Used and Pre-Owned MiFi’s and Mobile Hotspots
eBay has great deals on used (and even new) mobile hotspots
Nowadays it's pretty easy to bag a great deal on a MiFi or other mobile hotspot on eBay . The most well known mobile hotspot is the MiFi, made by Novatel wireless, and introduced in 2009. The MiFi 2200 operates on Sprint and Verizon 3G networks, and can typically achieve speeds of up to 1.5 Mbps download and 700 Kbps upload. The MiFi 2200 allows 5 user to share one data connection. In the recent year, the MiFi 2200 has been rebranded as the "Connect2Go" from Virgin Mobile Wirless, as well as some other retailers like BestBuy.
Since 2010, quite a lot of mobile hotspot owners upgraded their 3G mobile hotspots to one of the newer 4G units, and are looking to salvage a few bucks out of the old unit. The MiFi 3G is still quite a workhorse, and with massively dense 3G all over America, the time it great to take advantage of the relatively decent speeds of 3G that Verizon and Sprint offer. With more and more users moving to 4G, the 3G highway may start to finally get LESS congestion over time, given all the 3G to 4G upgrades people are doing.
eBay is also a great option for current 3G or 4G mobile hotspot owners who are under contract and may have lost or damaged their original mobile hotspot device. Contract users of hotspots with Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint can purchase a new or previously owned mobile hotspot on eBay and contact their provider to swap the Sim card identifiers or IMEI unique device identifiers. Given the fact that a brand-new "replacement" hotspot from a provider can run $200-$350, eBay is a prime source for quickly replacing the lost unit at the most reasonable cost.
Tips on buying a previously owned mobile hotspot
Number one issue to be aware of is making sure the mobile hotspot device itself under contract by the current owner. This would mean the seller is not able to transfer the ownership of the hotspot to you because they might need to pay a termination fee. Look for words like "no contract", "contract free", or "prepaid"in the listing. It is VERY rare to see any illegitimate hotspots for sale on Ebay, plus the buyer has tons of protections in place should you get a bum deal.'
We are assuming you are looking for a "NO CONTRACT" mobile hotspot on Ebay. The second piece of advise we can leave with is this: make sure the purchase does not require a contract. One red flag is seen a unit that is "new in box", but is selling for an unusually low price, say $1. Make sure you read the terms, especially the small print in the auction listing. This is MUCH more relevant on listing for the newer 4G hotspots you might see, in particular the Samsung SCH-LC11, the MiFi 4510L and the MiFi 2372. Don't be surprised if you find "bidding wars" or 20 more live bids on these offering, as there is a pretty huge demand for the newer generation of mobile 4G -ready mobile hotspots - especially those for sale without contract commitments.
Lastly, although it may sound obvious, but make sure the unit for sale is complete with working battery. Replacement batteries can sometimes get quite expensive, especially in light of the fact that you trying to save money with a pre-owned hotspot in the first place.
