Buying 2nd hand mobile phone

Am thinking of buying a used mobile phone when I am in Bangkok next month. I was told by my thai friend that it makes sense to purchase a thai sim card to make calls in Thailand than to use my roaming mobile as it will be much cheaper. I need to know if the instructions to use the phone as well as loading of the phone card will be in thai language?
Anyone can suggest where I can get a used phone at reasonable price in Bangkok......everyone tells me to go to MBK. Problem is I think I will be charged much more if I don't speak Thai.

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[Dick]

Why not buy a cheap phone on ebay before you go... might even get one already unlocked. If you're in Europe an ordinary dual band will do. If you're in the US then you'll presumably need a tri-band as will also work in Europe/Asia. If not unlocked, plenty of stalls at MBK will do it for you for say 200B. You'll get a charger you can also use back home, (socket converters are cheap enough but you probably already have one) and maybe an instruction book in your native tonge. You phone won't have Thai text to confuse you, and you'll be able to put any sim card in it back home too for use as a backup phone. You can pick up a DTAC (I'm told no other has better coverage in Thailand) sim card for around 300B which includes a 50B credit, at any 7/11 or again at MBK. Most of the instructions on the sim/top up are in Thai but if I recall, there is enough English to get you started, and when you call the network to register you get a listen in English option. But many Thai boys about to help you in Bangkok. Once registered they have various 'deal' options... the one I selected last month was 5B/min for 1st minute, 0.25B/min thereafter. There are time limits on Thai sim card top ups. You need to top up by 200B to get another month's validity on your sim card.

[Sen Yai]

Rustee, many of the second phones in MBK have a guide price marked as 2,xxx baht, for example. Expect to pay closer to 2,000 rather than 2,999 in this case.

If you are just buying a cheap second phone for local calls, why worry about instructions? Just slip the sim card in the slot under the battery and dial numbers! There probably won't be any instruction book with a cheap second hand phone, but the sales staff will show you how to use it. The 'operating sytem' will have an English language option.

[Geezer]

Expect to pay closer to 2,000 rather than 2,999 in this case.

That has been my experience when buying a used Nokia at TucCom in Pattaya -- 2,000 bt. NokiaтАЩs ownerтАЩs manuals may be viewed online at their website.

[TrongpaiExpat]

Most of the phones, used and new, in the show cases on the forth floor at MBK have price tags, so there is no Farang surcharge. The prices are pretty standard from stall to stall. Some display that we love farang and speak English sign.

All the boys I know have been telling me that DTEC is better than Orange but I do not know hoe they are coming to this conclusion as all of them have Orange.

The Thai love affair with the latest phone with all the fancy extras keep the basic phones in good supply as many trade up every 6 months or so.

Thanks guys for all the advice. Infact, I do have a extra phone which I bought in KL, Malaysia sometime ago. Would the sim card in Thailand be compatible to it? Or maybe I just purchase one in Bangkok to solve all my solutions.

Rustee - if your present phone works in Thailand on roam you should be able to have it unlocked (Your cell provider will do this if you explain your need - if not go for the 200B route at MBK) then get a Thai SIM and just swap sims when you get to BKK :>...

If want a new phone go on eBay and get yourself a Black Razr($200).... They are Tahi Boy magnets!!!!... Just sit that on and bar table next to you and they will line up to see your equipment...

My third hand phone cost only 1000 baht at TucCom. The guy at the counter set me up with sim card, amybe 300 baht and i was good to go. whenever i bought more minutes, I'd ask the seller to plug it into my phone.

when i went to indonesia, no one knew how tounlock the phome so i wen t without a fone in bali.

next trip to the LOS, went back to TucCom to buy new sim, and she was able to do it in about a minute. she asked if i wouldn't mind giving her my old sim as it had some value to her,but none to me as far as i could figure, so i gave it to her.

note the 1000 baht fone is very low end and someone either spilt coffee or had a good wank over the 3, 6, and 9. but it's buglary proof as no thai barboy would be caught dead using my outdated model.

Astro, I'm just curious (and nosy): Why did you go back to Tukcom to buy a new SIM?

She asked if i wouldn't mind giving her my old sim as it had some value to her, but none to me as far as i could figure, so i gave it to her.

I've seen them at stalls at street markets. Some people collect them like baseball cards. I suppose they, some, anyway: Hard to find, discontinued, increase in value.