A guide on where and how to buy one

It's no secret -- breaking or losing an iPhone is a real bummer. They've become cultural icons in their own right, but also might be your third hand.

And not having Apple Care or a budget to fix a broken iPhone -- or worse, replace a lost or stolen one -- makes the situation worse. Especially with a new iPhone XR costing $749 or an XS at $999, which aren't the most affordable handsets.

But fear not, there are a few options that won't break the bank for replacing a broken iPhone with a used or refurbished model.

Used vs. refurbished

Whatever your reason for needing a new one, you may wonder what's the 

difference between used and refurbished.

A used iPhone is essentially being sold as is, with a restored software experience. It generally falls on the seller to provide images of the device, so you can see if it has any scratches or cosmetic issues. The listing should also say if there's a feature that doesn't work, like a cracked screen or foggy front facing camera.

A refurbished iPhone has gone through diagnostic tests to make sure it meets the standards for sellable condition. In some cases, these might be returned iPhones or ones that were broken and have been repaired. An additional factory-refurbished warranty might be included, depending on where you get it.

Whether you go for "used" or "refurbished," you need to be sure you know what you're getting. If you plan on purchasing from Decluttr, Gazelle, certain eBay sellers, a wireless carrier or even Apple, this is less of a concern. These select eBay users would be wireless carriers and big box electronic retailers, like Verizon, which operate stores on the site. Buying from a true third-party seller, like an individual on eBay or Swappa, will require some due diligence.

Know what you're getting

Results will undoubtedly vary with used iPhones on eBay, but you can increase your chances of a positive experience by performing a few checks. On any bidding site, you'll want to steer away from listings that use promo photos. With these, you have no idea what the actual phone you're bidding on will look like. The seller will still likely list a condition, but you have to be a bit wary of these. It's worth a shot to ping the seller and ask for a photo, but looking for alternatives is an equally wise move.

As important as seeing the device is knowing the network bands. There are many iPhone models under each generation (6, 6s, 7, 8) and you'll want to make sure a particular phone will work on your network. Most sellers will list this and make it clear in the title, and when searching on eBay typing, for example, "iPhone 7 AT&T" should bring up the right results. Some iPhones might be listed as CDMA or GSM only, and these are just fancy terms for the type of antenna bands inside. In the United States, AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM while Verizon and Sprint use CDMA. It's how your phone talks and uses the network. The third option is Unlocked, and these iPhones will work just fine across all the major US networks.