Purchasing advice needed for TP2 (Re: eBay)

[Cicatrize]

Alright, here's the thing. I've never purchased a new phone on eBay before, and obviously, with the stuck pixel issues people are reporting, I'm going to want to buy it from someone who has a 30 day return/exchange policy.

The price of the unit on eBay, brand new in box, is about $500-520 right now, and if I do the Buy It Now option, I can get 8% ($40) back with the Bing cashback program instantly into my PayPal (google it if you don't know what it is). So, basically, I'd be getting the phone for $460-$480.

Have you guys waited to buy a phone on eBay after a phone's release? Is this a good time to buy, or can I expect to see a bigger price drop in the near future on this device? IIRC, the TP1 only dropped about $100 in price, just like this, and stayed there for a while, but I don't remember for sure.

Any advice?

[RonDutt]

Why not get it directly through Sprint? Full warranty, ability to add insurance/TEP, and as many replacements as your heart desires in the first 30 days. Sure you dont get the $40 back, but with a phone that costs $500+ by itself, do you really want to risk it with eBay?

[es101346]

Originally Posted by RonDutt

Why not get it directly through Sprint? Full warranty, ability to add insurance/TEP, and as many replacements as your heart desires in the first 30 days. Sure you dont get the $40 back, but with a phone that costs $500+ by itself, do you really want to risk it with eBay?

The risks on eBay are very minimal, even purchasing the item from eBay, and activating it on you plan, you still get the warranty, ability to add insurance/TEP, and get as many replacements as you want. As I've done this with all my phones since the 6700 =P Once the phone has a clean ESN your good to go.

[Cicatrize]

Originally Posted by RonDutt

Why not get it directly through Sprint? Full warranty, ability to add insurance/TEP, and as many replacements as your heart desires in the first 30 days. Sure you dont get the $40 back, but with a phone that costs $500+ by itself, do you really want to risk it with eBay?

I still get manufacturer's warranty, TEP, and a particular seller I'm thinking of buying from has exchanges within first 30 days.

If I get it directly from Sprint: $599 + $35.94 tx (est) + $20 ship (est) = $654.94

If I get it from eBay dealer: $519 + $0 ship - $41.52 cashback = $477.48

$180 in savings without extending a contract. The thing I'm most worried about here is buying it and having the price drop another $50 or so within the next month.

[haus]

Interesting that prices came down so fast. Just a couple weeks ago the BIN prices were $650.

Personally I have no problems buying a phone on Ebay - probably 8 of the last 9 phones I've owned were Ebay purchases. But in this case, as it is your primary concern, I would ask the seller to take detailed/hi-res photos of the screen to show no dead or stuck pixels. However, a seller may not be willing to do that if they still have the protective plastic on the screen (they might take the photo, but they'd be crazy to take the plastic off for an Ebay buyer with a pre-sales question). Still, it's worth a shot. If you find a seller willing to work with you on this, that's a good sign by itself. Maybe you find a lightly-used one where the seller can accommodate this request. It's in their interest; if they happen to have a perfect screen the value of the device goes up for some buyers.

A good seller will disclose something like a stuck/dead pixel (I would), just like a scratch on the screen, though if they are really selling NIB then in theory they haven't even opened the box, or if they have the phone should not even be touched beyond verifying that it is in fact in the box. So they might not know. Bottom line, as with any Ebay purchase, look for a seller with good feedback who appears to know what they are doing.

I usually wait 6 months to a year on the Ebay thing, but it really depends on what prices do and how much I want the phone. Prices will always go down over time, but with these ultra-high-end phones it will be a gradual drop. The TP1 was about $300-350 when I got mine (I think about 6 months ago? maybe a bit more) and now they're in the $225-250 range, give or take. As great as the TP2 is according to many users, it's not exactly the death knell for the TP1, so the latter is going to hold its own for awhile. Don't forget that the Sprint TP2 hasn't even hit stores yet so there's just not that much inventory out there to cause a price drop.

By the way, even if you have insurance, if the stuck pixel thing becomes a real problem, they might start doing what laptop/LCD monitor mfr's do, and that is to specify some minimum number of "acceptable" dead pixels before granting a warranty replacement. I've read unofficial numbers in the 4-5 pixel range, though there are some rules about proximity as well. With an 800x480 display, the number should be lower since it's a smaller screen, but still I wouldn't be surprised if eventually they start rejecting insurance claims over 1-2 pixels. All the more reason for you to find a perfect one out of the box, I guess.

[quickstang]

Got mine off ebay. Made sure seller was legit, clean ESN, and placed an order. I too got the 8% Cash back. I did it from there, cause Sprint wouldn't budge but $75 max, and that was a new 2yr. Got it for $505 inc shipping, and didn't renew.

Went online, did my activation...Have SERO 500min...up and running, no probs.

[Cicatrize]

Originally Posted by quickstang

Got mine off ebay. Made sure seller was legit, clean ESN, and placed an order. I too got the 8% Cash back. I did it from there, cause Sprint wouldn't budge but $75 max, and that was a new 2yr. Got it for $505 inc shipping, and didn't renew.

Went online, did my activation...Have SERO 500min...up and running, no probs.

Would you mind PM'ing me the seller so I can see if they have another one?

[yaco]

Originally Posted by Cicatrize

Would you mind PM'ing me the seller so I can see if they have another one?

just bought mine for $430 off ebay: bt_is_you

There are 2 left at this price... Good luck

-edgard

[Cicatrize]

Originally Posted by yaco

just bought mine for $430 off ebay: bt_is_you

There are 2 left at this price... Good luck

-edgard

DONE deal. Thanks! Dude is selling $100 cheaper than almost everyone else, and I think I got the last one.

After the cashback, total cost is $396.51...hell of a deal.

Hopefully he ships fast, haha.

[8notime]

Originally Posted by Cicatrize

The thing I'm most worried about here is buying it and having the price drop another $50 or so within the next month.

I'm pretty sure you can count on it dropping another $50 in the next 30 days. Based on what I've seen the phone will drop about $150 off full retail over the next few months and will hold at that price for a while.