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Buying a phone

coco3133

coco3133

Android Enthusiast
So I was scrolling through Craigslist and saw a good deal for a GSIII so I emailed the guy and we came to a deal. Now I'm just wondering because I'm spending a lot of money on the phone how I can make sure it is clean and can't be ripped off?
I know meeting at a TMobile store would help keep it secure but the nearest one is 2 hour drive away and we don't want to drive that so any other options?
 
call tmobile give them the esn number and ask if it is reported lost or stolen if the guy has a problem giving you the esn than that throws up a red flag also if its really his than he shouldnt have a problem ive sold phones and i insist that they check the esn before buying just to assure that its legit. how much are you paying also make sure its for tmo not an att because they have a different frequency
 
eljefe0000 said:
call tmobile give them the esn number and ask if it is reported lost or stolen if the guy has a problem giving you the esn than that throws up a red flag also if its really his than he shouldnt have a problem ive sold phones and i insist that they check the esn before buying just to assure that its legit. how much are you paying also make sure its for tmo not an att because they have a different frequency
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Ok thank you

$200 and a laptop, he said it's is on the TMobile Prepay plan
 
if you want to make sure they wont cheat you ask for their id. copy their name and address down. a person could always sell you a phone thats working but report it lost or stolen later and the phone you just bought from them becomes useless.
 
Samk18 said:
if you want to make sure they wont cheat you ask for their id. copy their name and address down. a person could always sell you a phone thats working but report it lost or stolen later and the phone you just bought from them becomes useless.
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i dont think someone from clist is gonna give you their id with name and address on it
 
Did you have a super unbelieveable deal?

If not, just buy it from ebay.

I use sniping and keep waiting n waiting until I get a good deal.
 
chong67 said:
Did you have a super unbelieveable deal?

If not, just buy it from ebay.

I use sniping and keep waiting n waiting until I get a good deal.
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I don't like to spend all my money in one place so that's why I use money and/or trade:)
Like I got a brand new iPod 5th gen for my $200 dollar or less laptop because they really needed one and I didn't need mine
 
No the only ones that will work on T-Mobile are either AT&T, T-Mobile or the international version. The phone has to be GSM to work on T-Mobile's network.
 
Sprint/Verizon/US Cellular/Boost Mobile/ ect are CDMA but mostly NOT interchangeable

ATT/T-mobile/most of the rest of the world are GSM and if unlocked can go from 1 GSM carrier to the next

eljefe0000 said:
i dont think someone from clist is gonna give you their id with name and address on it
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Theres no way I'm letting ANYONE from craigslist copy down the information from my drivers license.
 
cdma is like giving a kid a lollipop and only when you get to the center you find out it has a cricket in the middle
 
That is an att phone and att is gsm so it would work. The only thing is that you need to get it unlocked so it would work on tmobile. If you want the hspa+ to work you gotta make sure it supports the bands that tmobile uses or else you'll get edge speeds (2g) (its also slow). I think those are the 1700 bands that tmobile uses it would be nice if someone knows for sure because att and tmobile use different bands.
 
save urself the headache get urself something compatible the best youll get is 3g and in most spots only edge
 
Seriously just buy a t-mobile branded phone. There are plenty of good phones and selection in the used market.

Also remember that it is now considered illegal to unlock a phone to use on another carrier.
 
SuperAfnan said:
That is an att phone and att is gsm so it would work. The only thing is that you need to get it unlocked so it would work on tmobile. If you want the hspa+ to work you gotta make sure it supports the bands that tmobile uses or else you'll get edge speeds (2g) (its also slow). I think those are the 1700 bands that tmobile uses it would be nice if someone knows for sure because att and tmobile use different bands.
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Actually, T-Mobile has been making their network compatible with AT&T's, largely so they could get iPhones to work on 4G. From things I've read recently, I believe that the refarm may be complete.

In this case, I'd recommend talking to your local T-Mobile store and find out if the 1900 Mhz band (the frequency AT&T uses) is working in your area. This article lists the areas which had the 1900 Mhz band refarmed as of Jan 11.

You'll also have to ensure the Atrix is not locked to AT&T and, if it is, get AT&T to provide you with the unlock code.

You might also look into buying the Nexus 4 directly from Google. You essentially will be paying a "used" price ($300 or $350, depending if the phone is 8 or 16 GB) for a brand new phone.
 
mogelijk said:
Actually, T-Mobile has been making their network compatible with AT&T's, largely so they could get iPhones to work on 4G. From things I've read recently, I believe that the refarm may be complete.

In this case, I'd recommend talking to your local T-Mobile store and find out if the 1900 Mhz band (the frequency AT&T uses) is working in your area. This article lists the areas which had the 1900 Mhz band refarmed as of Jan 11.

You'll also have to ensure the Atrix is not locked to AT&T and, if it is, get AT&T to provide you with the unlock code.

You might also look into buying the Nexus 4 directly from Google. You essentially will be paying a "used" price ($300 or $350, depending if the phone is 8 or 16 GB) for a brand new phone.
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even in refarmed areas the best he can do with that is 3g my wife has that other phone from att that has that rotten apple in the back and all she gets is 3g the refarming will not support hspa
 
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