What's the general consensus on buying refurbished phones on Ebay?

[BuJ_14]

Is it a scam? Will I reveive a broken and/or stolen phone? I see some pretty good deals out there but don't know what's too good to be true.

 

[ljxdaly]

personally, i would only buy a "manufacturer" refurbished phone, sold from a reputable vendor. anything that says "seller" refurbished, i stay away from.

seller refurbished could mean just about anything. i mean if i am selling my phone, i could just as easily wipe it down with an oily rag and call it refurbished after a factory reset.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I don't think I would trust ebay. Even though there are some purchase protections in place, I still wouldn't do it. Craig's list is almost worse.

The largest concern is this: There is not much stopping the seller from fraudulently claiming a lost device (now the buyer's) and blacklisting the ID of the device. Leaves you with a paperweight, and they have a pocket full of cash.

 

[Mooncatt]

I wouldn't buy any phone refurbished. With all the problems I've had with warranty exchanges where they send you a "like new" phone as a replacement, I've started calling it refurbish roulette. I don't trust those phones, so I certainly wouldn't trust one of those on eBay. Even if it was a factory refurb.

 

[Paras Advani]

Don`t know about ebay but i would suggest you to check out Yaantra, I purchased a refurbished phone from them & it is working like a charm, they got variety of phones with discounts and 6 months warranty