Buying a used iphone. Where do I go and what do I look for?

[BadMouth]

My sister says my father wants a used iphone 4 or 5 for Christmas.

I see no reason why he would need an iphone, but my sister has one so he'll bug her with issues instead of me.

I've never owned one and know nothing about them.
How do I go about getting a used one without getting ripped off?

[Nephasth]

CL. And bring a gun.

[pbj]

I've got a 4 I'm about to upgrade.  What kind of money you offering?

[SNAAKE]

how about............NOT buying an used iphone with a crappy battery?

new android phones are pretty cheap. you can just get one of those. motoG is a great entry level android phone and it poops on most iphones.

[BadMouth]

how about............NOT buying an used iphone with a crappy battery?

new android phones are pretty cheap. you can just get one of those. motoG is a great entry level android phone and it poops on most iphones.

Not wanting to buy a used one with a crappy battery was pretty much my reaction.

He has an android phone and is always screwing it up.  He doesn't do anything but look stuff up on ebay and take pictures. 
I'd rather get him a $50 windows phone, but the camera will suck and my sister (who lives near him) won't be able to help him with it.
My nephew will also be able to call from his ipod.

My sister keeps sending me links on my local craigslist.  I live in a college town.  Tens of thousands of students, a ton of them with iphones.
The chances of one from craigslist being lost or stolen is pretty high. 

I was hoping someone had a source for used ones with warranties.

PBJ, I was hoping for at least a 4S, but I will check the local market prices and get back to you.
It needs to be AT&T.

[pbj]

You sound like too much trouble already, I'll pass.

 

[Vigo]

Physically, the buttons are the things to watch out for. The phone can look pristine, but a dud button can be sneaky and make it unbearable.

You will want to know the IMEI number before the transaction so you can check and verify that it isn't a blacklisted phone.

You will also want to make sure the phone is unlocked. Carrier will need to match if the phone isn't unlocked. And make sure you get the correct type (GSM vs CDMA) phone for your carrier. AT&T phones are unlockable by the carrier if the owner requests it, so if you get an AT&T phone and the seller says he can't unlock it for you, that is a red flag. Not sure about the unlocking rules with other carriers.

Make sure it isn't jailbroken, unless you want that (Which in your case, you don't). You especially have to watch out for unteathered jailbreaks. Meaning it is jailbroken until you reset the phone. and that phone you thought was unlocked isn't anymore. Ideally, when you get a phone, it should be wiped and showing the welcome screen.

[Vigo]

PBJ, I was hoping for at least a 4S, but I will check the local market prices and get back to you.
It needs to be AT&T.

Saw this after I posted. Yeah, just look at any used iphone that is GSM and either unlocked or AT&T. There is little difference between the Iphone 4 and the 4s that your dad will notice except SIRI. If SIRI isn't a big deal, just go for a flat 4 and save the money.

[Vigo]

And get the IMEI ahead of time and check it on this website to make sure it is a clean phone. IIRC, it should also tell you if the phone is truely unlocked or not.

http://iphoneimei.info/

[horizon]

Bring a small LED flashlight to check the indicators for liquid damage.  You're looking for non-white pads: http://km.support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/iphone/iphone5c/iphone_5.png
http://cdn.gottabemobile.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/iPhone-water-Sensor-dot.jpg
http://km.support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/iphone/iphone5c/iphone_4_activated.png

Make sure the Sleep/Wake button is very responsive and doesn't look sunken in.
https://www.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/

Have him/her meet you at the nearest Apple store so they can run diagnostics to see where the battery is at.  Grab a Mobile appointment with the Genius Bar.

Ask for the serial number and IMEI info.  You can look up the phone's warranty/repair status on apple.com
https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

[pbj]

It's child's play to open up an Iphone 4.  Liquid damage indicators are $1.00 for a sheet of one hundred and easily replaced.  My home button is fine but iOS 7 runs like crap.

"Check market prices"

"Warranty"

Dude, these are old, heavily used phones.  If you can't risk $50, consider a different present.

 

[BadMouth]

Ended up getting an iphone 5 off an ebay seller with a long history of 100% positive feedback.

While home for thanksgiving, I figured out my sister's true motivation for insisting my father wanted an iphone.
My nephew doesn't like staying with my parents because they don't have wifi for him to play on his ipod touch.
I'm sure my father will be installing all the same apps my nephew complains about not being able to use while stuck at their house.

[Vigo]

  Sounds like my family. Any time I am told my parents "want" something, it ends up clearly benefiting the member of my family that told me about it.

[horizon]

So the solution is to use the data plan instead of someone buying and installing a wireless router?

[BadMouth]

So the solution is to use the data plan instead of someone buying and installing a wireless router?

His phone is on her bill anyway.
They don't have internet service, so a wireless router isn't going to do much good.

EDIT: Also, it wasn't my plan.   

[horizon]

No....internet?   

[BorgDog]

I'm a little late to this party, but for anyone else running across this swappa.com is a great place to buy and sell used phones of all types.  i've sold and few and bought a few through them and have been very happy with each transaction.

Oh, and if an iPhone 4 was my only internet I'd have to shoot myself 

[dkstanson]

iPhone is a great device and I stay with a 4S for 3 years which is still in good condition. However, my recommendation is not buying used electronics from unknown sources. i bought an used Galaxy S3 and Kindle Fire couple of months, both were dead after a month.