With the amount of cell and mobile phones in the hundreds of millions this of course creates an absolutely huge "used cell phone" aftermarket. Just like used cars, used cell phones are very, very popular - especially if you're in college, on a budget, or have multiple people (or teens) in the house that require a cell phone.

Also - many people are trading in or trading up their used cell phone. You'd be surprised how much a cell a few years old could still be worth. I'm going to tell you where to look for used cell phones to buy, what to look for, how to be safe, and which older models are some of the most reliable. Everything you ever wanted to know about buying a used cell phone is right here on this page!

The main reason most people want to buy a "used cell phone" is the fact that it doesn't require a contract to purchase. If you already have a contract with a cell phone carrier, often you can activate your new (used) phone without extending or modifying your existing contract at all. As long as it's in good condition - a used cell can be a great way to get a new phone without locking yourself into a longer contract. At least you will be getting more for your money (minute wise) than a "pay as you go" plan.

When a cell phone is "locked" usually that means that it has to be used with the providor it was sold for. In other words, if you had a special version of the RAZR cell phone that was sold only by Verizon, unless that phone was "unlocked" - it probably could only be used with Verizon for service. If you are buying a used cell phone, make sure that the phone you're buying is compatible with the cell phone carrier you intend to use it with.

Anothing type of "locking" could be a locked activation. Each cell phone has it's own unique serial number and other identifying numbers and / or SIM card. If a phone is reported lost or stolen those numbers can be "locked" by the carrier(s) so that phone can't be activated. Sometimes (like with Sprint) you can check the "ESN number" of the phone in advance before you even buy it to ensure it's "clear" - or activatable. If you can, always get all the numbers in advance for a used cell phone you're interested in, and check the phone (making sure it can be activated) before you even buy it.

If you are looking for a replacment cell phone (new or used) you should always have a little checklist of "criteria" so you know how to gauge whether it's for you or not.

• Does it have a warranty? A lot of used cell phones still have a warranty, find out if there's any left! If you're buying a new phone it should always have at least manufacturers warranty. See if once you activate it - will your carrier let you insure it?
• Does it have the battery and "working" accessories? Sounds silly, but often used cell phones don't have either a working battery, or one that will hold a very good charge. Are accessories like the (house) charger and earpiece / microphone included? What about stylus or microSD memory card? Ask lots of questions...
• Does it have the manual? Do you get the original box and manual in case you need to figure something out?
• Is it activateable? Probably the most important thing of all to ask is do they guarantee that the cell phone can be activated? Can you check in advance that the phone is "clean" through your carrier (not lost of stolen).
• Does the phone do what YOU want? Are the features you want, like internal memory, mp3 player, stereo bluetooth, or quality camera phone in this model?

There are many well respected, and well visited "cell phone forums" across the web that can help you with all your cell phone questions and help. You can find out how to create ringtones for your phone, how to upload video to youtube, how to make quality pictures, and even how to put mp3's on your phone.

Here's a list of some of the better Cell Phone Forums on the web:

Sprint Users: This site has been around a long time, and I've gotten hundreds of helpful tips and answers from these boards over the years, since I'm a long time Sprint and Nextel user.

Howard Forums: has been around as long as I can remember. This is one of the few places that you can post about US, Canadian, and European cell phones. Lots of people frequent these boards.

CellPhoneForums.net: Since 2000 you've been able to get cell phone questions answered here, and these boards are still quite active today.

Wireless Advisor Forums: Online since 1998, you can find lots of cell phone tips and tricks at Wireless Advisor. This site is mainly focused towards US based cell phones and carriers

Cell Phone Signal: is a T-Mobile based cell phone forum community.

You can buy a used cell phone in a wide variety of places. You might be able to buy one in your local wireless shop, or even your local newspaper classifieds. You can look in various online cell phone forums for a used cell phone purchase or trade, and even on places like online classifieds such as Craig's List. There are even thousands of used cell phones sold in eBay auctions each and every day. I've listed some used cell phone auctions below to get you started.

In addition - each and every one of the places I just mentioned you can sell or trade your existing cell phone as well!

You might also try these web sites:

Craigslist

Overstock Auctions

Amazon

Used Cell Phones