@kris69 wrote:Hello!I am a fido prepaid customer & have "promised" to buy my son an iPhone for Christmas; he doesn't like androids.I will need to pay for the full cost of the phone. I am hopeful to get a refurbished iPhone 6S, 6, or 5S for $300 or less. Does Fido sell these online & happen to have anything close to that available???Kris69***Edited to add labels***
Hi, you might not like it but buying any second hand phone over the internet or in person is kind of risky because the owner has the ability to rip you off easly and here is how:
1) buying a phone online or in person is risky because the owner of the phone will collect the cash and then later on same day he calls the carrier and report the phone stolen, at this stage the 15 digits IMEI number of the phone goes in the stolen blacklist and can't be activated so you will lose the cash you have paid plus the phone that was reported stolen.
2) buying a second hand phone online or in person is risky because the 15 digits IMEI number Can be modified, so the phone owner changes the IMEI number and calls a specfic carrier to activate the phone on specific plan and then later on he/she decide to sell the phone, you spot the phone and contact the seller and you meet and then you buy the phone and pay the seller XY dollars, and same day he/she calls the current active carrier and report the phone stolen again, so the phone is obselete now can't be activated, so you will lose the phone and the cash.
3) last but not least I encurage your to buy one full price brand new out of the box, and be the first owner of the phone that way you gurantee that you will not get ripped off.
and anyone who is planning to buy a used phone they should put that into consideration before paying.
you might say a buyer can always ask for the ID of the seller but lucky you if you can find a seller who is welling to provide you his/her identification information so in case a problem arise, you can report that to police,but they will not i gurantee you they will not.
also you might say if the seller has the ability to change the IMEI number then buyer can too, thats correnct but you need a talented person to do that. because you have to connect the phone to a carrier simulator and trick the phone, and then bypass certian process and modify the IMEI number and save and then exit the simulator. so talking about phone simulator I am assuming I am getting you confused here right 
but yes its pain in the A .... also somone might say no the process its easy all you got do just download the App fromt he app store and then the app will do the job, I say NO BIG NO the app will spoof your IMEI number it does not change it phisically in the hardware. so everytime you shuddown the phone you need to enter the valid IMEI number in order for the phone to work, see how pain in the BBB is that process :).
The ONLY WAY you can buy a used phone is when you buy it from a trusted person that you know from a long time.
So good luck shopping.
