• Rin@lemm.ee
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    1 month ago

    I accidentally broke my Sony after drowning it a little too hard. I remember going into a AT&T store at a mall in the us and having this literal conversation.

    “Do you have the Pixel 7 Pro?”

    “Yes! We do.”

    “Does it come carrier unlocked?”

    “No…”

    “Thanks for your time”

    • randombullet
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      1 month ago

      I usually just buy my phone directly from a big box store never from a carrier

      • Psythik@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Same, and phones are good enough now that I feel perfectly comfortable buying a device that is two generations behind. I recently saved nearly $1300 by doing this ($1800 when it was new; I paid $550), and the phone feels just as fast and responsive as a brand new flagship.

      • shalafi@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I get all mine on eBay. There are some big-time sellers who are pros at reselling old phones and give an honest A-D rating. Same goes for PCs. Buy from the pros if you’re wary of the average Joe.

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
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          1 month ago

          Exactly. I bought my Pixel 8 refurbished on eBay, and everything came as expected, and honestly in better shape than I was expecting. Find someone with good reviews, check for recent bad reviews, and then go for it. I paid <$400 and feel like I got a really good deal (I also stacked w/ an eBay discount, which rocked).

          I bought my last phone new from Google Fi (fantastic deal) then transferred to a cheaper service after the required time, and the two phones I got before that (my SO’s and mine) were also from eBay. It’s a great way to go, just be careful and don’t buy something at the absolute lowest price since there’s probably a reason they’re advertised cheaper than the pack.

          • shalafi@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            Got a Pixel 5 with a line in the screen for $120. The seller I’m mainly talking about, the one with grades, shows a picture of each phone and any damage.

      • Rin@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        I ended up just ordering one from a friend’s amazon account.