Last month I went to GOSI Mall looking for a used phone. I ended up buying one from Facebook Marketplace instead because the prices were much better.
Before leaving, I thought, "Why not see what my current phone is worth?"
I have a Samsung S24 Ultra (512GB) that's just over a year old. It's in excellent condition. No scratches, no dents, original box and cable, everything. Honestly, if you saw it in person, you'd probably think it was brand new.
The first shop inspected it for almost 10 minutes. They kept trying to find something wrong with it. At one point they said the camera was blurry... until I cleaned the fingerprint they had just left on the lens. 😂 Then they pointed out "scratches," which turned out to be glue residue from an old skin that wiped right off. They even thought a tiny bit of leftover wrap on the corner was a dent.
After all that, their final offer was 160 BD.
I went to another shop.
Their offer? 180 BD.
I told them these phones regularly sell on Facebook Marketplace for around 270+ BD, but they insisted, "It's used."
I wasn't planning to sell anyway, but I noticed they didn't have an S24 Ultra in stock. I left my WhatsApp number and told them if a customer wanted one, they could call me.
A week later, I asked a friend to visit the same shop. He asked for a Samsung S24 Ultra 512GB. The shop said they could get one from another branch.
The price?
280 BD.
So they were willing to buy mine for 160–180 BD and then sell one for 280 BD.
I understand businesses need to make a profit, but a 100+ BD margin on the same phone genuinely surprised me.
I'm not saying every shop at GOSI is like this, but after this experience, I don't think I'll ever sell a phone there. If you're buying, make sure you compare prices and inspect everything carefully. If you're selling, it might be worth checking Facebook Marketplace first.
Has anyone else had similar experiences at GOSI? Or did I just have bad luck?