Be Careful Buying Stuff on Craigslist

I bought another iPhone on Craigslist, a regular black 16GB iPhone 4 for Verizon (just a side note: Sprint iPhones sell for more than the Verizon). I bought it through Craigslist. I emailed a few different iPhone listing with low ball offers (low ball is a term meaning offering a price that is much lower than the value of the item) and only one responded. The price originally listed for $220 and described the iPhone as in perfect condition which included the usb cable and box. However, in the response email he stated that the lock button doesn't work well and he would accept my offer of $130. I know I could sell the phone for around $200+ in the stated condition. We exchanged texts back and forth and I arranged to meet up with him at my apartment that night.

Unfortunately for me, it start raining (which makes things feel rushed because you want to get out of there quicker) and I met him right outside my apartment under a dimly lit overhead. I quickly inspected the phone, checked the ESN, (for Verizon, you can check the ESN through http://www.checkesnfree.com) and checked out the lock button. I couldn't get it to work at all. So I asked him to drop the price down to $120, knowing I could make over $50 on the phone even with the lock button being messed up. He accepted and we traded. As soon as I got in a brightly lit room I could see that the phone was not in perfect condition.

There were scratches on the front and back, dings around the corner, and a very small crack on back of the phone. Also, the box was labeled for AT&T and not Verizon, so I knew it wasn't the original box. It was my fault for not thoroughly checking. So this is my advice to you all who buy from Craigslist, MAKE SURE YOU INSPECT THOROUGHLY! After all these faults, I value the phone for possibly around $160 so it still wasn't a loss but I definitely would not have offered him so much if I knew that actual condition. I probably would've paid $80-$100.

So I put the phone up on eBay for a buy it now of $200 and will drop it down in increments of $10 every time it doesn't sell. I don't expect it to sell for $200, but I'll take my chances.

Here is my eBay description:

"Apple iPhone 4 (Black)

16GB

Verizon - Clean ESN

includes: an iPhone 4 box and official Apple USB cable.

Condition: Moderate scratches around the phone. Small dings around corners. Miniscule crack on top right back of case as seen in the pictures. The lock button also does not work. Other than that it is 100% functional.

Since the lock button does not work, there is another way around it.The fix was really simple and involved invoking a new ‘Gesture’ which made a small virtual button appear on the iPhone screen. To access it, head into Settings > General > Accessibility > Assistive Touch and toggle it to ‘On’. Hit Create New Gesture and a small white button will appear permanently on your screen, until you turn it off of course.

The button gives you a virtual Home button, and if you select Device, then you can Lock the Screen, control volume, shake the device, rotate the screen etc. You can also position it in several areas around the screen i.e. move it to an innocuous location on the screen.

Free shipping and I usually ship next day."

Summary: Bought Black 16GB iPhone 4 for Verizon for $120 on Craigslist.