‘Caveat emptor’, buyer beware, applies when buying mobile phones online.

There are many potential problems buying from online traders; 

The vast majority supply non-Australian phones. There is no local warranty, they can have different software, and may be impossible to repair. A lot of the traders claim ‘Australian delivered’ phones when in-fact they are not – it is very difficult to check. 

A lot of phones are refurbished - used phones that have been repaired and made to look new.

Currently there are a lot of cloned phones - total fakes, but vaguely look like the real thing.  For example there are clone Nokia N95s and Apple iPhones. 

Many are stolen phones which have been given new identities – you cannot check its history. Recently over a thousand new phones were stolen from a warehouse. If you buy one of those, it will be barred and unusable. 

The sellers have no shop-front so how do you fix any problems or even ask simple questions. You cannot inspect or touch the phone before you purchase. Does the phone actually exist. 

The profit the seller may make can be as low as $20. Once you have paid, the seller is not motivated to even talk to you.

If you are fortunate to buy an Australian phone and have a problem with it, you will need to send the phone back to the online trader (at your expense) and then ‘hope’ that he sends it back to the manufacturer and then returns the phone to you (again at your expense). 

Online traders are generally fly-by-night operators. I have watched dozens come and go.

They may sell phones but many other items – I’ve seen them dealing in toilet rolls!– they are only there to make money and many have no technical knowledge of phones. 

Your local phone store will not be motivated to help you if you’ve purchased an ebay phone as it is an unknown quantity, and basically you did not purchase it from the store. 

The majority of the phones are actually much cheaper prepaids which have been unlocked.

Many of the factory included accessories are removed from the boxes and sold off eg. Bluetooth headsets, handsfrees, data cables. Add the cost of these back onto what you paid on ebay and I guarantee you it is cheaper to buy locally.