Forget the Plan, Pay Attention to Phone Packaging

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Most of us want the most advanced mobile phones out there. IPhones, Blackberries, you name it. We also want the best bargain, which often drives us to sites like Ebay.com and Craigslist to find discounts on state-of-the-art 4G smartphones. Even pay-as-you-go phones can be fetched for dollars less than they are in the stores if you know where to find them online. But this isn’t without its risks. They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to unused mobile devices bought at a discount sometimes all you need to do is judge the packaging to know what you’re getting.

Typically mobile phone packaging comes in two forms: cardboard box and plastic molding. If you’re a fan of Apple products in particular the iPhone then you know how nice cardboard can look. It has a waxy smooth texture and usually features high resolution printing. Opening it up is like opening up a jewelry case. In a word: elegant. But be wary of discounted phones that are packaged this way. The package your phone arrives in might look fine, but that might be because buying replacement boxes is cheap for a second hand retailer when a phone manufacturer offers them thousands of slightly damaged phones for a discount. Cardboard boxes make it much more likely for a phone’s package to allow moisture and other outside destructors to make their way into the components and cause damage. Not enough to ruin the phone outright but enough that they can’t be sold in regular stores, which results in them being sold to dealers who then sell them “for cheap” online.

Plastic is much more likely to keep water out. Phones properly packaged in plastic are typically kept dust-free from the moment they’re inserted so if you open one up with signs of grit be cautious. The big thing to worry about when it comes to plastic packaging is sunlight. Look for signs of sun damage on the printed pieces of cardboard typically placed inside the plastic packaging near the top of the phone display. Responsible shipping will keep electronics away from significant sources of heat, and the sun can especially cause deteriorating damage to phones inside transparent packages. Plastic packaging for phones is typically reserved for pay-as-you-go mobile devices and ones with alternative hardware and interface designs meant for children and senior citizens or those with hearing problems. Due to the customizing nature of these phones special care should be considered when purchasing one from an unfamiliar online seller.

It’s nearly impossible to know for sure whether or not a discounted phone bought online was significantly damaged. But if you took the time to make sure the seller offers a backed return policy then once a phone has arrived with signs of damage or packaging problems you should immediately arrange to return it. Don’t feel judgmental if you didn’t even open it up yet, sometimes in life you can make such assumptions without peering inside first.