By: S. Bradshaw
Submitted: 2009-12-22 16:20:14 | Word Count: 537
Many people hear that they can save money on their cell phone if they go the used or refurbished route, but rarely do you actually hear how much money you can actually save. What if I told you that you could feasibly save enough money by purchasing a used phone to pay for your cellular bill for 3 to 6 months?
Perhaps you ve read some of my other articles where I ve been as guilty as anyone as simply saying used cell phones help you save money. Most people probably read statements like that and either don t believe them or begin to wonder exactly how much money can be saved. So, I ve compiled a little bit of data to make things clear, once and for all.
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To set the stage, let s assume I m a regular Joe who is in a common situation I need to upgrade my cell phone but I m not ready to sign another 2 year extension with my provider (meaning I won t be able to get one of the great deals they re offering). I m growing professionally so I ve decided that a Blackberry is the right phone for me. I can either go down to my local carrier store or their website and pay full price for a new Blackberry, or I can look around for a used Blackberry that s in good shape and activate that on my plan.
Blackberry offers a lot of different models for their phones, so to make this demonstration, I m going to talk about one of their more popular phones the 8830. Since I m not eligible for a discount through my provider, my only choice with them is to purchase a new one. Currently, the Blackberry 8830 is retailing for about $400 $500, depending on the provider. That s a lot to pay for a phone upgrade, and if I m not considering a used or refurbished phone, my plan to upgrade probably stops here.
However, a quick search on Google for used blackberry points me to a site that has numerous 8830s available for most major providers. If I m a Verizon customer, I can get a used 8830 in Excellent condition for about $120. That seems more reasonable to me. The phone has been tested and is fully functional and comes with the same 30 day warranty that I d get from my local carrier store. Jackpot.
If you re not a math wiz or are only slightly paying attention, I ll give you a hand here. Full retail: $400 $500 (well compromise and say $450). Used Price: $120.
Thus the total savings that I can get from purchasing the exact same model phone in Excellent used condition versus buying a brand new one is somewhere around $330.
Think of all the things I can do with that $330. At the very least, I can pocket the extra cash and set it aside to pay my cellular bill for the next 3 4 months.
The Bottom Line:
New phone: $450, paid in full today
Used phone: $120, paid today, $330 savings that will cover my bill for the next few months or help me buy some accessories, upgrade my plan, etc.
Given those numbers, I m not sure why anyone would opt for the new phone.
Author Resource:-
Scott Bradshaw writes articles that focus on cell phones, cellular apps, and mobile services. He encourages people to save money by purchasing used cell phones instead of new ones. Learn more at http://www.cellulartrendz.com
