Did I scam this guy?

[A.Nonymous]

Long story short, I bought a phone off a kid and I'm feeling kind of bad about it as I think I may have completely scammed him without meaning to. I looked on ebay, but can't find any phones with the same accessories to really compare the price to and see if I gave him a fair deal.

Basically, I wanted a Rezound so I could play around with it and see if I can get it work for me before committing to it as a daily driver. On ebay, they go for $300-400 in box with all the accessories. Brand new is on the higher end of that, used on the lower end.

The phone I bought did not come with the Beats headphones, the box, or even a charger. I got the phone and the 16 gb SD card that came with it. That's it. The phone has a screen protector on it if that makes any difference.

I bought it from a kid (15-17 I would say) who was asking $280 for it on CL. I offered $200. He countered with $250 and we settled on $225. Is this a fair price? or just a bargain? If this was your kid who sold the phone for that price would you think he was scammed?

 

[msnbadger]

Not to throw a wrench in the works on who potentially who scammed who but are you sure it was his phone to begin with?

 

[jerofld]

I'm actually more surprised that a kid knew how to haggle. Not very well, but I'm surprised $280 wasn't the final price to him/her. That makes me wonder if he didn't know that he really wanted $200. Probably for a new iPhone if upgrade is available.

 

[lunatic59]

Depends on the condition of the phone and if it was a clean ESN/IMEI. It could be, if he was a 'kid' that his folks got him the phone on the family plan and he's cashing out. No skin off his nose, right?

 

[Frisco]

A "kid" of 17 is probably quite savvy wrt this stuff, and wanted a quick sale.

It is prudent to have it checked out by the carrier though, as to ownership.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Not to throw a wrench in the works on who potentially who scammed who but are you sure it was his phone to begin with?

It had a clean ESN and wasn't on anyone's account. I checked with VZW beforehand.

 

[msnbadger]

It had a clean ESN and wasn't on anyone's account. I checked with VZW beforehand.

Good move

 

[A.Nonymous]

Good move

I got burned once by a phone that had a clean ESN, but was still tied to someone's account. The account holder just hadn't reported it stolen yet.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Depends on the condition of the phone and if it was a clean ESN/IMEI. It could be, if he was a 'kid' that his folks got him the phone on the family plan and he's cashing out. No skin off his nose, right?

Phone looked in new or like new condition. He seemed happy with the money he got, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a scam. He would've sold me the Beats headphones for an extra $15 but I didn't have it with me. I tried to talk him into $10, but he wasn't interested. The whole deal for $235-240 would've been a scam I think even without a charger. Like I said, if your kid came home and told you he sold that phone at that price would you think he'd been scammed or that he got a fair price?

 

[ricksievers]

Being he was under 18 could be a problem for you. Children can not make deals like this. If his parents want the phone back, you might have to give it back.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Being he was under 18 could be a problem for you. Children can not make deals like this. If his parents want the phone back, you might have to give it back.

That I don't buy. My brother is under 18 and does stuff like this all the time. He gets an upgrade and goes out and buys the greatest phone his carrier has to offer. Then he switches back to his old phone and sell the new one for 2-3 times what the upgrade cost. He does this with his phone and my parents phones. They don't want a smart phone. They're eligible for an upgrade he gets them a smart phone, then sells it and cancels the data plan. I think he splits the money with them, but I'm not sure.

 

[ricksievers]

Any deal made with a minor without the parents consent can be undone. You should never make a deal with a minor unless the parents agree.

 

[EarlyMon]

And by the way - the Rezound was recently on sale for $100, so maybe you both made out.

And what ricksievers is saying is absolutely true - that's a matter of law.

 

[dan330]

but if it was a legit phone, he has been using...why would he not have the charger???? it sounds like you might have "lost" phone...

 

[A.Nonymous]

And by the way - the Rezound was recently on sale for $100, so maybe you both made out.

And what ricksievers is saying is absolutely true - that's a matter of law.

That $100 is with a contract and I bought it without a contract. I realize I'm paying more since it's out of contract of course. The thing about him being a kid is a legal thing and has nothing to do with whether the kid got scammed or not IMO. He had the beats headphones with him and the IMEI is clean and not associated with another account so I don't think it's hot.

 

[thebluedot]

Ha yea, I work in used cell phones and people will often sell their phones with clean ESN and then call them in as lost and stolen. So, they get the money from the insurance, and the money they got from you. It's pretty crummy but I see it happen all the time.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Ha yea, I work in used cell phones and people will often sell their phones with clean ESN and then call them in as lost and stolen. So, they get the money from the insurance, and the money they got from you. It's pretty crummy but I see it happen all the time.

!$#!#$ I hope that's not the case here. I haven't activated it yet as I'm working on rooting it and putting Cleanrom on it, but haven't had time yet to mess w/it.

 

[thebluedot]

Yea, you can never be to careful with craigslist purchases. The downside is that if that does happen Verizon will do nothing for you. Even like super out dated dumb phones they will not remove from the lost/stolen list for any reason. They are pretty strict when it comes to that stuff.

 

[A.Nonymous]

CL is definitely sketchy. The guy wanted to meet me in the mall parking lot after dark to do the deal. I told him he could meet me in the food court instead and he showed up with half a dozen friends. I was a bit wary.

 

[ricksievers]

The whole thing sounds suspicious. I would have ran.

 

[dan330]

i have sold a few of my phones on CL... I always ask to meet at sprint store.
so they can test the phone.

 

[ricksievers]

I've sold cars on CL. Good place to sell if you are legit also.

 

[EarlyMon]

That $100 is with a contract and I bought it without a contract. I realize I'm paying more since it's out of contract of course. The thing about him being a kid is a legal thing and has nothing to do with whether the kid got scammed or not IMO. He had the beats headphones with him and the IMEI is clean and not associated with another account so I don't think it's hot.

Not implying it was hot.

Just implying, yes, maybe he got it on the $100 deal that you couldn't and you both made out.

And just saying, if his parents aren't ok with the deal, they have recourse, so far as I know.

If he was happy with the price, he didn't get scammed. If the deal gets turned around, you might. That's all I meant.

 

[Metroid Prime]

And besides man, it's not liked you lied to him or stole it.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Not implying it was hot.

Just implying, yes, maybe he got it on the $100 deal that you couldn't and you both made out.

And just saying, if his parents aren't ok with the deal, they have recourse, so far as I know.

If he was happy with the price, he didn't get scammed. If the deal gets turned around, you might. That's all I meant.

Well, if his parents contact me and want the phone back, that's a whole different ball game.

He was happy with the price, but part of me wonders if it was because he had no clue what the phone was worth. Then again, he did originally list it at $300 which is what the phone is worth provided it comes with headphones, box, charger, etc... and I got none of that.