Three places to buy a cell phone, other than from your carrier
Wireless carriers may seem to have cornered the market on cell phone sales, but shoppers actually have several alternatives.
Big box stores, manufacturers聽and online marketplaces like eBay and Gazelle are all in the business of selling phones.聽Most carry cell phones calibrated for聽specific carriers, such as聽听辞谤听, as well as unlocked phones, which can be activated on any compatible network.
Some retailers offer exclusive promotions but don鈥檛 offer trade-in credits available through most carriers. Others offer聽聽but no added promos. We run down the pros and cons of each option below.
1. A big box store
,听听补苍诲听聽all carry cell phones. In many cases, you can sign up or upgrade with your favorite carrier and enjoy many of the same perks you鈥檇 get at an聽AT&T, Verizon or Sprint store. There are a few notable exceptions, though.
At Best Buy, for example, you often can鈥檛 complete your purchase online. But you can聽get a sweet deal if you buy聽your phone at a store. As of this writing, you can get聽a $200 Best Buy e-gift card with a new Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge if you trade in your old phone and activate the new one聽on Sprint鈥檚 or Verizon鈥檚 network and agree to a lease or monthly installment plan.
Pros:聽Promotions you won鈥檛 find with聽your carrier.
Cons:聽Often you can鈥檛 complete your聽purchase online.
2. The manufacturer
You can buy new and certified pre-owned phones directly from companies like Apple, Motorola and Samsung. In most cases, you can order your phone online and have it shipped to your door.
Buying directly from the manufacturer can save you money, especially if you plan to purchase your phone at full retail price. One聽example: A Samsung Galaxy S7 is $694.99 on Sprint鈥檚 website. The same phone, for Sprint, is $649.99 on Samsung鈥檚 website.
The downside? You typically need to shell out the full price. Apple is one of the few聽manufacturers that offers installment payments.
Pros:聽You can save money on the retail cost of some phones.
Cons:聽Installment payments aren鈥檛 always available.
3. An online marketplace
Amazon and eBay are great places to shop for聽cell phones, as are lesser-known electronics sites such as聽Gazelle and Swappa.
These sites are best if you鈥檙e聽, which can save you hundreds of dollars. But you can also find new devices, either unlocked or programmed for a carrier, on Amazon and eBay. Amazon even offers trade-in credits for old devices.
Buying through an online marketplace carries some risk, so only look to those that offer聽buyer protections. Gazelle, for example, has a 30-day return window that beats most carriers鈥� 14 days. Amazon includes a 90-day warranty for pre-owned devices. And eBay will issue a full refund if your phone isn鈥檛 exactly as the seller described.
Pros:聽Affordable pre-owned devices and generous return policies.
Cons:聽Risks of dealing with an unknown seller.
Kelsey Sheehy is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:聽ksheehy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter:聽.
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