This eBay Seller's Custom Built iPhone is a Disaster

[@electrofreak0]

What a joke. And you know that seller only responded cuz they don't want bad feedback on ebay and can continue scamming people.

[@thewubmachine840]

Like April Fools Day. thats why trust sellers like Facebook MarketPlace.

[@Lynnfield3440]

I think I got tricked like that a few times on ebay too. I wonder if anyone ever sells something working on ebay. Literally everything I have ever bought from there has been broken. Besides stuff from China/ Hong Kong, and 1 guy from Arizona send me the stickers I ordered. Oh and Japan is the worst, only got broken stuff that was clearly not tested but sold as working. But it's so far away and expensive to send back it's usually not worth it to even bother.

[@UserT5959]

How is it a scam?its just like all the other trash IPhones

[@Lynnfield3440]

@@UserT5959 not sure about modern ones, but unlike my modern androids my iPhone SE2016 is still going strong. Old androids were also good, but I swear these new ones barely last you 1 full year. But that might be the same with modern iphones too. I can't say because I will use that 2016 SE until I absolutely can't anymore.

[@UserT5959]

@@Lynnfield3440 that's nice

[@foxyfoxfilms]

“I’m no scientist, but I know a gold sticker can’t double your battery capacity” 😂😂😂

[@dynlenoir]

Good morning to my neighbour, seems I woke her up, didn't expect myself to burst out laughing at 4AM.

[@lspci]

Its like RGB lights gives extra 15% of FPS

[@bunnies8773]

@@lspci Or putting stickers on your car to add HP

[@borghorsa1902]

Look up pictures from Putin inauguration room, all gold plated, painful to watch. This what it looks like :)

[@GreatestCornholio]

At least you can make it faster by downloading more RAM.

[@DjDestinyChicago]

You know that customization went wrong when there’s blood inside 😂😂😂

[@DurkMcGerk]

TIL offering a blood sacrifice to the repair gods when opening a device isn't something that everybody just does.

[@FinkHD]

@@DurkMcGerkOnly the good stores

[@sharkey086]

If you don't bleed, were you really even trying?!

[@RedVRCC]

​@@DurkMcGerkhe was hoping the tech priests would bless it and make it just work

[@DurkMcGerk]

@@RedVRCC I will prepare the appropriate unguents and poultices.

[@acz6017]

eBay is full of scammers. He didn’t respond until reported.

[@ILoveTinfoilHats]

On both sides. The biggest scammer is eBay itself, charging you fees on top of shipping and not refunding advertisement costs for cancelled orders. Avoid them at all costs, they're garbage now.

[@XdekHckr]

Amazon is full of scammers too along with aliexpress... If it's too good to be true then it probably is!

[@MysticOf1996]

@@ILoveTinfoilHatsThat’s so sad. Glad I don’t use em. Wild that this guy had to report em to get a reply. Just fcked

[@panagiotispappas1001]

The moment I saw that battery on the thumbnail I immediately knew!

[@TheSpotify95]

Yeah, I saw the battery in the thumbnail and remembered Hugh's video on the battery before! Something about rlsk of fire or burne!

[@thewubmachine840]

@@TheSpotify95 Just like the note 7

[@TheSpotify95]

@@thewubmachine840 the note 7 exploded because Samsung put in a battery that was too large. If they'd have replaced the original batteries with 3200mAh ones as seen in the Note FE then they'd have been alright (albeit with a smaller battery than the S7 Edge). I'd actually really like a Note FE (re-released note 7 with the 3.2Ah battery)

[@baoquoc3710]

the design flaw in the chassis at the time made the whole disaster. The battery had the anti exploding mechanism built-in so the only worse case scenario is swelling which is still better than battery obliterate the phone. The note 7 ones are design issue.

[@noob.guy.L19]

ayyyy greek here also

[@pearelectronics3083]

EBay has a feature were you can get ai to write your description, I don’t use it but that seller clearly did

[@TheSpotify95]

Yep, I saw that immediately. I've seen several listings pop up with these AI-powered descriptions, and tried once myself - before not being happy with it, and using the AI description to just write my own.

[@dieseldragon6756]

Artificial? Yes. Intelligence?... 🙃

[@enqquerthahhgut1842]

@@dieseldragon6756looks up its information it can’t think for itself that’s not possible yet

[@notNajimi]

Whyyy do websites keep pushing these features as if anyone is asking for them

[@dieseldragon6756]

@@notNajimi Because they make money. Or rather, making humans _dependent_ on AI *will* eventually make money... 💰 It starts off with AI _features,_ then _Co-piloting,_ then _AI is essential for everything,_ and finally arrives at _You can't function without our AI, so that'll be $49/month, please!_ 😉

[@PeterdaPanda]

A portable time bomb, if we ever saw one. 😂

[@joshm264]

Note 7: _allow me to introduce myself_

[@salguodrolyat2594]

With a totally random timer.🤣

[@dieseldragon6756]

It's definitely *UKCA¹* compliant, then! 🔋🇬🇧🔥✅😉 (¹ - UK: Combustibility Assured. 🇬🇧🔥✅)

[@f1ndGeo.]

As someone who used to do iphone housing conversions for fun, this is diabolical.

[@elsiehupp]

Some important context with eBay is that the platform has recently added generative AI features, and it has been aggressively encouraging sellers to use them. So that overly effusive item description was probably *literally* written by ChatGPT. I’m surprised there wasn’t a garish DALL•E image to go along with it. (And, yes, all this AI glurge makes eBay substantially more difficult to use as a shopper.)

[@dgwdgw]

That would explain the nonsensical, suspiciously similar descriptions I found recently when checking to see how overpriced secondhand Limited Edition models of Steam Deck OLED are (very). Only generative AI would crow about stereo speakers offering "3D audio"

[@jonessii]

lol so Ebay encourages sellers to scam buyers now

[@TheSpotify95]

@@dgwdgw I've seen AI based descriptions for various other items on eBay, too, including watches and other electronics. At least it looks better than the default app description though, which is basically just the title, the condition, and the shipping service selected.

[@elsiehupp]

@@TheSpotify95 I mean the better thing to do with, e.g., electronics would be to copy and paste the manufacturer’s description and spec sheet, because it would at least hopefully be accurate.

[@elsiehupp]

@@dgwdgw I remember waaaaaay back in the 90s when 3D games were first starting to become a thing, one innovation was to simulate audio sources in the 3D space for the purposes of attenuation (distance) and balance (direction). This is IIRC also called “3D audio”, and even with just stereo speakers it can create an impressive effect (due to the brain’s eagerness to interpret recordings as reality). Granted, this meaning of “3D audio” is probably lost on anyone under the age of, say, 35. (Also, to be fair, I wouldn’t feel surprised if the Steam Deck is generating more than stereo audio and just not doing anything with it unless the user attaches an external surround sound system. These features are built into the games and the hardware drivers, so there isn’t really much of a way to disable them entirely, and the Steam Deck really is just a PC under the hood.)

[@eksonnishere]

When I saw this battery with gold sticker I immediately knew everything will be messed up.

[@jaymueze]

Hello Hugh, I always enjoy watching your videos. Keep up the great work 👍🏻 Tanks to you I learned how to repair my own devices 😊

[@ararou]

This custom phone has me questioning so much... Why even sell it if you can't even do it correctly??

[@tydshiin5783]

Because most others are just as good or worse haha

[@panickedshears]

Money. That’s the only reason

[@ararou]

@@panickedshears pretty muchly.

[@PatrickBaptist]

I like buying broken stuff on ebay, but as long as I know about it before I buy it..... I buy non running cars and all sorts of stuff, I prefer broken stuff, I usually can fix it cheaper than buying something new.

[@tiramika]

to scam people. same reason you get so much fake shit on ebay these days.

[@TheSpotify95]

0:26 That isn't an over the top description, it is an AI-generated description. eBay allows you to fill in the item specifics and generate an AI description based off the item specifics. It uses over the top language and can be misleading if you haven't filled in the specifics correctly.

[@alext6933]

I think the person who tried to repair and then sold that phone should learn a lot before they attempt to do it again. If you do fail to repair a phone be honest in your listing at least.

[@mikaelbiilmann6826]

Yeah… this is borderline scamming… 😂

[@TtechA-ml2ju]

I'm 12, repair phones and I never forget screws😂😂😂

[@BiosElement]

Yeah no, it's just a scam. They knew full well what they did.

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

I once converted a Nokia to look so golden. Then the only person that was impressed was my mum. Now I see this on Mothers Day.

[@rockpie.iso.tar.bz2]

cool i guess

[@rottyonamac]

Scammy seller: selling sketchy phone Hugh: It's free content

[@McSynth]

I hope the seller some day gets the help he so clearly needs.

[@harryroesser2763]

The phone looked like it went through a dumpster fire and a meteor strike lol

[@niclikescakes]

I hope you gave him the most negative of feedback.

[@rontidyman6286]

Thank you for a great video. Classic Hugh Jeffreys! I really miss the weekly posts.😊

[@foxyfoxfilms]

Me too :(

[@BryanSteacy]

Based on the fact that the photos didn't have the phone as damaged leads me to believe that it had all its good/unbroken parts swapped out before it was sent to you.

[@ILoveTinfoilHats]

Or there were multiple of them

[@YigitCanAydinSS]

When I first started to watch you you were at 330K subs I love seeing how you have grew up.

[@Covid_42069]

Bro came back when we needed him the most

[@cartitechnology]

Thanks for this awareness video, I’m taking your advice to improve eBay sellers, fixing phones is the disadvantage idea because it can cause more damage if it’s not great enough of their skills.

[@ElGoogKO]

Repairing IS THE BORING OPTION. You shuld file fraud charges and criminal investigation against that seller for what he sent is clearly a fraud. And follow up on it. Now that is interesting to follow, not a lame refurb

[@tonystechrepairs]

Custom Dumpster Fire indeed...

[@rockpie.iso.tar.bz2]

no that's a landfill fire

[@dangrblx]

Did you ever get the phone unlocked?

[@generalidea2897]

Most people buying such a scam item on eBay simply lost their fifty dollars, but you got a topic for a KZbin video, and an opportunity to demonstrate your outstanding skills!

[@_Midori]

I once bought an iPad 9 256gb model for $50USD on Facebook marketplace as the lady who owned it, her hubby failed the DIY and when I bought it, they damaged the LCD and lost the Touch ID module so I replaced it, and kept it for months until I decided to sell it recently due to it still holding good value

[@musicviolamusician4392]

wait what laptop keyboard is that at 4:17 did you do a custom led keyboard for macbook?

[@yousseftunisia638]

I've never seen a battery like that in my life

[@avery581]

When he showed on the gold wrapper it was from a brand called “business batteries” I just had to laugh

[@jindrasmutny4181]

Impressive, I love to see that it’s fixed up now. By the way, did the seller really removed it from iCloud?

[@RamlyJer]

It looks like 15 years old me fixing my Nokia phone back in the day with limited tools and no experience. 😆

[@TRENX_]

I remember seeing a iPhone 6 styled replacement shell for the iPhone 5 / 5c. Would love to see a video on it

[@Wtrxprs007able]

I remember actually doing that to my iPhone 5 back in the day

[@joshuafischer2452]

I must say, I have DEFINITELY missed your older iPhone content!

[@GH3PC]

This is why you don’t buy iPhones with the description only being written with the AI writer tool and not describing the actual device itself

[@themac6356]

AI writer tool? Wait, is that the reason that so many damn eBay listings I’ve looked at have such weirdly worded descriptions that don’t actually describe the product being sold? That is just unbelievable. People really get so lazy that they can’t even be bothered to write out the description of their own product.

[@GH3PC]

@@themac6356 yeah, some people don’t know about iCloud locks and that so they just use the AI writer tool for the description

[@Kcii-99]

@@themac6356 yes, chinese people generally dont know english and have it auto translate through the AI writing prompt which makes it even worse english ontop

[@VedM]

@@themac6356yes, ebay can automatically write an Ai description for you. in the ebay listing settings it tries to recommend you to do it

[@sdjmchattie]

@@themac6356eBay encourages sellers to use the generated description. I do not with my listings. It reads like a school boy’s essay where all they were trying to do was hit the word count without putting any useful information in.

[@Sigmaturtlevibin]

The phone was so bad that this guy had to repair (replace) the whole phone💀

[@jaymueze]

What a scam. Thanks for showing it off. I personally also repair my phones myself, but I wouldn’t sell these devices further- I rather giving them away.

[@IMBlakeley]

Never buy or sell on eBay, there's too many scammers of both sorts.

[@MalcomHeavy]

I actually have a PRISTINE white iPhone 5c. My screen stopped working on my S22 a few months ago, so I had to temporarily switch to this phone, as it was the only working non carrier locked device I had. The 5c was purchased brand new in 2011, I believe. I bought it only 6 months before making the switch to Android, so it went back into its box. When I switched to it, I needed a new SIM from T-mobile, and when I went in, the employees were blown away by my 100% flawless 5c. One of the guys was legitimately excited to see it and wanted to play around on it for a little bit, so I let him. There seems to be a fair bit of nostalgia for these older devices. I would have kept using it if it wasn't straddling the edge of not being supported on the network anymore. The 4G LTE was slow at best, and there was ZERO app support for iOS 10. I couldn't even get Google Maps on it. I think I might jailbreak it and just have some fun with it as a second phone, but I also want to preserve it, as it's a beautiful little time capsule to my freshman year of high school. I hope to see you make more videos on these older devices. I think they deserve another lease on life, instead of ending up as more e-waste.

[@maxtornogood]

I appreciate that you 'typed' the message on what appears to be a Framework 16 laptop! 😄

[@Itsraminstech]

the fact that you could fix this is so cool

[@kenneth6102]

The lack of repairing skills is never a problem. everyone starts off on ground zero. The actual problem is the seller's shameless honesty. If he had listed the phone as spare parts with a detailed description of its conditions for a reasonable price, it would be a fair trade.

[@The-Cosmic-Hobo]

It's been a very long time since I tried buying 2nd hand iPhones on eBay. I had too many bad experiences, so it just wasn't worth the time and hassle. That was when I was just buying for myself and my wife. Now however, I've got kids wanting phones too... And I'm not buying them something new! (My oldest lost his first iPhone 3 times - and luckily each time honest people found it.) Seeing this example just deepens my concern for the 2nd hand market... Though I might check out your store, Hugh. :)

[@silverchairx]

Hugh I really liked your video in Cuba, if you get the chance I'd love to see you do more of those types of videos

[@iFringeHD]

The blood in the inside killed me 😂

[@jameswoll]

Touch up the outside with a metallic gold pen!

[@borghorsa1902]

I don't wanna come across as someone who's too patronizing, too judgmental or too snobbish but I grade people based on their ability to create simple tools in dire situations. I love disassembly of things, especially electronics. The Devil is in details - each "new" custom device is someone's point of view on technology, someone's skill and someone's mindset. That little replacement pin that author Hugh Jeffreys has created at 06:19 is exactly what I love to see in people. Cheers from New Jersey, USA! 😀

[@DarkwithPeace]

Man, a 5C. These were run to repair. The screen replacement was the easiest out of any iPhone thanks to the plastic body. It was such a cheap phone though a lot of people said they’d rather replace it. Thank you for the nostalgia

[@animeloveer97]

I really loved the 5C when I had one it was blue I miss it so much it was great as an iPod

[@moormoor4281]

Wow fantastic job fixed!

[@LadyDeath6666]

I hope you opened a case and got a refund. I know you can fix anything, but this person was just straight up scamming. Gives the rest of us good eBay sellers a rough time.

[@Boogie_the_cat]

On new Year's day a few years ago i found an iPhone with a broken bloody screen on the street, but that at least sort of made sense. I don't know why someone would work on the inside of a phone while bleeding.

[@circuit10]

Could you not cut yourself while working on it if you don’t know what you’re doing? Some of those parts must be sharp

[@walpoleandworcester]

It’s like a Frankenstein of a phone! Thankfully you brought this thing back to life.

[@half-qilin]

Some of the phones I’ve repaired are missing one screw on the display bracket, because I don’t want to risk tearing the relevant ribbon cables, and often the battery adhesive is just some double-sided tape after I replace the battery (makes it easier to replace in future, plus is cheaper). It can be jank, but it does its job. It’s not perfect, but it’s an amazing repair job in comparison to this hot mess. And if I’m gonna sell something, I’m gonna do it right

[@CarTimeeeee]

This guy can fix anything 🔥🔥

[@PeaceLoveUnityRespect]

Seriously you're like genius level at this stuff

[@donnysmokes4641]

How someone can do this bad of a job is honestly impressive. I managed to make my iPhone 15’s back transparent without breaking anything.

[@giomjava]

4:17 is that Framework 16 Laptop??? ❤❤❤

[@TheSpotify95]

yes it is, he showcased it in another video I might get a framework 13 or 16 if I need a new laptop in the future

[@monad_tcp]

2:06 are you going to try to repair it using pasta, I'm kidding

[@Team974]

Wish I could find a white screen for my white 5c

[@charliecharliewhiskey9403]

I don't know what an Effrey is, but I'm glad to hear that yours are indeed huge.

[@TheM0nkeyBomb]

The seller must have had a stroke after being roasted by Jeffrey, LOL

[@JakeEliteYT]

What laptop is that at 4:20? 👀

[@HughJeffreys]

Framework 16: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIOTeWivgL6Zo8k

[@MIR-OMER-ALI]

*I immediately came here after seeing the dankpods reference*

[@ilanmagen]

Where do you find all ebay Schiester ?

[@DeoVenator]

should return it fully repaired and tell them 'i fixed it for you'

[@KTBLGaming]

The iPhone 5c is basically e-waste these days

[@06howea1]

Unless you want a dumb phone because it can’t run any modern apps

[@zch11109]

The how did the seller chip the back of it?

[@dumb_shakal]

Oooh, the iPhone 5c, I clearly see from thumbnail due to countless hours of pain to getting fully working one (and still no luck) in my country.

[@JankPods0201]

A repair that I had made on my iPhone 4S was bad, But not as bad as that 5C!

[@scrook1027]

Good job. As always, entertaining.

[@ColinsCity]

The seller should have sold this as parts/not working especially knowing what was going on inside it after the botched customisation. I love the colour though, it would be cool to see this colour for the X or XS

[@ranjnijan3446]

Still a better job than Apples Genius Bar.

[@_BangDroid_]

Calling these idiots geniuses is just one example of how deceptive Apple is

[@odysseasgkikas4816]

lol

[@JenGM24]

Best video I've seen in days😂

[@Synth_Dragon]

What do you think has a higher explosion rate on the job? Bootleg electronic manufacturing? or Meth lab?

[@fatblokes_ferguson]

The only second hand phones I buy are from family or brand new phones from network companies

[@StoneyBill]

When I first got a iPhone 3g I case swapped it to white, then another to red and it went well, then a few years later I got a 5c that I case swapped to black that went similar to this, never worked properly so I gave up trying, I still have them all and fixed the 5c last year very similar to this, I now use a SE 3rd so I can still replace the screen when I crack it

[@Peugeot308_2.0hdi]

I ve been repairing an ip 6 plus that got the same special Housing, it was the same disaster with loose screws or missing, battery was glued in with an bad double side tape and also an broken mute switch cable.

[@outseeker]

did they avoid explaining why the shoddy parts, missing parts, extra floating screws, damage, etc. or you just didn't really press them on that?

[@alexander1989x]

Bro, this phone should've been free.

[@AdilsonPerez-m8d]

Hello I had a question is it possible to upgrade the storage on m2 iPad Pro 2022 model

[@shawnm8232]

What glue does he use ? Also his store site is not working.

[@DJDa9L]

Im not through the video yet, but i get the feeling that this is one of the cases where it would have been easier to state what wasn't wrong

[@rudolf2000]

hugh i have a iphone se in a 5c housing do you want it?

[@mr.number9279]

So... did you return it when you fixed it up?

[@THAT1ZELDAFAN]

I've replaced the charging port from an old iPhone, and it works great, however I followed an iFixit guide, as well as videos like this from Hugh so as to not damage or break anything. The same can't be said for my Nokia 9 Pureview, which I cracked the back glass of, and am struggling to find a replacement that's the same thickness that still have the Nokia logo on the back. However I still followed guides and tear downs to minimise damage. The Nokia is now in need of its second replacement battery (as the first swelled, forcing me to put the original back in as it was in better shape), new back glass, a new wireless charging coil, and USB C port. In total, depending on the cost of parts, it will set me back approximately AU$200, which is still cheaper than a new Nokia, and taking it to a repair shop. The hard part is sourcing that back glass, as OEM ones lack the Nokia branding, and 9 Pureview parts phones aren't easy to find from my hunting. Still, repairing a phone can be done, as long as you're patient, careful, and use as many guides as you can to make sure you're doing the right thing

[@Columbus1492]

My 2020 iphone se always bootloops for 10 minutes after plugging in if I let it go completely dead

[@moormoor4281]

Sorry for your loss rip Gold phone

[@Cineenvenordquist]

Fuss fuss, adventures in off-service Apple. Did the lock get reset ok? What iOS or other OS did you end up running on it?

[@Djoki1]

This is like that one car that the owner has been DIY fixing for the past 15 years in order to save cash.

[@bladecap]

hi there hugh can i please know what kind of double layer tape u use for phones that orange tape in every vid which is double sided pls ❤

[@stratman103]

There's a special place in hell for the guy that sold this to you.

[@maxkrone6239]

I had my phone professionally repaired with a new screen, it looked like this in the inside when I had to repair it a year later. Watching this video brought back that anger.

[@aproapegata]

Please, I need to change the home button on my ipod 7. How can I send it?

[@PatrickBaptist]

@1:35 Well I agree you got screwed but really you don't know for sure how long it had been on ebay for sell, sometimes I hold stuff 3+ years before it gets sold on there. Seller COULD have tested it but years ago. But I believe the seller knew they were selling junk. Hope you sent the seller a link to this video, I've bought crap and talked about it on YT and sent the seller a link, closest thing I could do to complain to their face about it lol.

[@nchia]

Was the activation lock removed?

[@aidenMCE]

Did you keep the phone?

[@MandoMonge]

Unfortunately these are the people giving “right to repair” a bad rep. Hugh is among the few I know who do things properly

[@LeahDykema]

I may have screwed up my sister’s old iPhone 6s that’s now mine slightly with perhaps wrong screws and losing one, but I’m speechless about this. (And my sister’s 6s will stay with me forever, I hope to someday try again and replace the battery again and get the screws in correctly).

[@WolfmanDude]

This thing is the definition of "cheap bling"