Great deals: Ebay Vs. B&H, Vs. Amazon Vs. etc, etc.

[Papamalo]

Being ready to pull the trigger on a new LG V30, I found the prices not that much different from the latest Galaxy, so I shopped around and saw some deals on Ebay for a measly $479, and wanted to jump all over it, but thought I'd let cooler heads (you guys, especially Hadron and JFalls) prevail by asking a general question.
What have any of your experiences with buying fairly new smartphones from ebay, or Amazon, been, and are my suspicions that they'll send me an LG V30 case filled with galaxy 2 p[arts, unfounded?
Also, are there other places besides Ebay, B&B, Amazon, and Gearbest, to find less publicized deals on newer hardware?
And heaven forbid, buying some refurbished or dreaded "Slightly used" model that may have been dropped in god knows what cheese dip/punch bowl/sewer, right?
Thanks!

PM.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-V30-H93...149937&hash=item3b0b8d1687:g:-CQAAOSw~fJal0iP

 

[Jfalls63]

Only thing I have bought on ebay has been phone parts. Haven't had any issues with new phones purchased from or through Amazon, Best Buy or B&H.
No problems with used phones I've picked up through Swappa.
Cheapest price, free shipping and no taxes usually get my business.

 

[Fox Mulder]

It's best to stick with the known reputable sellers and avoid the free marketplace third-party ones like you'll find on Ebay and Amazon. Getting the cheapest price should not be the primary goal here, if that cheap phone isn't what it's supposed to be (gray market, wrong model, counterfeit etc.) you haven't really saved anything.
I agree with Swappa as a reliable source, the sellers and phones have to be verified before they can sell there.

 

[Papamalo]

Whoah. Ask and ye shell receive. I had never heard of swappa.
Here's the deal.
I am on MetroPCS so I guess I have to get either an unlocked one, or a t-mobile model, right?
If you guys think this is a good deal I might pull the trigger right now.
https://swappa.com/buy/stock/15187/view

 

[Clementine_3]

Ask questions and make an offer. I love swappa.

 

[Papamalo]

So pardon my recurring Noobishness, but here are the four carriers represented in the sales of these phones. T-mobile, Verizon,Sprint, and AT&T.
Only T-mobile will work with me Metro PCS account, right?
Still a little foggy about the CDMA Vs. GSM subject.
https://swappa.com/buy/lg-v30

 

[Jfalls63]

Since the last carrier branded/ model phone I had was a AT&T S5 Active, I've only bought carrier unlocked. Gives you a lot more freedom to move to a different carrier if needed and usually easier to find firmware if needed.
https://swappa.com/buy/lg-v30-us998-unlocked

 

[Papamalo]

Pulled the trigger. Decided to go for one slightly more mint, for $480 + $15 swappa fee, (?) for a total of $495
Wish me luck!

 

[mikedt]

Swappa is OK I believe. Avoid used phones from sellers on Ebay though, because of the possibility of IMEI, ESN and MEID blacklisting, and we've had many posts about that on AF.

 

[Papamalo]

Thanks all you guys once again, for helping me find the right phone at the right price, and for being the best android users group IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.
See you back in the "Golly gee, whatever in the world shall I do" category, when my V30 is outdated. Lol.