Should I buy a Touch Pro 2 for $250? - Page 2

quick99si · #11 (**permalink**) 10-15-2009, 11:44 PM

I've bought/sold a bunch of phones locally. Meet with the seller, agree to pay for it after it's active on your account and after you've made a test call. Going to the store is a pain in the butt. You can use his phone to call Sprint for the instant activation.

Conversely, you can bring your laptop to a WiFi spot and activate it yourself on sprint.com.

**pimpsuprazx** · #12 (**permalink**) 10-15-2009, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhale83

A guy in my city is selling a Sprint Touch Pro 2 (brand new) on Craigslist for $275. I offered him $250 and he's willing to take that. Should I get this? Sounds fishy to me but he says it has a clean ESN and is brand new in box!

if you dont want it I'll buy it lol

99accordv6 · #13 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009, 01:54 AM

I would go to a Sprint store.

If the person is shady, you will be fiddling with the phone and all of a sudden BAM, you might get robbed or mugged.

I would go to a store and have a rep do the esn swap. And that way the seller is on camera at some point and if the phone has a bad esn then you know that the seller is shady and fails at life.

If the seller says no to meet at a store then dont even risk buying the phone.

Sometimes you have to ask yourself "Is it too good to be true?"

Imaginos · #14 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009, 05:51 AM

If you buy it, activate it on the spot to prevent your seller walking away with the ESN still on his own account - unreleased to you.

I usually call in and tell the CR that I am buying a phone. After checking it out functionally, I read the ESN to the CR and they can look it up, tell me if it is clear or in use on the seller's (or oh-oh.. someone else's?!) account. Before I hand over cash the seller has to confirm with Sprint that they are transferring it (using their own account pin/password) and I will activate it immediately after.
Haven't met a scammer yet using this procedure, and no way to tell if I haven't prevented a "lost phone" report after the sale, but it could save your bacon.

**jason25** · #15 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Imaginos

If you buy it, activate it on the spot to prevent your seller walking away with the ESN still on his own account - unreleased to you.

I usually call in and tell the CR that I am buying a phone. After checking it out functionally, I read the ESN to the CR and they can look it up, tell me if it is clear or in use on the seller's (or oh-oh.. someone else's?!) account. Before I hand over cash the seller has to confirm with Sprint that they are transferring it (using their own account pin/password) and I will activate it immediately after.
Haven't met a scammer yet using this procedure, and no way to tell if I haven't prevented a "lost phone" report after the sale, but it could save your bacon.

My thoughts exactly activate it on your account prior to paying up. Otherwise the seller can sell it then immediately claim it as "lost" and you're screwed. Happened to me on eBay, but I got my money back.

samshady · #16 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009, 09:27 AM

Depends on how big of a hurry you are to get the phone. If verizon is selling them for $199 how long do you think it will be before Sprints prices are at that? $50 isn't a lot of money but I would rather wait a month or so for several reasons. Let the bugs get worked out of the phone, let the geniuses here at PPC hack the crap out of it, and let the aftermarket like Seidio start pumping out accessories.

(on second thought throw the Verizon price in his face. Tell him you can get Sprint to price match and get a brand new phone for $199 see if he'll go $200?)

**jason25** · #17 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009, 09:34 AM

the OP is looking at getting the TP2 for $250 w/o contract. Maybe the seller got it for $199 from Sprint and is selling it for $250 to make a little money. I would take a NIB TP2 for $250 if I didn't need to renew my contract.

**pimpsuprazx** · #18 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samshady

Depends on how big of a hurry you are to get the phone. If verizon is selling them for $199 how long do you think it will be before Sprints prices are at that? $50 isn't a lot of money but I would rather wait a month or so for several reasons.

Yea but you can't really try that card if he know's what he is selling. That price is with a contract, your buying it outright(without a contract) for $250, that's a better deal.