Used mobile phones: your guide to a safe purchase

You wouldn’t buy a car without doing your research first and used mobile phones shouldn’t be any different. Read our used phone buying guide to become used phone savvy and buy yours smartly, safely and securely.

Get a better mobile phone deal

It’s no secret that top of the range smartphones are ridiculously expensive. Take the recently released iPhone 12 which retails at £799 or the iPhone 12 Pro which starts at a whopping £999.

Part of the appeal of used mobile phones is the lower cost as the phone is no longer considered ‘brand new’ - even if it has only been used for a few months. With Raylo, you can get the Refurbished iPhone XR on a 2 year subscription at £14.99 per month which is a total of £359.76 over 2 years. That’s a much healthier figure in our opinion. 

Know the difference between used phones and refurbished phones

You might have come across used mobile phones, refurbished mobile phones, or both. Well, there is a difference between the two that you should be aware of. Used mobile phones, or second hand phones, are a cost-effective way to get a smartphone at a significantly lower price than brand new.

Typically, used mobile phones are purchased directly from the previous owner which means there’s no insurance or guarantee on the phone, and the handset may be scuffed and come without its original packaging or accessories. Even if you buy from a reputable seller, the phone will not have been restored in any way, and there might be hidden problems you’re not aware of.

Refurbished mobile phones are those that have undergone professional restoration to ensure they are at an ‘as good as new’ standard before being sold on. This is exactly what a Raylo Certified Refurbished phone is. Our refurbished smartphones undergo a 70 point check to ensure all of their key functions are in top working order. And with refurbished smartphones, you typically have some sort of insurance if a problem with your device rears its head (like our 24 month warranty).

How to buy a used phone safely

When it comes to purchasing used mobile phones, you can either go with a reputable seller or an individual. With these sellers, you have proof of purchase and usually have at least a 14 day period to send back the phone if anything’s wrong with it.

At Raylo, while we offer refurbished mobile phones, they’re not available to buy outright. We offer 12 or 24 month leases instead (like the refurbished iPhone XS Max or XR from £14.99 per month), and each refurbished phone comes with brand new iPhone accessories and a 24 month warranty just in case, though our 70 point check ensures Our team meticulously checks everything from buttons to battery, speakers to SIM slot, to make sure your new phone is almost indistinguishable from new.

With private sellers, purchases made in cash have zero insurance and you might never be able to contact them again. That’s pretty risky considering the phone might have some hidden faults that you’re not aware of.

Get a used mobile phone for even less

So you’ve decided you want a used mobile phone – but what if the prices you’re finding are higher than you wanted? Leasing is a great way to cut down costs even further as you’re not paying to own the phone outright. This could be something to consider given that a used mobile phone is only going to depreciate even more in value once you’ve bought it.

With Raylo Certified Refurbished, you pay to lease the phone from us which helps keep monthly costs low (did we mention you can get the refurbished iPhone XS Max or XR for £14.99 per month?). If this is the first time you have come across leasing, read our helpful guide which delves into the pros and cons of buying vs contracts vs leasing.

The benefits of phone leasing don’t stop at your wallet, though. Leasing mobile phones allows us to keep used smartphones in circulation as we collect and refurbish our customers’ smartphones at the end of their contracts. By doing this, we’re doing our bit to help the world’s e-waste problem through circular economy principles, all while saving our customers money. That’s a big win in our eyes.

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