As a Power here are some things buyers really need to know when buying a cell phone online. I will keep this brief with just some of the most basic information.

1. Check photos and read very carefully for the physical description of the phone. Most the sellers out there use stock photos and not pictures of the actual phone they are purchasing. If the seller has an original photo of the item you are purchasing, it makes it easier to determine the actual quality of the phone.
2. Make sure you check shipping and handling costs, Taxes and for any extra fees the seller may have listed in their auction.
3. Know and learn what kind of phone you really need. There are many different carriers and systems that cell phones work with. Verizon, Alltel, Cricket, Virgin Mobile, Sprint, Metro PCS & Cellular One all work off the CDMA Network and do not use a SIM card. Cell phones that work on the TDMA network are almost obsolete and only the very old AT&T and Cingular have them in very rural areas still. These phones do not use a SIM card either. Southern Linc, Boost Mobile and Nextel work on the iden network and use a SIM card. Cingular/AT&T, T-Mobile, Fido and Suncom work on the GSM network.

4. Unlocked Cell Phones - Alot of people are confused when it comes to the meaning of unlocked. Unlocked should only be used when referring to a GSM (SIM card based Phones) It means having the SIM card restriction removed from the phone so that the phone will work with other carriers that use a SIM card. GSM works on 4 different frequencies: GSM850 / GSM900 / GSM1800 / GSM1900. Most Carriers only use 1 or 2 of those frequencies. Phones that use all 4 frequencies and are unlocked can be used world wide by any GSM carrier. You can check with your carrier what frequency they use by dialing 611 on your cell phone. CDMA phones need to be reprogrammed to work on other carriers and should not be considered unlocked.

5. Always do research on your cell phone before purchasing it, nothing is worse than having to deal with returning an item because you didn't know what you really needed or that it wasn't in the condition you expected. I personally use  to get all the specs I need on phones. You can also do side by side comparisons with other phones.

I hope this information helps in your search for a dependable cell phone whether your buying new or used. To the best of my knowledge this information is accurate. If you see something that is incorrect, I apologize.

Thanks, David