Mobile Phones: Obtaining a Cheap Mobile Phone
Sources of Cheap Mobile Phones
It is interesting, but most major Western countries are flooded with mobile phones. For example, in the UK there's 1.7 mobile phone per user. People are constantly updating their phones to the latest model, which means that the old phones must go somewhere. Many languish in drawers, but others are offered for sale on auction sites such as eBay. You will even find old mobile phones in garage and car-boot sales. If you're not after a cheap second-hand phone then you may be able to find a cheap phone from your current provider. Or, if you're after the latest phone and you're a heavy mobile phone user then a fixed-term contract with a service provider may be the best bet as you will get the phone itself at a heavily-subsidised price (or even free).
Buying a Second-hand Mobile Phone
The myth about buying mobile phones from auction sites such as eBay is that they're borken, very old and the screens and cases are scratched beyond use. The truth, however, is very different. As some users change their mobile phones frequently you may find a phone that's less that four months' old and many are less than six months' old. The rules of eBay sales also states that each item sold on eBay needs to be acurately described so you should get to know about the condition of the phone and what you're looking at. This will tell you what peripherals come with the phone, whether it's boxed, whether the screens work and what cosmetic condition the phone is in.
With this information you can be fairly certain that any second-hand phone you set your hart on will be functioning and will be in good condition.
The only other piece of information to look out for is whether the phone is locked or not. If it's locked then you can only use the phone with a single network. If it's unlocked you can use the phone on any network in the world. Which makes it possible for you to buy the phone cheap in Europe or the US and then export to Africa, for example, at a profit. (To find out more about unlocking phones see this unlocking page.
I've bought many phones this way and in every case the phone has worked and has functioned and looked exactly the way that the seller described. If you want a truly cheap mobile phone then this is the way to go. I've even built a small business around this by using the eBay misspelling search tool (which works for any of the major English-based eBay sites) to search for misspelled auctions on Mobile Phones. To use this tool, simply type 'mobile phone' into the serach box. The tool will seek any of the major misspellings of 'mobile phone' and will return the results to you. These misspelled searches are not returned in normal eBay searches and you will be able to grab a great bargain from here. I've used it many times to buy mobile phones at about 50% of their real eBay worth. All you then have to do is to re-sell the phone to someone else (making sure you correctly spell the eBay entry yourself!).
Buying a Second Mobile Phone from your Service Provider
If you already have a mobile phone from your network provider then it's well worth going to their website or to their physical store so that you can ask them whether they have a special deal open to you on a second or alternate mobile phone. As a customer in good standing you will usually be able to obtain a second or alternate phone at a heavily-subsidised price.
Getting your First Mobile Phone Cheaply
If you're not interested in a second-hand mobile phone (or are wary of this form of purchasing) then if you want a new mobile phone you are either forced to buy a new pre-paid (or pay-as-you-go) phone which can be very expensive. Or you will have chose your network provider and then go to their website or web store to sign-up for a contract mobile phone. This way you pay a monthly line rental along with all your call charges, but you get inclusive minutes and you will get your mobile phone at a very heavily subsidised price (it may even be free).