Gumtree

Since there has been no sign of life from my smartphone after it got a bit of splash (ok maybe a bit more than a splash but still pathetic), I have been looking on Gumtree for a second hand iPhone - I need something cheap and reliable. For those of you not in the UK, Gumtree is the biggest website here for classified ads where anyone can post for free. I have used Gumtree before to buy a set of desk and chair and recently a double mattress.

With something like an iPhone the risk is obviously bigger because more money is involved and you could be looking at your friend's phone that got stolen last week. But there are some good bargains to be found.

Anyway, I found an ad posted a couple of days ago and arranged to meet with the seller. By the time I finished work and made my way to the south coast, the sun had gone and I waited for him outside a local gym where there was a bus stop. He turned up in a windbreaker and he shook my hand. He was about 35, tall, had a beard and glasses and was incredibly hot. Definitely hotter than Hot Dad at my office. My defence mechanisms was non-existent at this point. He had an European accent and apparently it was his girlfriend's iPhone. I had a quick look at it and made sure the buttons were not stuck although I was already convinced before I opened the box. He even said I could ring him if there was a problem with the phone - what kind of classified seller offers after-sale service!?

I know this is pretty mundane stuff to blog about but I'm just so pleased with my experience. Finding good quality stuff with a low price tag is a bargain but getting it from a genuine, honest seller is priceless.