How to avoid buying stolen phones from Craigslist or Ebay?

You’ve been recently seeing a lot of new phones on eBay or Craigslist.

And you’re really impressed.

Why wouldn’t you be? There are several models available, from several brands, even those that were discontinued by manufacturers themselves.

And if that’s not enough of an attraction for you, there’s the factor of price. eBay and Craigslist have phones with one of the most reasonable prices available in online and offline markets.

You just need to place an order to an eBay or Craigslist seller and the device will be delivered right at your doorstep. Several payment options, including PayPal, further add icing to the cake.

But wait right there… You don’t want to end up buying a stolen phone which has been reported to the police. You will only end up losing your hard earned money in the end if you are not able to detect the difference between a clean phone and a stolen phone.

So how do you distinguish a legitimate phone from a stolen one? Here’s a guide to help you out.

Detecting stolen phones from eBay or Craigslist to avoid money loss

The most important thing you have to do is verify the IMEI of your device. There is a unique 15 digit IMEI number associated with every mobile phone, and based on this number, you can check a lot of details about the device you are going to buy.

Even if the seller has described the phone in an excellent condition, check the IMEI number because if the IMEI is blacklisted, you would only end up with an expensive toy. This is because a blacklisted IMEI is associated with a phone that is usually stolen.

And the stolen phone with a blacklisted IMEI can’t be used on any mobile carrier in your country. Period. While most sellers won’t publish the IMEI number on Craigslist or eBay, you would want to request this information separately. You can use an IMEI checker service on the web to check the status of the device you plan to buy.

Also, be sure to ask questions from the seller. Don’t be shy from asking who was the previous owner of the device, what is the reason for selling, is there any warranty backing the phone, and questions like that. The seller won’t hesitate to provide answers if he/she is selling a legit thing.

Use common sense when buying from eBay or Craigslist. The pointers above will make sure you don’t end up wasting your money.

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