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Authorized Retailer Pricing?

Ok so I always get my phone from Bestbuy or directly from Verizon based on online deals or specials going on when contract is up. Since when was Bestbuy pricing 700$ out of contract compared to $569 of VZ? They always when I checked with is every few months very similar in price. Now I have $300 buyback from previous upgrade done few months ago but considering locking in a second line to 4g Unlimited plan before it is too late.
So just curious did the Retail price 3rd party can sell agreement with Verizon change I was under impression to be Authorized reseller unless you were running a valid promotion, special you had to be in similar price range to Verizon?
I wouldn't be complaining normally but to have to cough up $700 for a retail price over Verizon cost of already high $569 seems way out of wack. I know the phones are 4g and high end but man didn't realize 3rd party places that were once better options now don't even try to compete with Big Reds pricing.
Forgive me if there was some post detailing Bestbuy cost going up or possible changes to why Verizon offers lower cost then retailers selling same phones on their behalf.

If you raise enough hell, best buy will match the VZW price. You just have to prove that the corporate store is charging 569 outright.

BBY will price match VZW... Best buy inflates their retail pricing to negate customers from buying it wo a contract(that's where they make their $$)

They will price match the online price or CS price cause they are not the same not a huge difference I just want to know which price to fight for? Is this generally something they are going to be pricks about I mean I have bought the phone I am going to bring back for the Buy Back Credit and purchased Black Tie Protection I can't imagine they would be to stuborn. I just want equal price and have no problem paying 569-599 at all obviously would be minus 300 GC I would get from the Buyback program.

If you were to come into my store and ask for a price match (I work at best buy), and you planned on getting blacktie and buyback, we would match without question. Other stores may be different, but the margin would be made up with those two components.

Sorry I should of been more clear on the phone I am going to trade in I had Blacktie and Buyback. This phone is to lock in 4g plan before July 7th so I would get Blacktie but no Buyback this time and previous phone is 3ish month old Fascinate. I have 2 Pc's, 2 HDTV and like 5 previous phones and everything has been with Blacktie.
I just want to know if I would be better of having proof cause I have no idea what a storefront of Verizons here has for anything showing retail price, but if I have to go out of my way to prove it. Due to BB not matching "online" prices I will cause I sure am not paying extra 125$ for same phone lol.
Really thank you all for advice so far I usually get great people when I work with Best Buy and after all Zagg shields the mobile department has put on my rounds of bad Thunderbolts they know my acount before they even pull me up as to what I have for phones ect. I just know it was like pulling teeth to get them to replace my non-fuctional Incredible after 2 seperate repairs to get a new device and had to talk to store manager before I got it done without a 3rd repair shipment.

Just bring it in the retail pricing from the online (I work at BBY Mobile PT as well) and Id match it

find the kid who hates his job at best buy and he'll price match it without talking to a manager. i work at best buy and do it all the time.

hackabusa said:
If you were to come into my store and ask for a price match (I work at best buy), and you planned on getting blacktie and buyback, we would match without question. Other stores may be different, but the margin would be made up with those two components.
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Word to the wise. Don't anyone ever get black tie. Its a scam.

I would generally agree to that last post but in my case because Best Buy has the lemon policy on repairing or attempting to fix issues. I went from Incredible that went 2.2 update came out dropped a packet and caused horrible call quality an hardware / software issues. Got me a $600 equal retail value Giftcard that put me into my Thunderbolt. Generally speaking insurance is never needed but I get it to be safe on my high end phones.
Also had to speak with a manager but the Buyback process and getting into the Charge was a painless experience and they gave it to me for $599 cause they know how much business I do there. Thanks for all the help.

Used Phone Prices Make No Sense...to me

With new phone prices without a contract around $500 and upgrade prices for the hot models running $99-250, I was thinking maybe I should shop recent used, i.e. an Incredible 2 or even a Galaxy Nexus or RAZR now that the Maxx is out. So checking eBay and Craigslist, and various forum marketplaces I am seeing that used pricing runs from $100-$300 on the Inc2 to $300-$500 on the Nexus and RAZR.
My son just got an Inc 2 upgrade for free. Why would anyone pay $100-$300 (widely asked) for a free phone? I might pay $50 to play with it. Why would anyone pay $400 for a used Nexus or RAZR when you can upgrade for $199 or $249 (less with a new account). I would pay $100, OK, but why pay more than the upgrade price? I understand the desire to avoid a contract, but seriously you have to get service from somewhere. I can't believe that many of the people selling these things paid full retail, so how can the used prices be more than most people paid in the first place. There can't be that much demand and the supply increases daily.
Please explain.

Some people have just upgraded recently and can't do a new contract before their two years is up without paying a pretty decent fee. It's cheaper to buy the phone from someone else and maybe get rid of their old phone than to pay the price for getting a new contract. Some people here also own multiple devices and switch them out often, so it doesn't really make sense to open a new contract for each phone. Check people's sigs: some members/devs here have four or five devices at a time.
And just in case you don't know why there's a charge for early upgrades, the carriers give you the phones at discount because over a two year contract you will end up paying down the expense they took. If they give you a new phone every six months you have gone through around $2000 worth of devices and they certainly won't make that up just from your monthly bill.

danam said:
With new phone prices without a contract around $500 and upgrade prices for the hot models running $99-250, I was thinking maybe I should shop recent used, i.e. an Incredible 2 or even a Galaxy Nexus or RAZR now that the Maxx is out. So checking eBay and Craigslist, and various forum marketplaces I am seeing that used pricing runs from $100-$300 on the Inc2 to $300-$500 on the Nexus and RAZR.
My son just got an Inc 2 upgrade for free. Why would anyone pay $100-$300 (widely asked) for a free phone? I might pay $50 to play with it. Why would anyone pay $400 for a used Nexus or RAZR when you can upgrade for $199 or $249 (less with a new account). I would pay $100, OK, but why pay more than the upgrade price? I understand the desire to avoid a contract, but seriously you have to get service from somewhere. I can't believe that many of the people selling these things paid full retail, so how can the used prices be more than most people paid in the first place. There can't be that much demand and the supply increases daily.
Please explain.
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It is all in being eligible for an upgrade!!! People who break, drop in toilet, or lose their phone are the ones paying. They had a new phone and liked it. But they broke it and aren't eligible for an upgrade price for another two years. They would have to pay full price. A used phone at $250 is better than paying $500 from the provider since you have no upgrade options.
I like it. My last two upgrades I have made money!!!! I had an original droid. I upgraded to my droid X for $299. $100 rebate brings cost down to $200. Sold for $250 on ebay!!! Old droid would have cost someone $400 from verizon if they weren't eligible for an upgrade. They have the phone they want and saved $150 versus buying a new one from verizon.

85gallon said:
I like it. My last two upgrades I have made money!!!! I had an original droid. I upgraded to my droid X for $299. $100 rebate brings cost down to $200. Sold for $250 on ebay!!! Old droid would have cost someone $400 from verizon if they weren't eligible for an upgrade. They have the phone they want and saved $150 versus buying a new one from verizon.
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I understand why it works for the seller . But this sort of presumes that more people are dropping phones in toilets than are buying new phones and retiring old ones, and I am not sure that can be so. Alternatively, it assumes that a real lot of people want to upgrade in less than two years and are willing to pay hundreds for the privilege; and I am not sure that can be so either.
I guess that I am cheap. But if I am entitled to pay, say, $199 in 3-6 months I am not paying more now for used equipment.

Some carriers give a cheaper monthly rate if you own your phone. I always buy phones outright either new or used and save money overall.
Sent from HTC G2

Crashdamage said:
Some carriers give a cheaper monthly rate if you own your phone. I always buy phones outright either new or used and save money overall.
Sent from HTC G2
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nothing is free.
My phone cost me £120 new which came with a PAYG sim.
My contract sim only is £13 a month.
I could have got the same phone on contract for £35 a month.
So I would be paying an extra £22 a month on a 18 month contract, after 5-6 months I would have been payiing more for the phone and be out of pocket. The contracts where the phones seem free have you paying for the phone monthly instead.

danam said:
I guess that I am cheap. But if I am entitled to pay, say, $199 in 3-6 months I am not paying more now for used equipment.
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What are you going to do? Pay $50 on a throw away so you have a phone for the next 3-6 months or just go without a phone for that time?
Also, a lot of people don't realize that their old cell phones are worth something. They throw them in a drawer or the garbage or they recycle them so they can feel good. I hope they never find out!!
I will be getting a free RAZR in a few months!!! After rebates and ebay of course!!
I was actually digging through some old stuff a few months ago and I ran across an old Moto Z6TV that I forgot to put up on ebay when I retired it years ago. I put it up on ebay and got $40 for it. I think it was3 or 4 phones ago. And I let the prospective buyers know it would be needing a battery soon in the auction listing.
Peeps need them for something. Maybe they know something I don't and are stocking up for the Zombie apocalypse. Who knows. I don't care as long as they are buying!!

Not everybody wants a contract. You can get a contract and pay $1k-$2k over the course of 2 years for a "free" phone or you can get a significantly cheaper pay as you go service and pay $200 for an unlocked phone.

I do business on CL all the time. This time of year is notorious for high-priced phones. If you wait until spring and summer really hits, phones will be available left and right.
Usually CDMA phones are cheaper as well, so if you look around daily, you'll find a good deal.
Sent from my 2ghz Impulse 4G

Depends on the financial status of the person to go for used phone or a new contract phone

In the past two years I've gone through 5 android phones and saved a ton of money giving the phones down to my wife and mom and never have to sign a new contract. Currently my wife has an Iphone, my mom a nexus s 4g, and I traded my android phone for an Iphone 4s...I'm going to sell that 4s and get a white Epic 4G Touch for 350 tonight, the Iphone should sell for a decent amount, I'm not out to gouge anyone but the Iphone holds value well (I hated the iPhone or I'd keep it but I miss android)

Well let me explain how it makes sense. Here's my actual history:
Buy an HTC Touch Diamond for $125 close to when it came out on some weird contract thing.
Sold Diamond for $200, bought iPhone 3G when moved to tmobile for $250, did a few other deals in between, but ended up trading the iPhone 3G for an HD2 when HD2 came out on tmobile. Sold HD2 for $250 a couple months ago, and moved to ATT and got a Galaxy Note on Contract (thru a friend $10 add a line) for $300 (soon to be $150 back for the promo), for all the deals I did between there I probably netted a few hundred dollar profit, bought and sold tablets as well (used most of them, I'm not trying to be a businessman here). You get to try out a bunch of devices this way.
If you take care of them, the resale is worth the original purchase. If you bought a Galaxy Nexus unlocked for $650 like 6 months ago, you could probably sell it RIGHT NOW for $650 easy if you took damn good care of it.
It's just how it works, you're not really out that much money if you're smart about how you do it, I've dropped $400 on devices and stuff and used/resold etc...

I agree with the general idea of the thread, some used phones are too much IMO.

There is a reason people are paying the used phone prices and I'm willing to bet they checked their options before dishing out a few hundred dollars.
We all get that most providers essentially mortgage you a device through your plan but if you don't fall under their qualifications to upgrade then your about to realize how much these little gadgets actually retail for. If you can upgrade through your provider that's your best bet. If not the used market is probably your go to option.
Sent from my Galaxy S2

eplote was
Taking into account that most phones are essentially a computer in your pocket, the used prices should reflect upon the age of the tech, total use time and who the owner was.
In the IT industry, hardware drops in value quite rapidly due to new gear coming out.
If the handset is a current model of it's class, then expect a premium price.
As for iDrones, they are like the fashion industry, you pay for a label and a social status as an iPhollower.
/Rant over
Crikey

If that makes no sense to you go take a look what people are paying for "used" Iphones.

for what its worth, used galaxy ace's were been sold for more then I paid for mine brand new.
from what I can see on ebay people usually only take 10-20% of the price of a new phone unless there is obvious damage. if you find a retail phone with a discount it will be less than used on ebay.

Most people charge too much for their used phones yet people due to contract issues buy them^^

My personal experience is that if you try to find a used phone on the E bay the price has no sense, but if you look in a local site of vacancies you can find good occasions, expecially if you make an offer that is lower of the asked price.

heres how i got my amaze, i bought it broken. honestly, as long as it turns on, im happy, i do customer service for t-mobile but i have at&t only because i have been with them since they were cingular. anyways, dont want to get off topic at hand, i can repair anything. my amaze had went through a joy ride through a dryer. and i still payed 250.00, then i had to get a digitizer/LCD, then a back, then a battery, but i still came out cheaper then retail price. i get laughed at on the smoke deck at work because of my phone but as the month went on it got nicer and nicer then a new trainee said when did you get your new phone? lol i build it...really. i got my inspire with a cracked screen the only phone i have that NOT damaged is my infuse lol

AT&T Pricing Question

So, now that we know the introductory price is going to be $199 w/ a 2 year contract, I'm wondering how often AT&T drops the price after a few weeks? I know they've got the Sony phone coming out and, I think, another flagship phone from Samsung... who thinks somebody could save $50 or more by waiting a few weeks?
Thanks in advance!
Billy

JeepFreak said:
So, now that we know the introductory price is going to be $199 w/ a 2 year contract, I'm wondering how often AT&T drops the price after a few weeks? I know they've got the Sony phone coming out and, I think, another flagship phone from Samsung... who thinks somebody could save $50 or more by waiting a few weeks?
Thanks in advance!
Billy
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It will be more than a few weeks before the device drops in price. 199 is a great price for this beast. Don't wait. You'll end up waiting a while.
Rabble rabble rabble.

If you're trying to buy it on contract, another option for you
would be amazon or walmart. It wouldn't surprise me if amazon
has it for 149.99$ on contract.

a lot of ppl were expecting this phone to be in the 249-299 price range, including myself. 199 is def a low starting pricepoint and I highly doubt its gonna fall with-in the first 4-6 months. there is no competition for it right now...the sony phone is def not competition, and the galaxy s3 is no where to be found as of yet. wait and def. be sorry

I also would say check with amazon, but i wonder if you get a defective unit can you return it to an at&t store or do you have to go thru amazon

UMGixxer said:
I also would say check with amazon, but i wonder if you get a defective unit can you return it to an at&t store or do you have to go thru amazon
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You would probably either have to deal with HTC directly (RMA process) or go to an AT&T device center. I have a device center near where I live in the Seattle area, and I got my Captivate swapped out there twice with no delays and no hassle.

belyle said:
You would probably either have to deal with HTC directly (RMA process) or go to an AT&T device center. I have a device center near where I live in the Seattle area, and I got my Captivate swapped out there twice with no delays and no hassle.
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Yeah when my cappy crapped on me, I had to send it off to TX somewhere but on a side note they did send me a replacement first.

Personally I would wait. 199$ is cheap. but a few weeks down Costco, Walmart etc. those places dive those prices.. If you shop smart you'll linger around slickdeals or fatwallet and watch these phones drop to 99$ or 150$ quick.
I recall when the skyrocket came out it was what.. 250? My cousin got it for 79$ only 1 month in. It's really up to you

Good info! Thanks guys. I'm totally happy with the $200 price tag, but I won't be as happy if I see it for $150 a few weeks later. Good thinking about trying Costco, Walmart, and Amazon! I doubt I'll be able to wait long to get it - like most I'm pretty excited!
Thanks again!
Billy

I work for the "better" wholesale club...the list or place holder price in the system is 249...but I'm sure it'll drop to 149 with instant coupon. Radio shack has it for 149 pre sale starting on the 22nd.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA

IXIKelsonIXI said:
199 is a great price for this beast.
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It's actually surprising low considering the GN is still $299 on VZW and T-Mobile's selling the One S for $199 ($249 pre-rebate). The GN will be $199 on Sprint but you'll have to wait a year for a network to use it on.
For reference, in the UK they sell for:
$649 - One X
$585 - GN
$560 - One S
So at $199 either AT&T, HTC, or both really want to move some phones.

BarryH_GEG said:
For reference, in the UK they sell for:
$649 - One X
$585 - GN
$560 - One S
So at $199 either AT&T, HTC, or both really want to move some phones.
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You are comparing unsubsidized UK pricing with AT&T's subsidized price. The One X is free on UK's T-Mobile, with a 2-year contract:
http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/htc-one-x/

Don't have to wait for a price drop
You actually don't have to wait for a price drop, it already has at Target Mobile and Radioshack. They are offering $50 instant rebate off of all preorders.
Proof for Target Mobile:
http://an.droid-life.com/2012/04/18/...il-22-for-149/
Proof for Radioshack, scroll down to bottom of the page:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/18/a...-land-may-6th/

redpoint73 said:
You are comparing unsubsidized UK pricing with AT&T's subsidized price.
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The point was to show what the phones are worth based on their retail selling price. The most expensive phone (HOX) is being sold at the lowest subsidized price.

BarryH_GEG said:
The point was to show what the phones are worth based on their retail selling price. The most expensive phone (HOX) is being sold at the lowest subsidized price.
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Gotcha. I was a bit confused because you stated subsidized and unsubsidized prices, without indicating which was which. But now I see your point, thanks for clarifying.

shattered my S4 screen

basically as the title says... I dropped my phone and shattered the screen at the top and bottom corners... it's still operable at the moment but it'll get worse over time. I have an upgrade available on my account that I can use or I could enter the Verizon edge program... I really don't know what i should do. it's obvious the edge program is only useful if I upgrade every ~12 months and I have a tendency to switch phones quite often but with a newborn son I may lose interest in upgrading/getting new phones so much... I'm mostly looking at the HTC M8 only because ive had the galaxy for a while and im ready for something other than touchwiz. use upgrade, pay 250 and sign another 2 year contract or enter Verizon edge program and pay nothing now and be able to upgrade again in a year... opinions?

Edge is regarded by most as a waste of money. you're always going to pay at least half of full retail, which is always more than the 2 yr contract price.
but more importantly, think about this: Maybe Edge is exactly what you want. Maybe you'll do it for the next 5 years and go thru 5 awesome phones. and then maybe then you'll want to save money and switch to another carrier. Hey, you're not on contract. go ahead. but if you get a high end device that's $700 full, and it's been 1 year, you've paid $350 so far, and you're still gonna owe $350 to cut loose, where as if you went the 2 year contract, you maybe for the phone paid $99 (instead of $350 over 12 months), and the ETF with Verizon will only be $230 so basically, you save, after the ETF, around $370. So Edge is great... for people who plan to keep doing edge/jump/whatever every year until they die, never changing carriers. Oh, and if a carrier (Tmobile) offers to buy out your contract and pay your ETF, guess what? an installment plan is not a termination fee. you're on your own, buddy. I'm not trying to sound overly dramatic, but that's the math, man.
finally, Edge is NOT "pay nothing up front". you pay tax on the full price, and you pay the first month's payment up front as well. since you're always billed one month in advance with Verizon, if you didn't pay the first month in store, you next bill would be 2 months worth of payments. Carriers take the first month up front to prevent bill-shock
so that's my feelings towards edge (I used to work in the Cell industry. quit late last year.). As for the M8, this phone rules. why? there's 1000 reviews already out there, so I'm not gonna bother with the why.

Well said .. covers everything.

TidusWulf said:
Edge is regarded by most as a waste of money. you're always going to pay at least half of full retail, which is always more than the 2 yr contract price.
but more importantly, think about this: Maybe Edge is exactly what you want. Maybe you'll do it for the next 5 years and go thru 5 awesome phones. and then maybe then you'll want to save money and switch to another carrier. Hey, you're not on contract. go ahead. but if you get a high end device that's $700 full, and it's been 1 year, you've paid $350 so far, and you're still gonna owe $350 to cut loose, where as if you went the 2 year contract, you maybe for the phone paid $99 (instead of $350 over 12 months), and the ETF with Verizon will only be $230 so basically, you save, after the ETF, around $370. So Edge is great... for people who plan to keep doing edge/jump/whatever every year until they die, never changing carriers. Oh, and if a carrier (Tmobile) offers to buy out your contract and pay your ETF, guess what? an installment plan is not a termination fee. you're on your own, buddy. I'm not trying to sound overly dramatic, but that's the math, man.
finally, Edge is NOT "pay nothing up front". you pay tax on the full price, and you pay the first month's payment up front as well. since you're always billed one month in advance with Verizon, if you didn't pay the first month in store, you next bill would be 2 months worth of payments. Carriers take the first month up front to prevent bill-shock
so that's my feelings towards edge (I used to work in the Cell industry. quit late last year.). As for the M8, this phone rules. why? there's 1000 reviews already out there, so I'm not gonna bother with the why.
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soooooo..... get the m8 but use my available upgrade? lol...

I couldn't be happier with my m8.. I had the s4 previously the only down side is cropping photos with this camera it can be pixely. If you do get the m8 I recommend that you really look at where the speaker grill on top and bottom meet the screen. make sure it's flush this may be just me being picky but I have seen a few that were slightly raised above the screen and it kind of sticks out. Play some music and make sure the sound isn't distorted at a higher volume. I had a couple friends that noticed some static but had to make the trip back for an exchange. There are a number of threads about build quality you can read. sorry to hear your screen shattered on your s4.

Don't know where you get $250 from (unless you're not up for a new device), the M8 is $99 with 2 year contract.

TidusWulf said:
Edge is regarded by most as a waste of money. you're always going to pay at least half of full retail, which is always more than the 2 yr contract price.
but more importantly, think about this: Maybe Edge is exactly what you want. Maybe you'll do it for the next 5 years and go thru 5 awesome phones. and then maybe then you'll want to save money and switch to another carrier. Hey, you're not on contract. go ahead. but if you get a high end device that's $700 full, and it's been 1 year, you've paid $350 so far, and you're still gonna owe $350 to cut loose, where as if you went the 2 year contract, you maybe for the phone paid $99 (instead of $350 over 12 months), and the ETF with Verizon will only be $230 so basically, you save, after the ETF, around $370. So Edge is great... for people who plan to keep doing edge/jump/whatever every year until they die, never changing carriers. Oh, and if a carrier (Tmobile) offers to buy out your contract and pay your ETF, guess what? an installment plan is not a termination fee. you're on your own, buddy. I'm not trying to sound overly dramatic, but that's the math, man.
finally, Edge is NOT "pay nothing up front". you pay tax on the full price, and you pay the first month's payment up front as well. since you're always billed one month in advance with Verizon, if you didn't pay the first month in store, you next bill would be 2 months worth of payments. Carriers take the first month up front to prevent bill-shock
so that's my feelings towards edge (I used to work in the Cell industry. quit late last year.). As for the M8, this phone rules. why? there's 1000 reviews already out there, so I'm not gonna bother with the why.
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I don't know where you get that he is going to pay $350 for the phone on edge the first year.
I just got on the early edge upgrade and they offer a $10/month discount off of the $25/month price.(That is for the 3 gig plan. Discount is steeper on higher data plans) So I am paying $15/month for my M8. I will have paid $180 for the first year. And then I can get a new phone.
BB has them for $199 on 2 year contract.
I know some think I am wasting my money with edge, but I will be able to get a new phone in a year.
Tell me how you can do that cheaper by buying?

85gallon said:
I don't know where you get that he is going to pay $350 for the phone on edge the first year.
I just got on the early edge upgrade and they offer a $10/month discount off of the $25/month price.(That is for the 3 gig plan. Discount is steeper on higher data plans) So I am paying $15/month for my M8. I will have paid $180 for the first year. And then I can get a new phone.
BB has them for $199 on 2 year contract.
I know some think I am wasting my money with edge, but I will be able to get a new phone in a year.
Tell me how you can do that cheaper by buying?
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I'm not disagreeing with you, as EDGE is fine for people who upgrade a lot, and really isn't really that much of a waste of money as some make it seem, but I wouldn't say you are paying $15/mo for the M8. It's more like you're paying $25/mo for it, but you get $10 off per month from the bill itself.
Just taking in to account that they discount your bill by ~$10 (depending on data, again) even on More Everything plans, they're just trying to compensate for the fact that you are not in a contract, and thus, no subsidy.
I'm sure some reps are just saying, "and you get $10 off the monthly payment for being on EDGE" to entice people to sign up. If you were really paying $15/mo, it would take longer for you to pay off the phone... of course, I could be completely wrong, as I don't see the bill in front of me to see the break down, but that's just what I assume the breakdown is.
----
I feel like with EDGE it's almost a wash when comparing it with a 2-Year contract, though you can come out slightly ahead with a contract. If you upgrade a lot, and assuming a single line, then you can get a "cheap" phone for the first year, the sell it for ~ $250-300 (or more, depending on device of course), then the next flagship you pick up second hand from someone (saving tax at least). If you keep reselling in $300 range, it's almost the same thing as EDGE (paying off half to "edge up"). With EDGE, however, you save yourself the hassle of re-selling/shipping/etc.

brandogg said:
Don't know where you get $250 from (unless you're not up for a new device), the M8 is $99 with 2 year contract.
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Just saw this on the Verizon site. The store I went to last night while working had a 250 price tag.
I'm still not sure what to do lol... I feel like if I really like a phone and I'm not ready to get rid of it after 12 months and keep it then I'm throwing money away...
The Verizon variant is completely unlockable right? Is there any ota upgrade I should avoid out of the box if I decide to get it?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app

I wasn't aware of the $10 EDGE plan discount. I left before that started, I guess.
As for where to buy the phone, Amazon or Costco are generally the best prices, but sometimes bestbuy has a good sale going on. ($100 blue M7 the day it was released), I would never buy a phone from Verizon's corporate store or website.
The Verizon phone is unlocked by default. there is nothing the user needs to do. it's Verizon policy (yay!). As for the OTA upgrade, I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter, from what I've read, but I would just root the phone and flash the rooted update, anyway, to be safe.

TidusWulf said:
I wasn't aware of the $10 EDGE plan discount. I left before that started, I guess.
As for where to buy the phone, Amazon or Costco are generally the best prices, but sometimes bestbuy has a good sale going on. ($100 blue M7 the day it was released), I would never buy a phone from Verizon's corporate store or website.
The Verizon phone is unlocked by default. there is nothing the user needs to do. it's Verizon policy (yay!). As for the OTA upgrade, I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter, from what I've read, but I would just root the phone and flash the rooted update, anyway, to be safe.
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Since when does Verizon release a phone unlocked from factory?! That's shocking. ??
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app

Powell730 said:
Just saw this on the Verizon site. The store I went to last night while working had a 250 price tag.
I'm still not sure what to do lol... I feel like if I really like a phone and I'm not ready to get rid of it after 12 months and keep it then I'm throwing money away...
The Verizon variant is completely unlockable right? Is there any ota upgrade I should avoid out of the box if I decide to get it?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
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I think the M8 should be good for a long time, as most devices are, we just tend to want to upgrade/switch devices when the new one comes out =\
If you don't want to use up the upgrade, have you tried looking on Swappa for a used device?
** Factory unlock meaning for the SIM, you will still need to root and S-OFF on your own. Just to clarify haha

Powell730 said:
Since when does Verizon release a phone unlocked from factory?! That's shocking. ??
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All Verizon LTE phones are factory unlocked when you buy them. Been this way for a couple of years.

about 2 years, now. I think Verizon had to hit a certain population coverage percentage for LTE and it became mandatory by some FCC rule when they purchased the spectrum. sad that other carriers aren't also tied to this.

raichur0xx0rz said:
I think the M8 should be good for a long time, as most devices are, we just tend to want to upgrade/switch devices when the new one comes out =\
If you don't want to use up the upgrade, have you tried looking on Swappa for a used device?
** Factory unlock meaning for the SIM, you will still need to root and S-OFF on your own. Just to clarify haha
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Click to collapse
Ohh. Yeah I was referring to the bootloader not sim lol. I actually looked at swappA last night. Good deals but I'd rather use the upgrade as opposed to that site. I really just need to decide if I want to keep the phone for two years or buy it with the intent to upgrade again in ~1 year.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using XDA Free mobile app

i believe amazon has it for 99 with 2 year, and OTA is safe, i temprooted -> soff'd; took OTA then xposed/customized.
as for swappa, site is completely legit, have bought and sold on there. just read descriptions/pics and know what you are getting.

Yes. Moto Says screw the carriers with its latest.

Moto G, Verizon Droids Coming to Carriers, But Not Moto X
"If you want the new Moto X Style when it comes to market in September, you're going to have to buy it unlocked. Otherwise, you might want to wait a month or two for some Verizon Droid announcements.
The $399 Moto X Style is one of very few phones that can be used on all four major U.S. carriers. So far in the U.S., only the Google Nexus 6 and the Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have that ability. It'll work just fine with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or Verizon SIM cards, said Motorola senior vice president of software engineering Seang Chau.
"You buy it once, and you can switch carriers all you want," he said.
But the Moto X Style won't be sold in carrier stores..."
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Looking forward to this release. If that camera has really improved, bye bye Samsung S5!

I'm looking at the X Style for a couple reasons. UNLOCKED from a carrier, means I don't have to jump through hoops.
Rooting isn't an issue for me. My current 1 year old Huawei Mate2 isn't unlocked either. For work purposes, the camera
has to be a good one, the mate2 13mp is fantastic, coupled with the Camera FV-5 app. More megapixels does not always
equate with a better photograph, but, if DONE RIGHT it will, so, once it gets in the wild and feedback starts coming in,
I'll know. It's a bit smaller than my current device, which comes in with a 6.1" screen. It has a 4,100mAH battery, which
can easily last 2 days. As long as the Moto, can get me 10 hours of usage, it wouldn't matter to me to lose just a bit
of screen size or battery life.

They also say "Screw Canada".

They also say screw anyone who would prefer to pay less than $400 for a phone and are willing to take a contract to do so.

sternum_boy said:
They also say screw anyone who would prefer to pay less than $400 for a phone and are willing to take a contract to do so.
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You still end up paying the $400. However best buy and Motorola have very decent finance options. I would rather do that than end up in a contract.
The route I take is I always sell my old phone on swappa before its price drops too low so I'm never paying more and $200 for a new phone. Most of the time it's an even trade.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

orcsbane13 said:
You still end up paying the $400. However best buy and Motorola have very decent finance options. I would rather do that than end up in a contract.
The route I take is I always sell my old phone on swappa before its price drops too low so I'm never paying more and $200 for a new phone. Most of the time it's an even trade.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
No, you don't end up paying the $400. I am with Sprint and they still offer subsidized upgrades with a 2 year contract. The contract free plans are not at a cheaper monthly rate than my legacy plan (my plan works out to about $60 per line with unlimited data). I typically pay between $0 and $150 for a phone at retail, get a 2 year contract, and then sell my old phone for $50-$100.

orcsbane13 said:
You still end up paying the $400. However best buy and Motorola have very decent finance options. I would rather do that than end up in a contract.
The route I take is I always sell my old phone on swappa before its price drops too low so I'm never paying more and $200 for a new phone. Most of the time it's an even trade.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How? My bill doesn't go up or down when I subsidies a phone. If I pay 200, I pay 200..

They offered unlocked and carrier versions before. They will probably have carrier versions in time.
But with unlocked, you have the freedom to play carriers for the lowest rate and MVNOs too.
Ultimately unlocked is cheaper over time. If you are in an area where you can play the field. I hope more carriers go unlocked.
I just need T-Moble to open up their WiFi calling app to devices like this. But the savings and features outweigh getting a T-Mobile Nexus with WiFi calling IMHO.

Biz!
I hope it's worth it.

They scream screw 1+ lol
Sent from my SM-G920T

Apple
If all the manufactures would do this, you would see the iphone have trouble selling their icrap for $700-800. Of course, the isheep would pay any price for their two year technology. I think it is a simple phone for simple people.

Verizon just announced "no more contracts". AT&T has been offering it for a while. To get those "low" device prices with a contract, you're buying the subsidy. On AT&T you spend $600 over 2 years for the subsidy. Then if you buy the phone for $200 on contract, you've really spent $800 dollars for it. This is the AT&T example, but others are similar. Contacts are not a good deal.
I've been off contract for more than a year now. Bought all my phones outright. The majority of the 9 are MotoG, an original MotoX, and a couple old Galaxy S3. We all share 15GB of data and have unlimited talk and text for about $27 / month / line. But we do buy our phones.
As contracts and subsidies become a thing of the past, and people realize the "true" cost of their phones, the days of $700 - $1000 phones are numbers. I applaud Moto for their pricing and for freeing us from the carrier imposed constraints and bloatware. It all started with the original MotoG and MotoX under Google ownership, and I'm glad to see they continue with this approach under the current ownership.

jswclw said:
Verizon just announced "no more contracts". AT&T has been offering it for a while. To get those "low" device prices with a contract, you're buying the subsidy. On AT&T you spend $600 over 2 years for the subsidy. Then if you buy the phone for $200 on contract, you've really spent $800 dollars for it. This is the AT&T example, but others are similar. Contacts are not a good deal.
I've been off contract for more than a year now. Bought all my phones outright. The majority of the 9 are MotoG, an original MotoX, and a couple old Galaxy S3. We all share 15GB of data and have unlimited talk and text for about $27 / month / line. But we do buy our phones.
As contracts and subsidies become a thing of the past, and people realize the "true" cost of their phones, the days of $700 - $1000 phones are numbers. I applaud Moto for their pricing and for freeing us from the carrier imposed constraints and bloatware. It all started with the original MotoG and MotoX under Google ownership, and I'm glad to see they continue with this approach under the current ownership.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's funny that Moto decided to do this right before Verizon drops subsidized phones. I have to say this phone is way more attractive looking to me. I was thinking of waiting to see what the new droid line had. However the cost will be 200-300 more than this phone. I think this will be a game changer in the way OEMs build and price their phones.
sent from "my kungfu is stronger then yours" XT1080

I'm glad to see moto going this route with these phones. Hopefully it starts dropping the prices of other phones.
I am curious to see how Iphone sales go with no contracts. How many people are willing to spend the big bucks for 64gb and higher iphones. I am ditching my S5 once I can get my hands on these newer moto phones and see if the Moto Pure is too big for my hands or not

[bman123] said:
I'm glad to see moto going this route with these phones. Hopefully it starts dropping the prices of other phones.
I am curious to see how Iphone sales go with no contracts. How many people are willing to spend the big bucks for 64gb and higher iphones. I am ditching my S5 once I can get my hands on these newer moto phones and see if the Moto Pure is too big for my hands or not
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Click to collapse
Apparently Verizon is keeping subsidized phones for current customers if I read the articles right.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

DaleGriggs said:
If all the manufactures would do this, you would see the iphone have trouble selling their icrap for $700-800. Of course, the isheep would pay any price for their two year technology. I think it is a simple phone for simple people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really hope Apple starts to lower their prices. With more and more carriers no longer doing 2 year contracts, many customers now have to see the full price of the phone, and either pay for it up front or know they are spending $800 over the course of a 2 year phone loan.

The phones are worth whatever customers will pay for them. I could see iPhone prices declining some, but probably not that much.
Macs still sell pretty well, even though there are better, cheaper alternatives...

I'm really looking forward to this phone. I just hope it gets a lot of developer love.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

geoff5093 said:
I really hope Apple starts to lower their prices. With more and more carriers no longer doing 2 year contracts, many customers now have to see the full price of the phone, and either pay for it up front or know they are spending $800 over the course of a 2 year phone loan.
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Click to collapse
While there may be some correction to improved yields and manufacturing improvements don't count on any substantial price drops (unless they come out with a lower end phone but that will still be pricey). People who like iPhones will have no issues paying for them. I went from a subsidized phones (4 on our account) to non-subsidized (payments over 24 mo.) and my overall phone bill went down. Particularly for iPhones you used to be limited to higher cost plans with subsidized phones. BUT once you had "paid" off your phone at two years you were still stuck with a higher cost plan. I haven't been under contract for many years and never again will be.
I'm waiting to see if the Moto's will bootloader unlockable and see what the new Nexus phones bring to the table then I'll make up my mind, but the Moto X is high on my list.