Sourcing Unlocked Cell Phones, How Not to Get Stung
The second half of 2008 witnessed a price war between large phone companies like Apple and Nokia.
While cellphones have been getting cheaper than ever the plans people have to use to get them are getting more expensive making unlocked cellphone sales on places like Amazon, eBay and online mobile shops more popular than ever.
The price of going onto a cellphone plan in the US is horrendous with network providers charging users an arm and a leg to do the most basic things, like make and receive calls and text messages.
Apple announced with the release of their phone that the basic charge for the new 3G iPhone would be US$30 every month a rise of US$10. And when your mobile phone is tied to a particular network it makes you reluctant to shift to another which may be running a promotion you would like to sign up to.
Unlocked cell phones put some power back in user’s hands, which makes them popular items for buyers on sites like eBay and Amazon.
One look on eBay at unlocked the cell phones market reveals how active it is with even cracked Apple and Nokia phones fetching good prices, despite coming with no warranty or form of free support.
But if you’re an eBay trader yourself what are the steps to finding a good mobile phone that will allow you to guarantee your seller reputation and not cause any unnecessary lawsuits or letters from lawyers.
When looking at sourcing a new model of unlocked cellphone from China there are a number of steps that you absolutely must follow to make sure you get the best, most high-tech phones on the market, whether you’re getting the phone from mobile shop in China or a consumer electronics wholesale drop shipper.
One of the main rules of sourcing new products is that finding a new company is only one of the many steps that need to be taken between seeing a new model of unlocked cellular phone and putting it online.
The first thing to do when coming across a potential supplier is to check to see if they’re legitimate and ethical. Some things you can look at include:
- Their website (if they have one). Is it badly put together? Does it have very few product photos, or do the product photos look like they’ve been stolen from another site? Does the website give you enough contact information?
- Their reputation online: Have many people complained about their service on sites like dropshipping, e-commerce and wholesale forums or fraudwatch sites.
- If you’re dealing wholesale mobile phones do their products look too much like trademarked phones?
- Are their prices too high or too low
Unlocked cell phones have a very definite price range. Cheap unlocked cellphones (which have a 2G reception, SD card, basic accessories, a camera, Bluetooth functionality and WAP capabilities) shouldn’t really cost more than US$100.
But more up market unlocked phones (which can have everything from WiFi to dual SIM cards to 3G connectivity and more high tech cameras) will probably go for between US$200-$300.
It’s also important the unlocked cellular phones don’t look too much like a trademarked phone.
Apple is now going after anybody selling the HiPhone (a well-known iPhone copy) with a vengeance and, if the product isn’t stopped at customs, you might just find yourself with an angry letter from the legal department for the product your phone is imitating.
Once you have done your online research and found that the unlocked cellphone looks OK on paper then its time to order a sample. This is much easier if you do it through a mobile shop in China which has no minimum order quantity, like Chinavasion but you may be required to order about three or four to test.
When testing a phone it’s important to be as thorough as you can possibly be. Here are some things you might want to check out:
- Make sure the manual is in English, it makes sense and it doesn’t carry any logos or copyrighted material that it shouldn’t have.
- Make sure the hand piece doesn’t click or feel too light and plastic-like.
- Ensure there aren’t any bubbles in the screen, it is set in the correct place and there aren’t any black lines across it when you switch it on.
- Check that the battery will take a full charge and will last as long as the supplier tells you it will, does the battery get hot quickly or smell hot when you charge it?(Will it take a full charge, how long will that charge last, does it smell funny when it is charging/being used?)
- Do the accessories work as they’re supposed to, are they hard to install?
- Does the phone perform well? How clear are they calls?
- Can you take out the SIM card easily, does it read SIM cards without hassle?
- Are there any flaws in the appearance? Any scratches or blemishes which make the phone look bad?
If the unlocked cellphone passes mustard then the next step is to put it on your stock lists.
One thing worth considering when weighing up the advantages of whether to sell unlocked wholesale mobile phones or cracked cellphones from well known brands like Apple or Nokia is what level of after sales service you are prepared to provide.
As cracking many trademark phones invalidates their warranty it may mean any customer support that you do will have to be done without any support from the supplier.
There can be no question that the unlocked phone market is one just waiting to be explored by eBay traders and online vendors. So what are you waiting for?
Visit the Chinavasion News Blog to learn more or visit http://www.chinavasion.com/index.php/cName/mobile-phones/ to see more unlocked cellphones and cell phone watches on the cutting edge of technology.
Chinavasion.com is the leading online drop ship wholesaler for Wholesale Mobile Phones, MP4 players and other consumer electronics. Accredited by PayPal, Verified Site, and ScanAlert, and listed in all the leading B2B directories, Chinavasion is the market leading China supplier for EBay dropship sellers and electronics worldwide.
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