Lets face it, we all want to grab a bargain and eBay is increasingly becoming our new car boot sale. eBay has some fantastic bargains on mobile phones, the problem is filtering out the junk, the 'too good to be true' auctions and the scams.

I work in the mobile phone industry, so knowing the prices and technology gets me a little frustrated when I see so many auctions waiting to rob you of your hard earned cash. Let me show you the basics to grabbing yourself a great deal without paying too much or never getting your new phone.

* The most important thing is location. Your phone could be shipped from anywhere in the world. Remember, you're going to have to pay 10% GST or other customs fees on top of high shipping fees, especially if it's from Hong Kong or China. A phone thats $250 will cost a good $40 insured postage, plus $25 - 50 customs duty, frequently bringing the price above Australian located deals. If the phone is listed in Australia, make sure the dealer is shipping FROM Australia. So many dealers nowadays state item location in Australia, but ship from Hong Kong. Avoid these, so Aussie for a better price.

* If you still want to buy a phone from overseas, beware of FAKES. I've seen some awful fake Nokia N95's and PDA phones. They frequently come in look-a-like covers and feature none of the genuine features of the real thing.

* Warranty -  Although many people enjoy selling their old phones to loving new owners, a new phone should always be offered with warranty and a receipt. All too often a seller has 'aquired' a bunch of sealed phones stolen from a warehouse. These have no warranty and may be blocked to network access within a week. No refund if it ain't broke?

* Try to ignore phones stated 'as is'. This means they're broken in some way and the seller is reluctant to tell you, in fear of losing some of the price. Buying an 'as is' phone means you're not getting a phone that works properly.

* Although getting the very latest mobile from an ebayer at an amazing price sounds great, it's all too often a scam. Look out for multiple auctions from a seller with low feedback. Always pay via Paypal - sellers like these have 10 auctions, make up to $4000 in bank deposits and run for it. Putting $400 in some random bank account of a zero feedback seller is not going to get you the phone. Ever!

* Ignore all 'Latest Applications' or 'Free GPS software' Auctions. It's just stolen software that will work for a couple months then expire.

* I had the misfortune to sell a SIM card to a guy who'd bought one of these 'Smartphones' from China, which boasted a touch screen, gps, wifi and windows mobile.
The phones quality was terrible, Windows Mobile is a hacked version, the wifi doesnt work, the touch screen doesnt work properly and calls cut out all the time. Oh, the battery overheats and it comes with no warranty. Eek!

* If the phone comes with no box, accessories or charger, and the seller is vague about where he got it, it's stolen. It's probably been reported stolen so it's blocked from all Aussie networks.

I hope this gives some good pointers, keep your common sense and you'll have a shiny new mobile which is below shop price within weeks!

Cheers,
Bill.