eBay cell phones?

The other cell phone thread got me thinking about an upgrade as well. I don't think I'm going to drink the iPhone Kool-Aid, so I was looking at another Nokia flip phone. The one I've got does everything I want it to, and it's especially good at making phone calls. In my opinion, this is a key feature of a good cell phone. The new flips have more extraneous features geared toward 12 year old girls (music player, Facebook/Twitter capability, crap like that), so I'm toying with the idea of picking up another Nokia 6126 off of eBay. Yes, I'd probably spend a little more money than if I upgraded through AT&T, but I wouldn't be bound by another 2-year contract and the phone would be a known quantity (rugged, compact, email capable, easy to use).

So, if I go this route, will I be able to swap my sim card to the new phone and get on with my day? Other than not having the "latest and greatest" technology, is there a downside to this? Anyone have any firsthand experience with this?

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Originally Posted by trickyrix

The one I've got does everything I want it to, and it's especially good at making phone calls.

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If that's the case, why bother "upgrading"? Sounds like you've already got the phone you want.

As long as all your numbers are saved to the SIM, you can simply plug it in the new phone and you're done. I went that route (Ebay) last time instead of waiting for my employer to buy me one.

The Nokia 6126 should be OK on AT&T's network.

But in general, just be real careful about what you buy... especially with Nokia phones if you are on AT&T. Nokia tends to make versions of their phones that work on the European 3G frequencies (and T-Mobile here in the US) and then a "NAM" version that will work with AT&T here in the US.

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Originally Posted by altiain

If that's the case, why bother "upgrading"? Sounds like you've already got the phone you want.

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The one I've got is beat to hell. It's taken a lot of abuse, but it's starting to fritz out on me. I guess that's to be expected after three years. ;)

I was listening to a guy at one of the celular phone stores saying to a customer that you can buy a Go phone and slip your sim card in it. While AT&T may do a random check to make sure the phone is being used for its pay as you go service on the network the chances were apparently so slim that this salesman has not had an issue with his.

On the issue of buying the phones from Ebay (or anywhere) and being 'plug and play', yes but there can be another issue or two besides network compatibility. If the phone is compatible with AT&T but was used (for whatever reason) on say T-Mobile's 2G network (their 3G is not compatible and negates this example) you'll have to do some additional settings and config crap to be able to send MMS messages, like photos and crap. These things are extremely well documented in various places on the triple dub, and you may even find settings specific to your phone. The thing AT&T has yet to get right is an auto-configurator. T-Mobile does it with most popular phones coming to their network and it works pretty well.

But, your odds increase dramatically if you are just looking for a new condition version of what you already have.

Hey before you buy a phone, let me see if I can find one that I bought for my daughter and then decided she didn't want it. I think it uses a sim card and I think it's even a Nokia...it's NOT a flip phone, but it's relatively small. It's yours if: 1) I can find it 2) it will work with your carrier 3) you want it!

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Originally Posted by sammm

As long as all your numbers are saved to the SIM, you can simply plug it in the new phone and you're done. I went that route (Ebay) last time instead of waiting for my employer to buy me one.

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Yep, all my numbers are saved to the sim card. What eBay seller did you use?

I have an AT&T razor 3xx 3G you can have. Its the one with the gunmetal case. Uses a standard USB charger. I think I have the motorola phone tools still with the install key you can have as well. That will allow you to use the phone as a modem on a windows notebook as long as you have an unlimited data plan.

The V3xx is a fantastic phone, and very fast/reliable on AT&Ts network. That's the phone I used before making the iSwitch. Works as a modem on a Mac too. ;)

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Originally Posted by trickyrix

Yep, all my numbers are saved to the sim card. What eBay seller did you use?

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http://myworld.ebay.com/monstercellular

Thanks for the info and the Motorola offers. I've never been a big fan of the Razr - seen too many of them too easily broken. Believe me, I'm hard on my phone... my Nokia phones have taken untold abuse and kept on ticking.

Couple more questions... looking at some of the eBay vendors, I see some phones that are specifically AT&T/Cingular, and some that are listed generically as Unlocked GSM. The generic phones claim to be "Quadband" and compatible with AT&T, T-Mobile, et al. Should I stick to an AT&T phone and be wary of the generic Unlocked GSM units? Version3, is this what you were talking about when you mentioned configuration problems?

Unlocked GSMs may not necessarily be Quadband, but yes the generic ones will probably have to do some very basic configuration to be compatible with the data aspect of the network. So, those Unlocked compatible ones will most likely have this. It's not an 'issue', it's just an additional step you'll have to do at the beginning.

Quadband phones will likely have the same issue, but offer some additional global compatibilities. This is VERY common in any phone that's offered most often in another country but compatible here too. I've had some great phones that were built primarily for other markets (like European markets) but were Quadband and worked very well here. Common with Nokias, Samsungs and such.

None of it's a big deal, if you find a fully unlocked phone, or a quadband that you like, just do a quick Google search on setting it up for AT&T MMS and data. Someone has likely documented it somewhere already.

I worked for several years for a Mobile Marketing company, and we constantly had handsets that were switching from carrier to carrier, or bringing in for other markets. Many of us, would buy one, carry it for a couple of weeks/months or whatever, and release it into the test pool in favor of another, or someone else's.

My son bought a new Razor off of ebay and it was a European phone. We never could convert all of the German wording on the menus to English.

Thanks again, guys (and gal). I found what looks like a decent seller with the phone I want, and I pulled the trigger. Cross your fingers... it should be here by the end of the week.

LONG LIVE THE NOKIA 6126! :rolleyes:

BTW... Gary, I had a Nokia gimme phone once and my friend managed to switch the language to CHINESE. Yes, CHINESE. It was funny for about a week, then I finally fumbled my way through the menus and turned it back to English. Good times...

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Originally Posted by trickyrix

Thanks again, guys (and gal). I found what looks like a decent seller with the phone I want, and I pulled the trigger. Cross your fingers... it should be here by the end of the week.

LONG LIVE THE NOKIA 6126! :rolleyes:

BTW... Gary, I had a Nokia gimme phone once and my friend managed to switch the language to CHINESE. Yes, CHINESE. It was funny for about a week, then I finally fumbled my way through the menus and turned it back to English. Good times...

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Even after switching the language to English, some of the menus remained in German. We never could change all of the menus to English. Good luck!!

Glad you found what you wanted! I'm sure it will work out great for you! Dontcha just luv all the giving informative peeps on this board?!

::hippi::

Well, I got my new Nokia 6126 in the mail today, plugged in my sim card, and I was instantly up and running - no extra setup required. Hell, the phone even came with a fully-charged battery! Good stuff...

Thanks for the pointers and info!