Fuels at more than 1.70/l (and, yes, the price is agreed and deliberate), a shopping basket that is beginning to be unaffordable, rents and mortgages skyrocketing and, as if that were not enough, the average ticket for new phones , more fired than ever. The high mobile phone bill is one of the main causes of the collapse in sales that they are suffering, and alternatives such as renting are beginning to gain strength in the face of skyrocketing prices.
In my particular case, I am a staunch defender of the second hand. My vehicles are used and, a few years ago, my mobiles were too. The bargain mobile survivesas long as you don’t hesitate to buy something that has already been used or, in even more optimistic scenarios, just unsealed by a person.
This post will focus on my experience with used mobiles (or not so used, as I will explain), so there will be no mention of refurbished ones. This is a similar case, but there are specialized websites and they have somewhat different characteristics compared to the second-hand market.
The whim of unsealing the phone
In addition to a technology lover, I am also a motor lover. As this is a land where prices are much higher, a phenomenon similar to that of mobile phones has always been curious to me: brand new the product yourself involves a high extra cost. It is something that materializes and is evidenced in the purchase of “zero kilometer” vehicles. You can save thousands of euros by buying a car or motorcycle that, simply, have not been released by you.
In the case of telephones, something very similar happens. Before talking about used phones, it is convenient to give visibility to unsealed phones. These phones that are a company gift, a gift from the operator, or bought on a whim by someone just to try it out for a few hours, to immediately return them to the box. They are no longer new, and that reduces their final price. There is an even more extreme case, that of the mobiles that are listed, but are not sold through the original manufacturer.
An iPhone 14 Pro Max at the price of iPhone 14 Pro, or an S22 Ultra for 800 euros. These are some of the examples of how we can save a few euros by buying sealed or unsealed mobiles in second-hand portals. If we can make sure of its provenance, it’s a smart buy. A little later I will tell you How do the guarantees work in these cases?Although I can tell you in advance that there is usually no problem.
The high-end makes sense over time
Between a 2021 Realme GT, with a Snapdragon 888, and a 2022 Realme 9 Pro+ with a MediaTek Dimensity 720, which would you choose? Each with their preferences, but I have no doubt that the Realme GT is a better buy, and they currently cost the same on Amazon. This is just one example of something I already said: “I wanted to buy a 2022 mid-range. I ended up with a 2021 high-end that surpassed it in everything.”
In my particular case, I tend to be quite insistent with the power of the phones. Because nobody cares when thinking about a basic use of WhatsApp, Gmail and social networks, but we all care when we want it to move smoothly for more than three years, when we want it to move that app that has been launched some time after its launch, when it is no longer supported because the processor is not compatible, or when it starts to go wrong and we remember having bought such a humble mobile.
The high end of a couple of years ago, In general terms, it still far exceeds the current mid-range. A separate issue is the tribute that we will have to pay in the event that we use Android: support, but an S21 Ultra is better than any Galaxy A, and a Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro sweeps any Redmi that touches 400 euros. And, yes, you can find them second hand on these figures.
Where and how to find the perfect mobile
HTCmania and Wallapop. The first for general reliability and closer treatment, the second because you can find what you want in an even more comfortable way. The HTCmania subforum allows us to see the ratings and total sales of the sellers. Here I am quite blunt: do not buy anything from someone who does not have reviews. We have all had to be a seller without a score, but at this point in the game you have to play it safe.
Wallapop is easier and more visual… and more open to haggling. The recommendation is the same: do not buy anything if the seller has just created the account or if he does not have enough positive reviews. In my case, if it doesn’t have five stars, I don’t buy. It’s easy to maintain a good reputation if you do things right, having few stars is almost a guarantee that the phone will not be as promised by the sellers.
Since we are shopping online, we will not be able to check the status of the phone. My recomendation is request a video of the mobile working, in which the current date is appreciated. If the seller is transparent, he will not cause any problems. If the photographs of Wallapop or HTCmania do not have sufficient quality, it is more than advisable to ask that you send us the original photographs by the means that both of you estimate.
Let’s talk warranty
The phone’s warranty will be set by the manufacturer, and it doesn’t matter so much where it was purchased. The guarantee is from the European brand despite the fact that, in some cases, the manufacturer wants to wash its hands and refer you to the original store where you bought it. If you get a very old device (not recommended), you cannot expect any guarantee. If you buy one that is still within the warranty period, It is always a good idea to have the original invoice on hand.they can ask you to process the process.
In cases like Google, Apple or Samsung, it will simply suffice to provide the IMEI of the phone. If it enters the warranty period, at least in my experience with the three technical services, they will not put any trouble. In fact, not too long ago I processed the warranty of an Apple product that was still in someone else’s name. Simply with the serial number they processed the entire process and we modified the ownership of the device.
The best case is the purchase of mobile phones still sealedwhich retain the entire warranty period, and maybe even some of the advantages offered by some manufacturers with the first activation of the device (free months of services, etc.).
