Never ignore gut feelings!
I should have trusted my gut when I received my "NEW" SGN (N7000) -- a purchase I made on Amazon from a seller named "Goodios" -- when it arrived in a box with a broken factory seal. There was a sticker over the original seal but upon closer inspection it was obvious that the original factory seal had been broken. Unfortunately for me, due to the seller's high feedback rating I unconsciously began making excuses for them from the get go. I assumed they opened the box merely to add an aftermarket US power adapter despite common sense screaming out the fact that there would have been no practical reason to do such a thing. Any additional accessories could have simply been dropped into the shipping box -- there was after all plenty of room.
The last and biggest clue which would finally convince me that this was in fact NOT a new unit as described by the seller was the missing sticker that should have been covering the screw at the top left corner of the battery well. Removal of this sticker voids the factory warranty, and the fact that it was missing on mine told me that my unit was likely refurbished.
Unfortunately again for me I didn't figure out that last clue until after the 30-day window in which I could have returned the phone. I'm kicking myself now because that's something I would have otherwise thought to check had my suspicions not be quelled by the seller's feedback rating. A high positive feedback ratio often signifies an honorable seller, but it can also signify a crooked seller with ignorant customers like me. Another expensive lesson learned (sigh).
