all of these questions can always be answered by the seller and is mostly a list targeted for private resale and not bulk dealers. That said, bulk resellers are also more likely to be honest about the condition of the phone in the first place. From that point, just be aware of what the phone’s actually worth and make sure you’re getting a good deal for the money spent. As far as private sellers go, typically if you’re buying a used handset where they’re selling the phone, the accessories and even the box it came in from the store, it’s probably going to be well cared for and in good condition.
