Recently I purchased a couple of used/damaged iPhones on eBay. These phones were bought to be used for parts and to hone my skills for repairing iPhones. Both phones had physical damage. One had a broken screen and the other did not turn on at all. They both also had two important issues that the average consumer would not take kindly to.
Once repaired, I found the following issues. For one of the phones it was iCloud locked. This means that the phone is not able to be used on any carrier nor as a wifi only device. The average consumer would only basically be able to turn the phone on, and turn it off (I actually found a work around for this issue, contact me if interested). The second phone was carrier locked to Sprint. Cross checking the MEID of the phone, it was found to not have an account in good standing. This means that no matter what, the phone would not be able to be unlocked and ported to another carrier.
Neither issue was really a detriment to me as the phones were mainly purchased used online for cheap. Neither phone was much over $30. By using parts from both phones I was able to construct a working wifi only iPhone 5c. If you are looking to save some money by purchasing an iPhone online beware, however. If the phone actually works you still may run into one of these issues and never be able to use the phone as you intended.
Call me for any repairs for iPhones: 315-676-9096