Where to buy second-hand smartphones?

[NorrinRadd]

Was considering a second phone and to save money in the process. Looking for a place to get one.

Naturally SimLim and Funan come to mind, but as with those places so does come the potential of getting ripped off, especially a foreigner.

Usually the ideal of getting someone else's phone seems a bit creepy.

If I could find a near-new condition and fairly recent enough model I would consider it. From Googling I these can be found on Gumtree and qoo10 but not sure if these are from private sellers and therefore could be dodgy or have issues with support.

Are there dedicated stores for these?

[taxico]

just buy a phone from mi.com

as they say... "cheap and good" - i think they have a $149 android smart phone.

i've owned one before, and it works great. sold it on carousell for $100 when i was laid up at home with a fracture and needed something with more ram as i was doing lots of one handed surfing... i then bought a $259 phone, from mi.com again. still have it. still happy with it.

be prepared to pay a markup if you buy it in a store. that's just how it works. tons of those scattered (literally) all over singapore.

i'd hit carousell or gumtree for something with a warranty/receipt if i were you and looking to buy pre-owned.

but be warned, singaporeans don't understand the concept of selling used stuff. i bought my phone at $159 when it was just released on mi.com and i'm happy getting $100 for it when i don't want it anymore.

most singaporeans would price it at something like $139 to $149 on carousell. it's crazy and wait until you hear their reasons... (it happens in canada and i'm sure many other countries also)

[ecureilx]

just buy a phone from mi.com

as they say... "cheap and good" - i think they have a $149 android smart phone.

i've owned one before, and it works great. sold it on carousell for $100 when i was laid up at home with a fracture and needed something with more ram as i was doing lots of one handed surfing... i then bought a $259 phone, from mi.com again. still have it. still happy with it.
)

Challenger is stock clearing at Funan, ZTE G and Asus Go for 50 $ !

[NorrinRadd]

Thanks for the information. Both look like affordable, which is quite important now.

As I am not a phone geek, for the Asus Go, is this an issue for Singapore?: "it seems to lack 4G LTE capabilities".

The ASUS and others sounds like a great reason to make a trip to Challenger.

I know some people seem to like their Xiomi phones.

I would probably stay away from Lenovo phones even though they are cheap, due to their recent skyware issues.

All I ask for is a decent battery, preferably removable, and a memory card slot.

[rajagainstthemachine]

go to Naranjan stores on race course road, they have deals on new phones, you'll get a fairly decently priced smart phone there.

[nakatago]

Thanks for the information. Both look like affordable, which is quite important now.

As I am not a phone geek, for the Asus Go, is this an issue for Singapore?: "it seems to lack 4G LTE capabilities".

The ASUS and others sounds like a great reason to make a trip to Challenger.

I know some people seem to like their Xiomi phones.

I would probably stay away from Lenovo phones even though they are cheap, due to their recent skyware issues.

All I ask for is a decent battery, preferably removable, and a memory card slot.

4G LTE's practical implications are speed and congestion. You can ask around; check people on your same telco if their phones show "4G" and if they have issues with "lag" and "speed."

[NorrinRadd]

Thanks will check Naranjan, though there are some negative comments about them on hardwarezone and their own FB page - seems they don't give warranties.

For Xiomi, where is the best place to buy these? I don't think Challenger sells them.

[ecureilx]

Thanks will check Naranjan, though there are some negative comments about them on hardwarezone and their own FB page - seems they don't give warranties.
.

For Those who complain about Naranjan, the saying You wanna have cake ... comes to mind.

When iPhone, for example, sells elsewhere for say 1,200 and these guys sell for 1,000 or less, what else do you want from these guys ? Free cover ? Free screen protector? Extra charger? How about a free phone ?

[rajagainstthemachine]

Thanks will check Naranjan, though there are some negative comments about them on hardwarezone and their own FB page - seems they don't give warranties.

For Xiomi, where is the best place to buy these? I don't think Challenger sells them.

I've bought two phones from them, i didn't have any troubles with it, of course they don't do warranties, leave or take it, they get brand new phones from other markets like Vietnam, i bought a lumia 1020 from them ( made for the Vietnam market) & a Lumia 820 made for (t-mobile Polish market ) thats the only difference i could see, performance wise i didn't notice anything else. you want warranty for a Polish/Vietnamese phone sold in Singapore good one!
and like squirrel said forget about any fancy add-ons, you get a good price on the phones, what more do you want?

[sundaymorningstaple]

Challenger Funan is have their Closing sale-Funan is going to be renovated). I received email a little while ago (bout a hour). Up to 50% discount on smart phones (no other information as to brands, etc and also it's one of those "up to" discounts but it might be worth a walk into if you are in the area.

[ecureilx]

Challenger Funan is have their Closing sale-Funan is going to be renovated). I received email a little while ago (bout a hour). Up to 50% discount on smart phones (no other information as to brands, etc and also it's one of those "up to" discounts but it might be worth a walk into if you are in the area.

Fine print says, discounts applicable for members. Ah, for the discount rates, membership is worth it.

Plus, unlike others, Challenger doesn't give you a card for membership, and IC / Fin becomes membership, less clutter in your wallet.

[sundaymorningstaple]

I know. I've been a member for probably 20 years now. But it's only been in the last 5 years or so that they've done away with the plastic card. But when you forget it, they could still go into the system with your NRIC to check on your membership status.

[NorrinRadd]

Here's my update based on the recommendations here.

The sale at Challenger is for floor models, and, as SMS said, for members. I was a member for years and never got anything out of my points, lost them all when my subscription expired. Was back there recently to buy some storage, the cheaper member's price for it (about $50 less than the ~$300 non-member price) was what I got it for at a SimLim as their regular price.

At Challenger a guy looking at similar phones as me, low-end Asus, was about to buy one and the clerk took it out to test it (it was fully wrapped and boxed and appeared new but was a display) but couldn't get it to work. It was as he said, in parlance usually reserved for children or milk, "spoiled". The other customer didn't end up buying anything.

They had limited selection and their prices on other phones were nothing special (I didn't look at anything over $250 though), for example $239 for a Redmi 2, and there is no discount.

Found an Asus in another store Funan for $175, with warranty.

Mustafa had an even smaller selection.

Naranjan was not crowded and they were personable (not expected after reading up on them) but it was a quiet time. They had the same Xiaomi phone for $100 less (that seems strange), and another, an Asus, for the same. He recommended the Asus, I think the same one I saw in Funan. None come with any warranty.

Did't buy anything, decided to go home and compare the Xiaomi and Asus on gsmarena and the like first. As tight as money is at the moment am inclined to pay up the $35 for a warranty.

[yellowveggiez]

i usually buy from the online forums on hardwarezone. able to find a good deal if u look hard enough.

[ecureilx]

i usually buy from the online forums on hardwarezone. able to find a good deal if u look hard enough.

Why second hand when newer smart phone prices dropped so low, as low as 70 $, though with lower specs