Websites like OLX and Quikr are online classified sites where can buy or sell used or new products in different categories.
And for some reason, Mobile Phones is one of the hottest categories on these online classified websites. You will see a lot of Ads related to Mobile Phones.
You can buy used mobile phones on these websites at a cheaper price, sometimes even one-third of their MRP. Yes, the condition of mobile phones are not that great which are sold at one-third of their MRP but you can get really great deals on these websites.
There are different kinds of people who want to sell their mobile phones on this platform some are in need of an urgent cash and then there is someone who doesn’t like a scratch on their mobile phone.
So, if their phone has fallen once or twice, or if the screen is cracked from the edge, they are ready to sell at half the price even if the phone is just a few months old.
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For example, I bought a Samsung Galaxy 6 edge at one-fourth of its original price, since it had a crack on the left side of the screen and it was a 3-year-old smartphone.
Other than that the phone was quite well and I think the price I paid for it is worth the feature it has. It is still able to take great quality photos.
Obviously, there has been a lot of improvement in smartphones in the last 3 years, but if you are paying just below $200 for a flagship smartphone which still has got a great camera in comparison to other smartphones falling in under $200 segment, then this is obviously a great deal.
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Since these websites are classified sites where you can post for free and there is hardly any verification other than verifying your mobile number or Email address it attracts a lot of spammers and scammers as well.
It doesn’t cost a scammer to post an Ad which is too good to be true, and then scam money from poor buyers, who are looking for a mobile phone or a similar product and fall prey to their offers.
There are different kind of scams happening on online classified websites.
★ Sometimes there are scammers who would message you then try to take the conversation of the platform on another channel, such as WhatsApp or even via Email, then they will ask you to make a payment on particular bank account number, or do a Western Union Money Transfer.
Mostly, the amount is said to be a token money, or a security deposit so that they can send you the product and get the payment of the product later.
But, it is actually a scam and you will never get to hear from them, once you have made the payment of the token amount, I have myself encountered this scam, but, fortunately, I did not fall prey to it.
I did not fall prey to this scam because I am in Tech field, so I know how things work, but their offers are so enticing that anyone even with good knowledge of how online websites work, can fall prey to such scams.
★ The others type of Scams are actually quite scary where the seller wants to meet you at a Shady place and then will mug you all your money.
So, always make sure you meet the seller at a third place (that is, not his place, not your place, or neither any Shady place decided by the seller) You can meet at a public place, such as a coffee shop, or something like that, where there are people and you do not find yourself in danger.
If you are trying to buy something from these websites, you should make sure that you meet the person and physically check the mobile phone and all its features, whether it is working or not, before making the final payment.
Because, once you have made the payment, there is no backing out. It is not a company but a person who is selling the smartphone, so you cannot do anything if you find fault in the smartphone after you have made the payment.
I hope you find this article useful and you can save yourself from getting scammed on websites like OLX and Quikr.
