Almost all the people who visit US always hunt to get an iPhone for cheap price, i also did that and did a lot.
So, just thought to help others who are hunting for the deals....
Few things to remember -
Forget about the dream that you will get a BRAND NEW, Unlocked iPhone.
Forget that you will get it for less $$$
Forget that you will get it from Apple Store
Now the ways to get it -
The most favorite place to search is ebay, you can get a used and unlocked iphone from ebay.
www.ebay.com
Decide which version you want iphone 2G, iphone 3G, iphone 3GS or iphone 4
The range for iphone 2G is $170-$225 depending on the condition and accessories along with the phone
The range for iphone 3G is $200-$310 depending on the condition and accessories along with the phone
The range for iphone 3GS is $250-$350 depending on the condition and accessories along with the phone
The range for iphone 4G is from $500 depending on the condition and accessories along with the phone
Those who say that you will get a good iphone for $100 are just mocking at you.
The other place to look for iphone is
www.amazon.com
there also you get a deal for unlocked used iphone but chances are very less.
The other hot favorite is
www.craigslist.com
but you need to be cautious here, since you need to contact the seller directly and buy the item directly.
Do remember few things while dealing on this site-
1) Ask for the original pics of the item you are looking on.
2) Never pay the seller directly using Western union or some other live wire transfer
3) Try to meet the seller at some public place like mall to see the product physically and at that time only pay him the cash.
4) Ask for the documents if any
You may be lucky to get a good deals here
If you have the US SSN then you can buy it from either Apple Store or from AT&T, but if you don't have the credit history then you will need to pay a handsome amount to get this beast.
Don't ever try to hack the system with fake SSN (as you will find on the web), since its illegal and you may be trapped anytime.
I'd like to suggest that do not buy a too costly iphone if you are not planning to stay in US for long term.
You may try to look for a good deal for HTC or Blackberry smart phones
I'd would strongly suggest not to buy Nokia, Sony or Samsung from US market, since they have same price all over the world and its senseless to buy them at same cost with no international warranty.
Enjoy phone hunting.
