Android Wear 2.0 is here, and that means a lot of early adopters will be selling their perfectly fine watches to help fund a new one. Plenty of them will also be updated to Android Wear 2.0, so this is a good chance to score a new-to-you piece of Android for your wrist!
The trick is knowing where to look. I was poking around and saw random listings from pawn shops and local online classifieds from LA and New York and was definitely not impressed. Prices almost as high as brand new watches of the same model (a couple even higher!) and a few that look like they have been through a war.
Skip the pawn shops and check this out.
Swappa
Swappa is the Mecca of all things used and mobile, and that includes watches.
You'll have a higher chance of finding exactly what you want because Swappa is the first place enthusiasts go when selling their gear as well as buying it. And the company individually screens every listing and offers buyer and seller protection programs. You can even get accident protection insurance through Swappa.
Swappa should be the first place you look if you're wanting to buy a used Android Wear watch.
eBay
There are about a gazillion things for sale on eBay at any given moment. Including plenty of Android Wear watches!
Because eBay is an auction site, there's a chance you'll be able to find a really good deal. They have a full-featured Android app so you can keep track of your bids or try to snipe a watch right at the last minute, and eBay has a dedicated team to handle any disputes should you not get what you paid for or it's not in the condition advertised.
Things can be a little tough to find on eBay when you're looking for a specific product, but that can be an advantage, too. If it's hard for you to find it's hard for everyone else to find. That can keep bids low.
Android Central's forums
We have a dedicated forum for buying and selling, and there's a good chance a member or two will be buying a new LG watch Sport because it ticks all their boxes and they're also one of those early adopters we mentioned earlier.
Please note that we have pretty strict rules about what can be sold and how things can be listed, but we're not a broker or anything of the sort. Use the search functions to check out other sales a person may have been involved in and use a payment method that has your back.
Visit the Android Central forums
Craigslist (and Kijiji)
Craigslist and Kijiji reach millions of people, including people in your area.
There are a lot of great deals to be found in these two classified giants. No matter where you live in the US or Canada, you have a local section in one or the other (and if you're from any big city in Canada, both). It's easy to sell almost anything through these companies, so a lot of people do it. But there's a reason they are at the bottom of our list — they don't have any type of buyer protections in place. You're on your own, basically.
When buying from a local online seller, make sure you never send any money in advance and meet in person, in the daytime, in public. Bring a friend.
Very few people are on Craigslist or Kijiji to rip you off and you'll hear lots of people happy with the phones or other electronics they got through them. But be smart.
Pro-tip: Be sure to check all the sections a smartwatch may end up in — jewelry, phones, miscellaneous and anything else you can think of. Something in the "wrong" section may have been sitting there a while and you can grab it even cheaper.
