Why The Lucky Stiff

One man's journey to be more just a lucky stiff

iPhone 6

How To Safely Buy A Used or Refurbished iPhone 6

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A used iPhone 6 can be much cheaper while still working like brand new. Obviously, though, despite all the advantages that used products deliver, there are many associated risks as well. 

You may get scammed, you may have to pay extra money, or you may get a defective product. If you’re new to buying used electronics online, then there a few stuff that you need to know first. With that being said, let’s get right into it!

Used iPhone 6 Buying Guide

Following these steps should provide you with a safe buying experience: 

  1. Only buy from reputable and trustworthy sellers/websites
  2. When possible, prefer PayPal over credit/debit cards
  3. Take into consideration any extra charges that may apply
  4. Keep an eye out on the condition of the phone or you may end up getting something defective
  5. Don’t buy a locked device unless you absolutely have to

And that’s all there is to mention as fast as possible. If you want the details, keep on reading!  If not, Swappa is our recommended place to purchase a used iPhone.

1: Only Buy From Trustworthy Websites And Sellers 

Places to buy a used iPhone 6

When buying a used iPhone 6 or any iPhone for that matter, you should always only look in trustworthy and reputable websites. And don’t forget to keep an eye out on the ratings of each individual seller under those websites. 

The reason is pretty obvious. A very popular platform is much more likely to provide you with a pleasant shopping experience while a less reputable website is more likely to scam you, provide false information about their product, or anything like that. 

Do keep in mind that the platform and the individual seller are not the same thing. eBay is a reputable platform, but the guy who uses it to sell a $10 iPhone with no positive ratings isn’t. So, do keep an eye out for that well. 

With that being said, some very popular platforms that we recommend are: 

  1. Swappa (Highly recommended and trust-worthy)
  2. Amazon
  3. eBay

From all these choices, Swappa is most likely the best one for buying a used iPhone since their quality control is top-notch. Not to mention that their whole platform is focused on selling used devices. So, kinda hard to go wrong with it. 

2: Prefer PayPal When You Can

 

There are a ton of payment methods out there. But, most websites commonly offer either PayPal or credit card as the two main methods of paying. 

When possible, prefer PayPal. Not only it’s safer and easier to use, but it also allows you to get a refund in case that something goes wrong. And if you’re right, the seller can rarely do anything about it!

Creating an account and linking it to your bank or card is fairly easy. So, if you haven’t already, do seriously consider making a PayPal account and start using it as your primary payment solution. 

And if you don’t feel threatened, do keep in mind that even some of the most popular websites like Wish and eBay are hosting scams.

Take this and this as an example. The GTX 1060, a card that normally costs at least 300 euros, is being sold brand new for 65 and 55. Under the hood, it’s obviously something much, much worse, and this has actually been tested by numerous YouTubers. 

If something like that happens on two of the most popular shopping websites in the whole world, imagine how bad the situation can get with less popular platforms that nobody knows. 

So, again, when buying something relatively expensive like a used iPhone 6, do try to use PayPal. And if something goes wrong, you’ll at least be able to make a refund claim. 

3: Keep An Eye Out For Any Extra (Sometimes Hidden) Charges

Depending on the region that you currently live in and the website’s location, you may have to pay extra charges. Sometimes they show up on the checkout page and sometimes they don’t. 

Amazon does that really well. As you can see in the image above, it almost always tells you how much extra money you need to pay for import fees and shipping charges. 

However, other websites like eBay almost never do that. So, if you don’t know about it, you may end up having to pay quite a lot of extra money when your used iPhone 6 gets delivered. 

More often than not, these extra charges are just import taxes that need to be paid when you buy something from outside of your country. For example, if you’re living in Europe and you buy something expensive from the US, there’s a good chance that you’ll have to pay import fees upon delivery. 

Again, some websites like Amazon will recognize that and will allow you to pay everything upon checkout. The only issue is that it doesn’t work with all of them. 

Chinese-based websites like Gearbest, Wish, and Ali-Express are often the ones that are most prone to this. The solution? Look for websites that have warehouses on your region. 

Do keep in mind that Swappa is based in the US.  

4: Don’t Forget About The Condition Of Your Used iPhone 6

Used iPhone 6

When shopping for a used iPhone 6 or any used electronic, always keep an eye out for its condition. It can make the difference between receiving something that’s almost brand new and a broken phone. 

First things first, it’s best to look in places where the seller is forced to mention the exact condition of the device. Platforms like Amazon are supposedly only listing items that have passed certain tests and are like brand new, but there are lots of times where this hasn’t exactly worked well. 

Platforms like eBay, on the other hand, completely leave everything up to the seller to decide. So, again, look for someone who is trustworthy and mentions the exact condition of the phone. 

Swappa is one of the very few websites that actually force all of their sellers to be very specific about the product’s condition. So, they win this round as well. 

Now, the exact description differs from website to website. But, generally, this is what you can expect: 

  1. Good/Refurbished/Like New/Grade A: These terms are often used to describe a phone that’s almost brand new without scratches or marks
  2. Mint/Fair/Grade B/C: Scratches and other signs of wear/use may be present, but the device works normally
  3. Bad/Damaged/Parts and Repairs only/Grade D: The phone is damaged to the point where normal operation is tough or impossible

5: Prefer Unlocked Devices 

A locked iPhone will only work with the carrier that it has been locked down too. For example, if you get a used iPhone 6 that’s locked to Verizon, then you can only use it with a Verizon SIM. Period. 

In order to avoid that, either look for an unlocked model or at least get one which is locked down to the carrier of your choice. You can always unlock it later on. But, that costs extra money. So, choose carefully. 

Most reputable sellers, including Swappa, clearly mention if a phone is unlocked or not, and which carrier it is locked down to. All you have to do is keep an eye out for that. 

Get Refurbished iPhone from Swappa

 

Safely Buying A Used iPhone 6: Wrapping Up

Overall, when buying a used iPhone 6, look for reputable sellers, prefer PayPal when you can, be careful with extra fees, charges, and taxes, careful with the condition of your phone, and make sure to either choose an unlocked model or one that is locked down to the carrier of your choice. 

 

 

 

Best iPhone Screen Protector (Various Models)

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Screen protectors seem to be a must-have accessory these days. After all, protecting a device that costs hundreds of dollars is no joke and that’s why so many people want the best iPhone screen protector that they can get. 

The only issue is that there are a ton of protectors to choose from with some of them offering different designs and features as well. Some of them are known for toughness, flexibility, blue light blockage, and more. 

That’s why we wrote this article; so that we can help you pick the best option. Without any further ado, let’s get right into it!

1: JETech Screen Protector Pack (iPhone 6, 6S, 7, 8)

Buying cheap screen protectors isn’t always the best choice. But, if you only want to avoid getting scratches from keys and stuff like that, sure, why not? 

Speaking of toughness, JETech actually claims that this screen protector can offer protection from scratches up to 9H. That’s roughly equal to the damage that knives do. 

So, with that being said, we can safely assume that things like keys and coins should pose no threat. Just don’t forget to take any information that merchants and sellers provide with a grain of salt.

While we are still on the subject of toughness, don’t forget that scratch resistance and shock resistance are two very different things. A screen protector can help prevent scratches from objects that grind against the display, but they can’t absorb the vibrations from a fall. Cases are much more effective for that. 

As for compatibility, this protector is compatible with the: 

  1. iPhone 6/6S
  2. iPhone 7
  3. And iPhone 8

The plus versions and other iPhones are not supported because of their bigger (or smaller) displays. But, no need to worry. We’ll cover those soon enough as well!

Last, but not least, there’s the material. JETech uses tempered glass which can be both a good and a bad thing depending on who you ask. At the very least, it feels very similar to the pre0installed panel of the iPhones. 

More on the glass vs plastic protectors at the bottom of this article. 

2: Maxboost For iPhone X and Xs

Best iPhone screen protector

The iPhone X and Xs are not only larger compared to their predecessors, but they also come with a different design. That’s why you need a different set of protectors for them. 

Maxboost protectors are kinda mid-range priced. They are neither too expensive or cheap and to be honest, they ofter quite a bang for your buck. 

After all, one of the reasons that this is considered the best iPhone screen protector is because of just how reputable it is. We’re talking about more than 12,000 reviews and an average rating of 4.4/5, which is rather impressive. 

This is another tempered glass protector with the main difference being that it’s coated with hydrophobic and oleophobic materials. That helps keeping the screen clean from fingerprints, wet marks, sweat, and stuff like that. 

 Overall, if you’ve got an iPhone X or Xs and you want a mid-range choice that does its job, do definitely consider Maxboost. 

3: Purity Glass Protector (Compatible With iPhone Plus Versions)

Best iPhone screen protector

This is another popular and reliable choice for iPhone lovers. Just like with Maxboost, Purity offers hydrophobic and oleophobic materials in order to keep fingerprints and other types of dirt away from the display. 

However, Purity is leaning a tiny bit more towards the budget range. Priced at usually about 5 bucks, it’s one of the cheapest choices of the bunch. 

But, don’t let the pricing fool you. It’s still one of the best protectors that you can get and more than 3,000 people can’t possibly be wrong. 

Regarding compatibility, Purity can be used with all of the iPhone Plus variants. To be more specific: 

  1. iPhone 6 Plus/6S Plus
  2. iPhone 7 Plus
  3. And iPhone 8 Plus

Once more, just like with the rest of the screen protectors on our list, this one uses tempered glass. Seems like the manufacturers are slowly moving away from plastic. 

Anyway, if you own one of the iPhone plus versions, this protector is definitely of worthy of your attention. 

4: Maxboost Protector With Blue Light Filter (iPhone X/Xs)

Did you know that screen protectors can protect not only your screen but also your eyes? That’s thanks to blue-light filtering technology that can be implemented with glasses, software, or in our case, a screen protector. 

Blue light is not only more tiresome for our eyes, but it can also prevent your average person from falling asleep early due to how our brain can get fooled into thinking that we’re looking at sunlight. 

A blue light filtering protector like Maxboost’s offering blocks out the blue light emissions from your iPhone so that you can have a more enjoyable experience and get more sleep. So, for anyone who needs natural blue light filtering, this is a very solid option!

However, there is a catch. The reason that these kind of protectors aren’t so popular is because they reduce the overall brightness of the display and they can also alter the colors by making everything look a bit more yellowish. 

Maxboost has mentioned that you can expect a 20% brightness drop after installing the protector. So, do keep that in mind. 

Regarding compatibility, the particular link above is for the iPhone X and Xs. But, if memory serves right, there are blue light filtering offerings for pretty much any iPhone out there!

5: Omoton Glass Protector For iPhone SE, 5S, 5C, 5

Don’t need that we’ve forgotten about those of you who are still using oldies like the iPhone 5 or 5S. If you own one of these devices: 

  1. iPhone 5/5S
  2. iPhone 5C
  3. And iPhone SE

Then this is definitely the best iPhone screen protector that you can get; or at the very least one of the best! It currently has more than 4,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.6/5. Again, so many people can’t possibly be wrong. 

In terms of features, it’s more or less on the same page with the rest of the protectors that we checked out today. 9H hardness, an oleophobic layer, and a reinforced tempered glass layer. 

Small Side Note

Scratch resistance isn’t the same with shock resistance. There is a good chance that if you drop your phone from a good height, the phone display itself will shatter while the screen protector will feel nothing. 

That’s because the strong vibrations from the fall can cause the display to shatter even if it’s being covered by a protector. So, do keep that in mind. And obviously, try not to drop your phone from big heights, or from anywhere for that matter.

One way to kind off solve this is by getting a decent phone case that can absorb strong vibrations. Reinforced cases are usually your best bet for protection. But, they also tend to look a bit ugly. So, try to find a good balance between beauty and protection!

Best iPhone Screen Protector: Summary

That’s all for now. Those were some of the best screen protectors for iPhone devices that we could find at the moment of writing this article. But, if you’ve got any other recommendations, feel free to leave them in the comments down below!