That vintage Nokia 5110 I bought for nostalgia was a total lemon

I spent $80 on a supposedly mint Nokia 5110 from a seller on eBay last month, and the screen had dead pixels plus the keypad was mushy. The guy swore it worked fine in his listing photos, but after three days of trying to get a refund, I'm out the cash. Has anyone else gotten burned buying old phones from online sellers who don't test them properly?

3 comments

3 Comments

faith_shah881mo ago

My $60 Nokia 3310 from a UK reseller had a weird green tint on the screen and the antenna felt loose, but I still think you might be judging this too fast. eBay sellers deal with dozens of listings a week, they probably just missed the defects in the rush to photograph it (happens a lot with older gear). Did you try a simple factory reset or opening it up to check the ribbon cable? I've revived two dead pixels just by reseating the connector. The keypad mushiness is a classic wear issue, but a couple drops of contact cleaner under the rubber buttons can fix it in five minutes.

the_jamie1mo ago

Respectfully, I think your optimism is a bit off here. A weird green tint and a loose antenna aren't "probably just missed" issues on a $60 phone - that's two separate, obvious problems right out of the box. If you're paying premium prices (like $60 for a 3310, which is way over market), the seller should be checking for screen color and structural looseness, not rushing through photos. And suggesting a buyer crack open a phone they just got with pliers and contact cleaner is a big ask, especially when the antenna wobble suggests physical damage, not just a cable to reseat.

gray_morgan1mo ago

Bought a "like new" Motorola RAZR once and the hinge snapped off in my pocket two hours after it arrived. Took me a month of back and forth to get PayPal to side with me, so I feel your pain on this one.