

Curious about what time you were referring to when Democrats were better. I suppose they were OK during Obama (ACA was a corporate-friendly solution, there was a huge wealth transfer from the government to financial institutions and corporations, there were tons of drone strikes, and anti-immigration ramped up though). During Clinton they cut social programs significantly, and implemented the draconian three-strikes law.
I used Swappa to buy my last phone. Not certified, but much cheaper. The condition of phones is “graded,” and the sellers have an incentive to keep their reputation on the platform high. I had good luck, the one time I used it, at least.