How can I check if the iPhone I'm purchasing is new?

Well, the iPhone 14 Pro has been discontinued for over a year, so the chances of it being new are quite slim. If it is new and has been left unused and uncharged, there may be permanent battery damage.

Go to www.apple.com and click on iPhone. You'll see all the current models Apple sells. If you are looking at any other model and it's not sold by Apple, it has been discontinued.

Honestly, we see people here every day who thought they were getting a good deal on a supposedly "new" iPhone, which wasn't and not a good deal. If a phone has been discontinued for a at least year as the 14 Pro has been and it's been sitting on a shelf somewhere, it's one year warranty will already have been spent, meaning you'd get a "new" phone with no warranty. Ask yourself, if the savings and uncertainty is worth it?

ONLY buy an iPhone from a trusted resource. That means Apple or Carriers directly. That way you'll be getting a truly new iPhone, which a full one year warranty. DO NOT buy an iPhone from someone you don't know, nor can you inspect the in person to validate it's not used, damaged or Activation Locked, which so many are and are utterly useless bricks.

Read this too --> The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying … - Apple Community

lobsterghost1 wrote:

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ONLY buy an iPhone from a trusted resource. That means Apple or Carriers directly. That way you'll be getting a truly new iPhone, which a full one year warranty. DO NOT buy an iPhone from someone you don't know, nor can you inspect the in person to validate it's not used, damaged or Activation Locked, which so many are and are utterly useless bricks.

Yep.

Or they sell you a working and unlocked device, then report it stolen and they collect a replacement, and you get a brick. 🧱

Or they sell you a working device tied to a carrier (variously a carrier in another country), and you get to pay the remainder of their contract. At best. Or you get a brick. 🧱

Or they sell you an activation-locked device, and you get a brick. 🧱

Or they sell you a stolen device, it gets blacklisted, and you get a brick. 🧱

Etc.

The forums are filled with failed sales and expensive bricks 🧱🧱🧱

"Apple still sell their older superseded models at the same price as when they were released"

No, they don't. They either discontinued them, which means Apple does not sell them at all any more, or they reduced the price and kept it in the lineup, which you can see at Apple.com

I highly advise against buying a used iPhone from anyone other than a close relative or friend you trust.

You're likely to get ripped off and end up with a phone you can't use at all.

Either buy directly from Apple or from an authorized retailer or carrier.

You're welcome. As a pensioner, can you afford to make a buying mistake (whether you use PayPal or not, still doesn't mean you won't get scammed or have a difficult situation on your hands). It's your money and you spend it as you please. All we can do is try to give you enough reason NOT to buy from places like eBay, Offer Up, Facebook, etc. I don't know the Australian market at all. But don't carriers in Australia offer subsidized deals for new iPhones? Here in the US, they certainly do and it's a great way to get a new phone, with minimal cost to you. I'd encourage you to at least check with your carrier to see what kind of deals they may be offering.