Hi there, this is David,
As a member of countless WhatsApp wireless phone trading groups, I noticed a lot of CPO stock offers coming at group participants from different directions. A new and alarming trend has picked up in the last year or so. Bottom line, otherwise reputable traders call A-grade used phones – CPO stock. This is especially true for non-Apple products where it is difficult to verify whether the product is really CPO.
Now a word about this term: “CPO” – what is it?
It originated with Apple introducing into the market Certified Pre-Owned devices. Apple would refurbish used phones at company-certified facilities, replace the glass, case, and any other visibly used components of the device, then put it back into the market with renewed 12-month Apple warranty upon activation of the device by a new owner.
Since then, the term CPO has begun its new sneaky life and all kinds of stock are being called CPO these days. For example, when you see an offer for HTC M9 (CPO), or Samsung Galaxy S7 (CPO), there is a near 100% chance, from my experience, that such offer is for a used A grade phone that can be passed as “new” (unless you begin studying the glass for almost invisible micro scratches). The seller purchases film (lens tape), often with originally looking print, covers the screen, and passes the product as CPO.
Why is this bad? Above all, you don’t get 12 months factory warranty that CPO stock is supposed to be getting. You are being sold the used product under a clever disguise and you are overpaying dearly for the dust off the job and a lens tape sticker.
So what do you do?
Just ask the seller – does it come with 12 months factory warranty? And if the answer is no, ask them why are you calling this stock Certified Pre-Owned? Who Certified it?!?