I used to just meet people from Craigslist at a coffee shop, hand over cash, and walk away thinking I got a deal. Last month I bought what looked like a perfect Galaxy S22 from a guy in Denver for $250. Got home, tried to activate it, and found out it was blacklisted because the original owner reported it stolen. Now I always run the IMEI through a free checker before even pulling out my wallet. Has anyone else had to deal with a phone that looked fine but turned out to be a brick?
I grabbed a used Dell monitor from a pawn shop for $40 last month. Looked fine, worked okay with HDMI. But I wanted to use my laptop's displayport for a cleaner setup. Took me three evenings of swapping cables, checking drivers, and rebooting before I figured out the problem. The displayport cable I got from a random bin at Goodwill was the issue. Had some bent pins I didn't notice at first because it was cheap. Cost me $12 for a new cable from Micro Center and it worked first try. Anyone else run into stupid cable problems that waste way more time than they should?
Bought a Galaxy S20 off Facebook Marketplace from a guy in Austin last week. He did a factory reset right in front of me, seemed legit. Got home, set it up, everything worked fine for like 4 hours. Then the screen goes black and a corporate MDM lock screen pops up. Turns out he was a reseller who didn't check the IMEI history. Now I'm stuck with a brick and the seller blocked me. Anyone else run into phantom MDM locks on phones that looked clean?
I used to just wipe down secondhand phones with a damp cloth until someone pointed out I was probably just smearing grime into the ports. Switched to using 99% isopropyl alcohol and a soft toothbrush on the charging port and speaker grilles now. Game changer for getting that sticky residue off without damaging anything.
It was some kind of cash or keep it, but my phone works fine so it's just sitting in my desk drawer. Anyone else ever snagged something that looked busted but turned out to be a steal?
I was always wary of used laptops because I got burned on a Dell Latitude 3 years ago that had a dead battery and a cracked hinge. But last month I saw a buddy buy a 2020 ThinkPad X1 Carbon off Craigslist in Portland for $280, and it looked nearly new after he cleaned it up a bit. He showed me how to run a quick battery report and check the BIOS for locked parts, and now I'm considering selling my current machine to grab a similar deal. Anyone else had a good experience with a seller who was upfront about the condition?
My coworker Jen showed me her Galaxy S21 from Backmarket that she paid $280 for 8 months ago. She dropped it twice and it still runs like new. I always thought refurbished meant beat up junk but she sent me the seller's rating and 90 day warranty link. Has anyone else had good luck with refurbished flagships?
Found both on Craigslist from the same seller in Portland. The ThinkPad was older but had that legendary keyboard I keep hearing about. The Dell was newer with a better screen and thinner design. I went with the Dell because I figured it would handle web browsing and YouTube better for my kids. Three days in and the battery only lasts about an hour on a full charge. The seller said it was 'good' condition but didnt mention the battery was basically shot. Now I'm wondering if I should have grabbed the ThinkPad and just thrown an SSD in it. Has anyone else gambled on a laptop with a worn out battery and regretted it?
I was at a diner last week and my buddy kept complaining about his brand new tablet being slow already. I told him I just picked up a 2018 iPad Pro from a pawn shop for $250 and it runs circles around his. Why do people act like anything older than 2 years is e-waste?