You may have noticed that even used popular cell phones sell for hundreds of dollars on Ebay and the like. Why would someone give that much for a phone that has no warrantee and can’t be insured? The only thing I can think of is that they want to use the phone without a contract.

Cell phone companies are all in lockstep in their marketing. They subsidize the costs of new phones by charging insanely high monthly rates and charges, as well as locking one into two years of this nonsense in most cases. Obviously, many people want to try to get away from these contracts.

The best route to getting a top of the line cell phone cheaply is to simply start a new line of service. In many cases, the carrier will then sell you a $500 or $600 phone for around $100. Then, you can simply cancel after the buyers remorse period (14 days in most cases), and keep the phone. Be sure to check out my articles on avoiding an ETF and unlocking your cell phone for information on this, then you can take your phone where you want.

If you have an existing account, threaten to cancel first. The customer service person then will have more tools to “save” you as a customer, like offering a phone cheap. If that doesn’t work, start a second line, and do as I mention above. After you cancel, you can use your new phone on your existing line. With these alternatives available, you can get the best phone possible for the least amount of money.