Short of paying ~$400 to get out of my current contract with vodafone, Im sort of thinking about upgrading to an iPhone.

I've been looking around on eBay, and there seem to be some going for around $650-$700. Is it way too risky to buy off eBay? I cant seem to find any outright, unlocked ones from the telcos? (Im in Perth)

So, who has bought an iPhone from eBay? Good experiences? Bad experiences? Horror stories? SHARE

I bought a 1st gen iPhone from eBay.
Good experience. Sealed in the box.

Read feedback, look at the photos, etc. Use your 'street smarts'.

you can still get caught, remember that damaged "iPhone" that i bought from ebay cheaply - turned out to be a chinese fake - albeit a good one!

feedback was 100% positive, over 1000, everything looked kosher, he explained it had a broken screen and was selling it rather than going thru the hassle of repairing it.

i was happy to buy it for spares and at the price i got it for i didnt mind too much that i got ripped off.

i did raise a dispute, he offered me my money back less P & H both ways, i told him to stick it and escalated it to ebay - i should check and see if he got banned!

fact is buying from feebay there is always a risk of being ripped off, you either accept the risk or shop elsewhere.

I'd keep looking for outright ones at the telco's. Not worth the risk when you will be paying pretty close to retail price on eBay. There was a recent flurry of 3G iPhones on the Mactalk FS forum, so I would keep my eyes peeled there.

Put up a WTB (Wanted To Buy) thread (if you can, probably not) givememac.

Yeah I can't. And outright phones seem to be getting harder and harder to find from the telcos.
I think I'll ring voda and see if they can waive my early exit fee, it is a bit ridiculous, if i stay with them AND upgrade my plan to an iPhone!

I bought an iPhone 3G from eBay in August for $A950, Perth seller. Good experience.

deff worth doing.

I've had voda do this a couple times for me in the past (not with iPhones). One time i had around 4 months left on contract, and the other i had about 10months. Both times they let me "upgrade" my handset, just had to sign up for another 2yrs, from that date.

EDIT: Also, I left Voda, and went to optus on the launch day. Worst mistake I have EVER made.

Voda ALWAYS looked after me 100x better than the customer support and ongoing user experience i have since received from optus.

Ok thanks, Voda service = sometimes awesome, sometimes HORRIBLE
Most recently = horrible

When I rang up and asked about upgrading yesterday (didn't mention increasing my monthly spend) the lady LAUGHED at me, so now I've sent an email through the help/support system, they seem to have better/nicer answers

ok so the vodafone upgrade was a no-go so I took the plunge eekkk
I got one for $630 (I think thats an ok price) and its in near perfect condition (but not sealed - the sealed ones seems to be going for $800+ CRAZY!)
Also, the seller is in perth so thats a plus

when you buy anything off ebay you should really read what seller is saying he could be tricking you and if it doesn't come as said report him and you should get a refund I believe. I have never had any problems with any sellers on ebay just one buyer who was saying they didn't buy my item when I clearly states they won it thats the long story into a very short story.