Used iPhone 3GS buying guide

Ambusher · 09-18-2011, 04:47 PM

Hi,

So i am gonna buy a locked fido iphone 3GS 16GB. The seller said it is on 4.3.5 never jailbroken.
I never bought a second hand phone, wat are somethings i have to look for in buying a new phone? How do i check the phone is in great working condition, with all the features working, wifi, app store, if it is an original iphone, has no viruses etc.
I hope this also helps future buyers who wish to buy used iphone in the future.
Thank you.

Siro · 09-18-2011, 10:41 PM

I think not being jailbroken is another thing but the key thing to check is if the phone 's baseband is unlockable via UltraSnow or would it be required to be upgraded to the iPad baseband. There are better people who know a lot more than me out there on these great forums. Wait for their input. Take care.

~~arcangelmk~~ · 09-19-2011, 07:51 AM

When purchasing a used iPhone of any type, there are multiple things to consider.

Make sure everything in the device is in good condition. I cannot tell you how many times people have tried to sell me a phone where the screen has burnt pixels or the the proximity sensor cable or its clip was broken or something to that nature.

Test the phone out before you buy if you can. Usually, I first check the Software version and baseband. Then I try to connect to wifi, and bluetooth, then I make a phone call. If everything works and the screen seems in good condition, I would pick it up if the price is reasonable.

I stole the below list from another forum but here is a list of the unlockable basebands. Of course the Gevey sim unlock is a beast all unto itself, if you want to go that route that is another method. Beware that, as I am sure you know the 06.15 baseband conversion is unable to be undone at this point, although I did notice this weekend when working on a 3gs that 4.3.5 and IOS5 was running on, you did NOT have to have custom made firmware. So that may be a plus soon to come.

Another thing to keep in mind is are you looking to Jailbreak or not to Jailbreak. Are you comfortable with a tether ed jailbreak or would you like to sit around with untethered one. Preferably, I would rather not have to carry around a computer with redsn0w or iBooty everywhere I go in case my phone crashes, or I turn it off. Just a thought. Another thing to keep in mind, with a 3gS, if you do not want to be on 4.3.4 or 4.3.5 you CAN downgrade to 4.1 without the SHSH and I can personally confirm that apple is still signing 4.1 for the iPhone 3gS for some reason. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will try to help you out.

At the moment, I have never heard of any kind of virus for the iPhone nor have I had an iPhone with a non working app store, if this problem were to surface, get the SHSH with iFaith and build a signed IPSW and restore.

Unlockable :
1.59.00 iPhone 4
5.11.07 3Gs
5.12.01 3Gs
5.13.04 3Gs
6.15.00 3Gs

Convert-able + Unlockable :
5.14.02 Convert-able to 6.15.00 3Gs
5.15.04 Convert-able to 6.15.00 3Gs
5.16.00 Convert-able to 6.15.00 3Gs
5.16.01 Convert-able to 6.15.00 3Gs
5.16.02 Convert-able to 6.15.00 3Gs

NOT Unlockable "YET''
2.10.04 iPhone 4
3.10.01 iPhone 4
4.10.01 iPhone 4

Last but not least I would NEVER buy an iPhone over the internet. It is too easy to be burned and the possibility of you getting a jacked up phone is increased exponentially.

Heykrop · 09-19-2011, 09:11 AM

Make sure the device is actually the capacity specified. There are tools to change the ABOUT page in Settings and I've seen people trying to pass off an 8GB phone as a 16 by altering the information and replacing the back case.

Ambusher · 09-19-2011, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcangelmk

When purchasing a used iPhone of any type, there are multiple things to consider.

Make sure everything in the device is in good condition. I cannot tell you how many times people have tried to sell me a phone where the screen has burnt pixels or the the proximity sensor cable or its clip was broken or something to that nature.

Test the phone out before you buy if you can. Usually, I first check the Software version and baseband. Then I try to connect to wifi, and bluetooth, then I make a phone call. If everything works and the screen seems in good condition, I would pick it up if the price is reasonable.

How can i check for burnt pixels, proximity sensor cable and its clip are not broken? (what is the sensor cable/clip)

How do i check the bluetooth works?

how do i check the iphone is a 16GB and not a 8GB?

~~arcangelmk~~ · 09-19-2011, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ambusher

How can i check for burnt pixels, proximity sensor cable and its clip are not broken? (what is the sensor cable/clip)

How do i check the bluetooth works?

how do i check the iphone is a 16GB and not a 8GB?

1.use one of the flashlight apps that changes colors. You can turn the brightness all the way up and put a color like red on there. A burnt pixel will always be white.

2. My car has bluetooth built in and I would connect the two to make sure it works.

3. Go to general, about and on there it will say capacity. That is the area that will show how big the phone is. (Thanks ambusher, I forgot people can actually change that) or just hook it up to a laptop with iTunes. iTunes will show you the capacity as well. If you wanna be extra careful, google the Model numbers for the different iPhones. Double check the model numbers on the about screen just to be safe. At this moment in time I do believe it is not possible to fake that. If their phone is never jailbroken, you can also do the "reset all options and data" and that will remove anything the person installed that can fake the information on the about screen. Showing you nothing but correct values. Also, know your prices. Something that is too cheap to be true, probably is not true.

Another thing to think about is bring a laptop with a ifunbox on it, iFunbox will tell you if the phone is really a 3gS or if it is a 3G. Just look at how the phone is displayed in the program.

Ambusher · 09-19-2011, 05:43 PM

Thank you soo much! its unfortunate I cant spam "thanks" =P on your post.
but one thing with the flashlight app, that app will light up the screen not the flash? (iphon3 4 flash, and 3gs doesnt have flash duh! =P )
Also i dont have a car to check the bluetooth any other option?

~~arcangelmk~~ · 09-20-2011, 04:45 AM

There is a flashlight app out there I have it attached to my iTunes account, so when I get back from sea I will post it up, but yes it just lights up the screen and you can change the colors on it. As far as the bluetooth goes, you can try maybe a bluetooth headset, bluetooth connection to your computer, or you can use the iPhone configuration utility to make sure that there is a mac address for the bluetooth in the phone. If there is a mac address there is a good possibility that the bluetooth is functional.

Ambusher · 09-21-2011, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arcangelmk

There is a flashlight app out there I have it attached to my iTunes account, so when I get back from sea I will post it up, but yes it just lights up the screen and you can change the colors on it. As far as the bluetooth goes, you can try maybe a bluetooth headset, bluetooth connection to your computer, or you can use the iPhone configuration utility to make sure that there is a mac address for the bluetooth in the phone. If there is a mac address there is a good possibility that the bluetooth is functional.

how long till u get back? i am meeting to buy the new phone this week.