New vs Use

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Is it still good to buy phones, iPads or laptops use or is it better buying them new? I always wanted to post this, I keep forgetting.

I think it can still be good but just make sure the device does not have anything wrong with it or still has the previous owners information on it because that would be bad. However if you on SSI it may make sense to buy new because of the 2,000 dollar rule. I would just make sure you can buy the device with cash or pay it in full on the same month with a credit card. We have always bought new so I dont speak from experience. I would only buy a reputable brand of laptop.

Whole devices, yes, it makes sense. Don't buy used computer parts such as graphics cards - they're usually heavily exploited, come from bitcoin miners etc.

I once had OnePlus 3T and 5, which by the time I used them were 7-8 years old.
Since December I use an Asus EeePC 1000H for server access and basic tasks. It is a 17-year old budget netbook.
I use over decade-old AMD machinery as servers as they lack potential hardware backdoors which are present in current-day Intel/AMD PCs (Look up IME / PSP and known security vulnerabilities made because of them). They are also pretty power-efficient, running well under 30W (One as low as 17W).

Buying old parts is IMO good (or better as you repurpose old stuff) but mid/high-end graphics cards which yeah, usually come from cryptocrap miners. I also would avoid anything Core Duo / Pentium D since these were terribly power-hungry and inefficient

Most technology I get is older/second hand.

I bought a smart phone a few months ago and got one which is only a couple of years old. Consequently it was quite cheap compared to a new one, and it does everything I wanted it to. In this case I still wanted something 'new-ish' as 5G and a decent battery life were requirements.

All my laptops are old and either bought second hand or obtained for free as scrap. My main computer is a mish-mash of new, old, and second hand parts.

Having said that, if you don't have the knowledge to build a computer from scratch, or do minor repairs, then buying something new, or buying used from a reputable shop with a warranty is a good idea.

The biggest advantage of buying second hand versus new is cost - second hand will invariably be less costly, which is good for the wallet.

Disadvantages of buying second hand may include sellers passing off faulty products as fully functioning/in great condition, when in reality they are not and it can be a hassle to return products.

Sometimes second hand products can have unacceptable scratches or cosmetic blemishes that are not adequately described or explained by sellers of such products.

If you buy a second hand phone, the battery may be in poor health, or the internet on the phone might not work so great as it should.

With a laptop, it could be a faulty headphone jack that isn't mentioned or a persistent overheating issue.

At least buying new you know the product is likely to work as it should.

If you do buy second hand, buy from a reputable seller.

When I need a laptop, I don't even bother looking for a new one. There is a company in Austin, Texas called "Discount Electronics" that sells computers that have come off of corporate leases. They have excellent customer response and they typically have one year warranties on their computers.

The only laptop I have bought from them that broke was one that I dropped and busted the screen. I can't blame them for that.

I would never even consider buying a used computer of any kind from a private seller. You are almost surely buying their problems.

It depends, like I have had good luck buying refurbished electronics, cause usually that means they have taken in a console or computer and fixed it up so its usable again. So idk if you are trying to buy online I'd stick to refurbished items since that means they have been fixed and redone but if its just used, I'd be more cautious of that so you don't end up with getting broken appliances sent to you.

My impression is that they don't do much of anything to "refurbish" a computer.

The best choice is to buy the computer from a reputable dealer such as Discount Computers. I have tried buying refurbished computers from other dealers and Discount Computers beats them all. One dealer took over a month to ship a computer -- I was starting to wonder if they didn't actually have one in stock.

I mean I am getting a device refurbished soon, but I am mainly using as stopgap till newer phone comes out. I'd recommend getting new myself, something like apple refurbished seems to replace the shell/battery with their stuff so that seems good. but anything like a keyboard or laptop seems kinda gross like poeple can touch with gross hands, I had bad gpu when getting used so bleh refund on ebay. I think something i guess like DVDs or Blu-rays used is fine, but I would avoid for hardware from now on for me.

You could even buy them refurbished.

If you buy "certified refurbished" from Apple, that device has been inspected by Apple and carries a one-year warranty like what they have for new models.

Why it be better to buy new cuz of SSI? I don't have my SSI anyway, my social worker has it.

I need to buy a new cell phone soon. I've never had a new cell phone. I just choose a refurbished cell phone from Trakfone.

If you are at risk of having more than 2,000 in your accounts, sometimes it makes sense to buy a new thing to get the money out of your account so your SSI doesn't get cut off. But I think that makes more sense if you've started working on SSI and could get a tax return that puts you above the limit...if you're not working at all then it seems unlikely, you'd get above the limit.

But also, if your social worker gets the money, then it's even less likely you'd get above the limit since that would mean the social worker is managing your money for you and would not let that happen. But with that situation do you get like any money to spend yourself...or do you have to go through the social worker for all your purchases?

I bought an Apple iPhone 12, 64GB, renew & I'm going to switch to T-Mobile, the price was good, $233 at Amazon

No, I have money from a trust fund, the trust is also my sister & my nephew, Im also getting more money from my mom's social security