Would You Buy An iPhone That Fell In Urine?
Our ex-stepbrothers at Gizmodo found a craigslist ad for a barely used iPhone, selling for significantly below list price. There's just one problem.
As the posting notes, the iPhone was dropped into a puddle of urine while the owner was using it in a bathroom (we hope he was playing games on it and not using the camera feature). He wiped it off "really really good" though, which is probably good enough when we're talking about urine.
So, Consumerist readers, would you buy this iPhone for $300? Keep in mind that a new 16GB iPhone with contract from AT&T is $299, so there's no savings there, but if you wanted to go contract-free, a 16GB iPhone would be $699, making the $300 price seem like a piddling sum of money.
Pee-Tarnished iPhone for Sale, Come and Get It! [Gizmodo]
(Photo: saital)
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Well, considering I once dropped my phone in the toilet, and continue to use it after wiping it off ... I probably would. But I'd get some Lysol first!
Urine is sterile, so why not?
umm...no. Geez I had to think hard on it.
Yeah, it still works, but the warranty is probably void. There's a water sensor (two, in fact). It depends on which side it was dropped and how shallow the puddle of urine was. ;)
But no. Just more reason NOT to buy a used phone. (Yeah, I know.. anything you buy can have urine on it. But it's a phone.. you put it up to your face.)
Depends... is it Steve Jobs' urine?
Sure, just wipe it down with some alcohol first.
I wouldn't buy anything on Craigslist that I couldn't confirm is going to work just by looking at it. Spending $300 on an iphone is just too risky for Craigslist in my book.
To rephrase, would you piss away $300 on a cellphone that someone pissed on?
And "Our ex-stepbrothers at Gizmodo" is hilarious.
as long as the urine did not get inside the device its as good as new after a quick washing
The real question is, what have you already bought that WAS dropped in urine and you didn't know.
If it's in perfect working condition, why is he selling it? I'd accept that he didn't like the phone, but I suspect that it's the seller who has a problem with a pee phone. And for $300!
why would you ever admit something like this if you were selling an iPhone?
also- I travel a lot and I have yet to see "a puddle of urine" on a public bathroom floor.
I do appreciate the honesty of this seller. I would have just said it landed on a wet floor.
Like I said on the other urine post, it's sterile, barring any infections.
@kaptainkk: This argument is always made, but it's not true. It's sterile when it leaves the body. It's not sterile when it's been sitting in a puddle on the floor.
@microcars: You have apparently never been to a men's room at a bar in any city in any state in the country.
Good to see Microcars has no inclination towards good natured honesty. Sort of a "I have herpes but I'm not about to tell her!" attitude in life?
And not having seen a puddle of urine on a men's room floor, what planet do you have live? Maybe you live in Dubai in an ultra-luxurious hotel?
@kaptainkk: Urine is sterile when it leaves the body. Not so much when it's formed a puddle on a men's room floor.
Besides the "ew" factor, urine is incredibly corrosive. I'd pass.
@larrymac: And it's not really sterile when it leaves the body if the person is not clean/has some sort of disease/as soon as it hits air/whatever.
I probably would if the price was low enough. Certainly not for $300 though.
well i suppose you could take it apart, clean it with 99% (or higher) alcohol, then distilled / deionized water. as long as you dont care about the warranty, I say go for it.
Depends on whose urine it was. If it was a celebrity, that's a collectible.
@David Brodbeck: That's true. If it didn't get inside, you'd probably be ok, but it's hard to tell from a craigslist ad.
Urine isn't going to hurt you. But I'm not poor, so I'd spend the extra money and get a urine-free model.
Purchase this phone and ur-ine trouble!
Hell No.
First I thought "hell no", but that second "really" (really really good) changed my mind..
for $20.
If it's in such excellent shape, why doesn't the seller just keep it? Hmmm? Answer me that one.
Why would the seller even disclose that?
@Galactica: At least the guy's being honest. I applaud that. It's so nice that not EVERYONE on Craigslist are lying liars.
@BytheSea: I applaud the seller's forthrightness. The listing could just as easily have been "iphone 3g in great shape - $400." No further details.
lol, I wouldn't pay 300 dollars for something dropped in pee that I'm going to put near my face. That just seems like a disease waiting to happen...
That's disgusting right there...I mean come on, people. That's n iPhone. Gross...
@microcars: Agreed about the admitting it part, but you need to go out more. There is piss everywhere.
Since a new generation of iphones is most likely going to come out within the next month, it would be pretty silly to buy this generation iphone for $300 (even if it came without the pee).
@jc364: Since it works fine I do not see any reason to say anything. I do like the honesty also, but if it is so perfect, why is he/she selling it? They never said anything else about why they do not want it.
This is why I don't buy electronics on CL.
For everyone one guy that is honest, like this post, imagine how many others are going to lie about it.
Hopefully you won't be "pissed" after your decision to buy it.
A piddling sum. I love it.