A couple of questions about buying a used Pixel 3XL and 2XL

[MoreDef]

So I have a few questions about buying a used Pixel, or I guess smartphone, in general. the phone will be wifi only, strictly for the camera, so i'm not worried about it being unlocked or tied to a carrier (unless those things affect me being able to use it properly)

1) any best/recommended sites? i've been looking at swappa and amazon renewed, but i'm leaning towards amazon because their prices are better, and because you get 90 days to make sure the phone works fine. i see there are some negative reviews, but even if i get a dud, amazon's return policy looks like it covers me, and their return process is way easier.

2) besides cracked or damaged aesthetics and the battery being spent, is there anything else i need to look out for? i mean, i can SEE if there's a crack, scuff or chip, and i can always get the battery replaced out, but besides those two things, is there anything that would serve as a red flag to not pull the trigger on a potential used phone?

any help/guidance/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[B. Diddy]

I've had good experiences with Woot, Daily Steals, and Groupon Goods. The devices I've gotten from them have functioned well, and one device I got from Woot that didn't work correctly was handled well by them. That being said, none of those sites have particularly good deals right now for Pixel phones -- they're mostly Scratch & Dent units, which could be a bummer if the unit you get ends up having a scratch on the camera lens glass.

Although I haven't had direct experience with Amazon Renewed, I recently was shopping around for a refurbished phone for my daughter, and thought an Amazon Renewed phone would be a good idea. But then I started reading some of the negative reviews, and certain sellers seemed a little more likely to sell devices that either still had the previous owner's account on it (and therefore could not be reset appropriately) or had been blacklisted due to lack of payment. So if you're going with Amazon Renewed, pay close attention to the reviews for the particular seller.

 

[MoreDef]

that's a good heads-up. thank you. i was going in assuming the amazon rating itself was enough, but yes, unfortunately, there are sellers who try and sell junk/sketchy devices.

 

[sulla1965]

I had recently had a bad experience with Amazon renewed. I purchases a Pixel 3 XL for $330. The phone itself was in very good condition. But the sensors didn't work. No screen rotation and double tap to wake didn't work. So the claim the devices are checked and inspected is dubious. Seems to me a crap shoot at best. If it was just a customer return due to buyers remorse, you'll be fine. But if the device was returned due to hardware issues, I doubt those would've been actually repaired by the amazon renewed seller. But good news is Amazon gives a 90 days return window.