Where Buy 2nd Hand Mobile?

[Ormgard]

Looking for dependable shop selling 2nd hand mobiles, and would love suggestions as to best subscription rate for farang living here in the winter but going "home" for 2-3 summer months, i e right now.

[drewtown]

Many 2nd hand shops at Kad Suan Gaew "central" shopping ctr. Dependable? caveat emptor

Brand new mobiles cost very little for just a basic phone. I think a new no frills nokia sells for 1950 B at the shop next to KFC at central. Buy new- less worry about prior defects.

Looking for dependable shop selling 2nd hand mobiles, and would love suggestions as to best subscription rate for farang living here in the winter but going "home" for 2-3 summer months, i e right now.

[jackr]

If you buy a second hand one it will just fall to bits in no time. Get a new one as drewtown says. The Nokia 1600 is pretty tidy at 2700 or thereabouts.

[cm das]

I had decent experiences with second hand phones - in my experience many young Thais like to change their phone frequently just for a change, not because the old phone had problems. You can find many second hand phones at Kad Suan Kaew, 3rd floor. Or try the night market on Huay Kaew just past Rin Come intersection as you head towards the mountain.

[jackr]

But what's the point in the risk fot a few more baht? Even many new phones that are sold there are copies and unlikely going to last long. They may also include inferior batteries and you're talking 500 for a proper replacement. My wife tried the second hand approach and it lasted 12 months before disintegrating. A friend bought a new one from central, no box, and that also disintegrated. You can buy a pretty good brand spanker for a couple of grand and it will come with the proper battery, proper charger, box, guarantee, the works. Should last you a few good years, to boot.

[Pond Life]

I bought a second hand, waste of money.

Go for a new one basic model, 2000 B.

As for subsciption, if you get AIS 1 to Call, there is no subsciption just buy top up cards.

But beware your credit has an expiry date, buy more credit, get a longer expiry date to see you thru your holiday awayfrom Thaialnd.

Other companies offer similar but dont know which is best.

[cm das]

Hey, I was just trying to answer the op's question. And it can be a crap shoot buying a new phone too - I bought a new Siemens, box & all, that broke after a year (just past the guarantee!) I agree that there are many good, cheap new phones. But if you are looking for something seriously cheap, or if you want a fashion statement or lots of bells & whistles but don't want to pay 10k or more, second hand can be ok too. I & many friends have bought decent second hand phones before. Just my experience...

As for service, many on this forum have complained in the past about 1-2 Call & their credit expiring quickly. I use DTAC & my credit, even for a 50 baht card, is always good for a year. I don't tknow if this is some special promotion I got or if it's standard.

[sabaijai]

I wouldn't buy into the 1-2 Call program right now as that system (AIS) is having severe network problems at the moment, making it difficult to call out between the hours of 6pm and 10pm. Recommend DTAC or Orange (the cheapest) pre-paid accounts.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I bought a second-hand phone and never checked it probably. When I got home I found that it wouldn't charge - I went back and I got given 2 options - send it away to Nokia to get fixed - or sell it back for 500 baht less than I paid.

For the difference you're as well getting a brand-new one. Which is what I then did.

[jackr]

DTAC just shafted me by expiring credit after it had been on there for only 4 weeks. <deleted>!

[cm das]

OK, forget second hand phones... and DTAC! Guess I just got lucky.

[Diablo Bob]

Back to Second-Hand phones.........

If you see a Nokia 3310, buy it .............. I have had mine dropped out off a motorcycle at 50/kmhr and it still works. Had mine dropped into a swimming pool and it still works.

And it just isn't me. In Afghanistan it is the phone of choice, I saw a cop use it as a pseudo-brass knuckles during a small riot control. And d_mn if the phone didn't work after the punch.

Yep, You can always trust Nokia.

[Maejo Man]

If you see a Nokia 3310, buy it .............. I have had mine dropped out off a motorcycle at 50/kmhr and it still works. Had mine dropped into a swimming pool and it still works.

I'll second that!! I have two of them, and they are rugged. I was fumbling in a bar to answer a call wheh I dropped the phone. There it was, case shattered on the floor, with the electronics all over, and it was still ringing!! Another got run over by my car, and all I needed was a new case, which cost me 49 baht fron 7/11

One I bought second hand years ago, and is still going strong. If you are not out to make a fashion statement go for the 3310

[jackr]

Back to Second-Hand phones.........

If you see a Nokia 3310, buy it .............. I have had mine dropped out off a motorcycle at 50/kmhr and it still works. Had mine dropped into a swimming pool and it still works.

And it just isn't me. In Afghanistan it is the phone of choice, I saw a cop use it as a pseudo-brass knuckles during a small riot control. And d_mn if the phone didn't work after the punch.

Yep, You can always trust Nokia.

Yeah, stick to Nokia. I had my trusty 8210 for 4 years. Went through a hot wash & spin cycle for 90 minutes, bounced off the pavement many times, thunder storms on the bike, left out in the sun to do a spot of bathing... the list goes on. Also had one of those 3310s a while back and that was an old stalwart, too, until the missus bust it - not wife proof

[The Dan Sai Kid]

And it just isn't me. In Afghanistan it is the phone of choice,

Well, if it is the phone of choice in the technological hub that is Afghanisatan then it's the one for me

[calibanjr.]

Agree with the above on Nokia. Hard to break, easy to fix cheaply. If you are wandering far afield and you forget your charger, as I do sometimes, somebody at the shops or bars wherever you are will have a compatible charger for a quick fix.

I gave up on pre-pay. AIS signal coverage is reputedly best and I like the Kui Mai An (sp?) plan. 399 THB per month, unlimited calling 6am-4pm. Outside those hours, 5 THB first min. 1 THB thereafter. Might just be me, but I like knowing how much I spend as I go, end of month bills always bug me.

[seeker108]

Bought a 2nd hand Panasonic from what seemed an honest shop in Delhi. Nice shop owner explained features and checked everything while I was there and told me he knew the history as he had sold it originally to first owner. This phone has been thru interesting conditions all over India and Thailand and still going strong - after 5 years! I guess my point is that if you are willing to take the time to find an honest vendor and check the phone carefully then you have a good chance of getting good bang for your baht. If you don't have the time and inclination to take these precautions, then buy new. I also now have a Siemens that I bought on the 3rd floor of Kad Suan Kaew a few months back which has served me well so far.

DTAC has a similar buffet plan (5 AM to 5 PM) but 100 baht less than AIS's plan.

[p1p]

I bought a second hand Nokia, the clamshell design with full QWERTY keyboard, can't remember the model number, for 10K about five years ago, at that time they were about 35K in the shops. It was well worn when I got it and has been dropped a thousand times since, including into (fresh) water. Front cover is loose, but it still goes strong.