The iPhone 11 and it’s Pro and Pro Max shipped out this past September.
With the lowest end iPhone 11 at 64GB will run customers a pretty penny at $700 and the highest end model iPhone 11 Pro Max at 512GB costing $1,449, It’s becoming more and more apparent that keeping up with the latest technology is a goal that’s slipping further and further from most people’s grasp.
This begs the question, who’s even asking for these new phones? Functionally, phones haven’t advanced that much in the last 3 years. After 4G LTE was standardized, phones have consistently been released with HD cameras, water resistant capabilities, and exponentially growing storage sizes. In fact, many of these statements can be said about a lot of this generation’s technology.
With televisions, gaming consoles, cellular devices and entire computer systems, the age of an over abundance of electronics is upon us. Earth911.com reports that “The United States produces more e-waste annually than any other country. The amount of electronics that Americans throw away every year? 9.4 million tons.”, as well as the fact that “Only 12.5 percent of e-waste is recycled, according to the EPA.”
As a personal mission statement, I had made it a personal goal of mine to buy new items as minimally as possible. This extends to the world of technology. Using second hand technology websites such as eBay or Glyde, recent hauls include my current gaming PC, my last 5 phones, and the very laptop I’m writing this on, and my experience has only ever been positive.
The idea of buying high ticket items on a second hand e-commerce websites, such as eBay, can seem particularly daunting, but it’s a lot less sketchy than you might think.
Firstly, eBay knows that it’s user’s appreciate not being scammed. As a result, the tools are in place should customers unfortunately get duped. Purchases made through PayPal, an online payment system, are able to be contested if an item is ever not as described. Additionally, eBay has added several condition filters to certain items, such as Manufactured Refurbished and Seller Refurbished. Searching for items with these filters on weeds out devices that are simply Used and have a higher chance of including new batteries, replaced screens, and even accessories such as chargers.
When listing a device for sale, eBay will generate default pictures of the device for the post if no original photos are provided. Avoid listings with these stock images, especially if the condition is ranked as anything less than A (A is the highest rating of condition, D and F being the lowest).
Another tip is to keep an eye out for items that have “FAST ‘N FREE” in green text in the location of the shipping cost. These are good indicators of companies that sell devices as opposed to private sellers of devices, as their shipping is an investment that the seller is putting into the sale. A company would have more incentive to maximize customer satisfaction, since a bad review on a company can be a big blow, but a bad review for someone’s one off scam doesn’t hold as much weight.
A closing tip is to consider investing in a warranty whenever it’s offered. Many devices on eBay will automatically list a warranty plan as a purchase option. Take note that even though purchasing second hand devices is less scary than you might think , you are purchasing a device that has a history that’s unbeknownst to you. offers a 30 day period to allow for the return of purchases that were not as described, but issues may arise down the road.
After purchasing a $500 iPhone 7 Plus, I began to experience an issue with my SIM card reader. I was able to call SquareTrade and have the entire unit completely replaced by redeeming the $72 warranty I had purchased. The choice to invest in that $72 warranty was the difference between me being stuck with what was essentially an iPod and having to shell out another $500, versus calling customer support on Sunday and receiving my replacement by Wednesday.
At the end of the day, use your discretion. If your guts telling you to walk away from a listing and that it’s too good to be true, listen. Items are constantly being added everyday, so don’t feel pressured to settle on a purchase until you know it’s right for you.