To buy a secondhand mobile phone?

[User181019]

DD needs one as she's walking home from school on her own. Only needs it to message and receive/make calls if needed on her way home. Won't be using it for gaming or social media. Phones are handed in at school and she won't be using it at home.

Looking at secondhand mobiles in CEX, I'm shocked at how expensive they still are even for models 5+ years old which are no longer being updated.

E.g. looking at the Samsung phones (we are Android in this house), a 2017 J series model is £90 including delivery compared to a brand new Samsung Galaxy A03 (same series) which is £120. Even £90 is a lot for us but the cheaper phones are all around 8+ years old.

I'd rather not spend the extra money but is it false economy to save £30 and buy a phone which is already 5 years old, no longer being updated and I've no idea how it's been used or looked after in the past? What do you think?

I've had only 2 phones in the last ten years, both been second hand. Must have saved a fortune. And I just have a direct debit for a pack every month rather than a contract so I pay a tenner a month and can just transfer my sim to another model whenever this one eventually dies. I only but iPhones and they last a long time it seems.

Really?

I've got an iPhone 7 with a replacement screen and battery that I want to sell. I looked on eBay and it's only worth £15. I couldn't believe it was worth so little. Would love £90 for it!

My son and I both have Motorola G30's. The newer version is on offer at the moment. They're very good... don't fall into the trap of only buying Apple or Samsung - there are other good reliable brands out there...

www.argos.co.uk/product/1148710?clickSR=slp:term:motorola%20phones:1:905:1

@genericperson123 the Motorola looks great! Admittedly, we've only looked at Samsung but agree that there are other good brands out there which are just as good.