Hi everyone!
I recently bought my very first Iphone ever – And I bought it renewed from Amazon.
I’ve never bought a phone from Amazon before – and I did have some worries beforehand.
Especially because Iphones are such an investment.
In case anyone else is having some worries – here is a review of my Iphone purchase and overall experience.
There is also an unboxing video if you are interested.
I hope you may find it helpful for you!
Now let’s get started!
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My Experience
When browsing around for different phones, I eventually decided on getting an Iphone 13.
And I decided to get it from Amazon. Renewed.
256GB in pink.
Here is a Amazon link to the listing I bought it from.
I was really excited but also a little apprehensive because you can’t be sure what exactly you’ll be getting with a renewed phone.
At first, I read the reviews – which were overall positive.
Then, I watched the prices for about 3-4 weeks.
At the time that I was buying the Iphone 13, the prices were ranging from $430 to $480 (September 2024) – For an unlocked 256GB phone in the color pink and in excellent condition.
I ended up getting mine at $439.
(Btw – I rechecked prices for the middle of October and they are now going for $520 – I’m not sure why they raised so much… maybe because it is getting closer to Christmas?)
It shipped out fast and I received it pretty quickly too. I think it was about 2 days or so.
It came in a little box and it was just packaged in a plastic sleeve. It came safely though with no shipping damage so I don’t have any complaints about that.
It also came with a charging cable. I honestly haven’t used it because I found a pink one at TJmaxx and am using that one xD
If you’d like to see me unboxing the Iphone, I have a Youtube video you can watch right here.
For all of you who just want to quickly read what happened – I essentially unboxed the Iphone and inspected the exterior.
There were only minor scratches on the side.
The picture below shows the side with the most wear – but as you can see, it’s really not much.
There were no scratches on the back or front glass.
When I later turned on the phone, I did find some damaged pixels. There were two spots. They aren’t that visible unless the background is black so I don’t notice it that much.
You can see them if you look for them – However they pop out more if the background is black.
The largest one is I’d say the size of the tip of a lead pencil. Very small.
The other one even smaller. It’s smaller than a speck of dust so it’s hardly noticeable.
I hardly notice them so I don’t care too much about it – but that is essentially the biggest damage there was to the phone.
Overall – I was very happy with the condition of the phone.
I activated my phone with my phone company and everything seemed well.
There was one suspicious thing that did happen to me though:
I received 3 messages along these lines:
“Your Messenger verification code is ——.”
I was really weirded out by this because why would I receive these messages as soon as I activated my new phone?
I never received these messages on my old phone.
I became a little paranoid so I factory reset my Iphone just in case.
I did receive the message two more times after that – but then it stopped. I haven’t gotten the message again.
I heard sometimes when you block these types of messages – it can cause the other end to do more things (because they essentially know you’re a real person). I don’t know if this is true – but ignoring them seemed to have worked for me.
This may or may not have anything to do with getting a renewed Iphone – But I thought I’d be transparent and talk about my entire experience.
It’s always good to err on the side of caution and just factory reset your phone yourself from the beginning too. Just in case.
My Review
I personally really love my Iphone from Amazon and have no regret about purchasing it.
When buying an electronic that has been pre-used and refurbished – I think there will 90% of the time be some drawbacks.
But it’s always good to see the positives too.
And weighing all the pros and cons, I just personally love my new phone!
Pros
- I saved a lot of money buying a renewed phone!
- My max battery life was 89%, which is pretty good for a renewed phone
- The back and front of the phone has no scratches
- I have my dream pink phone with lots of storage space!
- My Iphone takes beautiful pictures and videos with great sound quality for content creation
Cons
- Minor scratches on the sides
- 2 spots of damaged pixels
- A few days of paranoia with the verification messages being sent to me ordeal
Things to Look Out For
Here is a general list of things to look out for when shopping a renewed Iphone from Amazon and when you receive your phone in the mail.
Check Seller & Product Information
- Make sure you are on Amazon first of all (I have heard of scams where people are on fake websites these days)
- Free Returns (Make sure the listing you are on says “Free Returns” under the price) – Always check for Free Returns when shopping on Amazon
- Check the Seller and Ratings (Do not purchase if reviews are bad)
- Check for a reasonable price (Don’t buy phones that are unbelievably cheap)
- Check Carrier the phone is compatible with or if it is Unlocked (Buy whatever works for your phone carrier)
Inspect Your Iphone When You Receive It
- Inspect the front glass, back, and sides (Make sure it is damage you can be okay with – otherwise, return it)
- Check all the buttons: Do they feel right when you press on them? Do they work?
- Check the camera: Is there damage? Do they work?
- Check the charging port to make sure it looks clean and undamaged.
- Does your phone charge fine?
- Does your screen feel smooth, look vibrant, and work well?
- Check your Iphone’s Battery Life (Above 80% is good for a renewed phone! The higher, the better. If it’s below, I would consider returning it)
- Check Wifi and Bluetooth capabilities
- Make sure it is already factory reset
Extra Stuff You Could Do If You Want
- Factory reset it yourself (Mine already came factory reset, but I did it myself anyways just in case)
Also – if you buy a phone, go ahead and buy the case and screen protector as well!
So that when you receive the phone, you’ll be able to go ahead and protect your phone! I also bought a camera protector as well.
Btw – in case any of you are wondering, my phone case is also from Amazon. Here is the link for it.
I got it in the white color. It looks pink because it is slightly translucent. I also popped off the silver camera protector part.
Thank you so much for stumbling across this blog post and giving it a read!
I hope you found it helpful in some way and I am wishing you all the best luck and experience in getting your new phone!
I am rooting for you!
Let me know in the comment section your own experience shopping a renewed Iphone or if you have any tips to share! (It may take some time for comments to show up because I have to manually approve each one)
I am wishing you all a wonderful day or night – And until next time!
Take care!