There are quite a few places these days where you can purchase an iPhone 3G online. Unfortunately, not all these sites are created equal. There are many important differences between them, including key issues such as different iPhone prices, the availability to complete the purchase of your Apple iPhone 3G online, the possibility to choose from a wide variety of models and more. Let's get into these issues one by one.

If you're still wondering where can I purchase an iPhone online, you need to know there are four "official" places you can turn to in your search for your new iPhone 3g, and a few "unofficial" places too. The four official sites are: the Apple store, AT&T, Walmart and BestBuy. The most important unofficial ones include sites like eBay and a number of classified sites. As mentioned above, these places differ quite a bit on many subjects, but their iPhone offers and selling conditions are sometimes surprisingly similar.

Let's analyze the first two places you're likely to be drawn to when shopping for an Apple iPhone 3G: Apple and AT&T. Well, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that the conditions offered by both of them are almost the same. They both offer exclusively a black 8GB model, and white or black 16GB models. Prices for these iPhone 3G models are $199 and $299, respectively. They both let you complete the transaction online. However, AT&T only lets you purchase one iPhone per household. Also, both Apple and AT&T ( obviously ) ask you to sign a contract with AT&T as your sole cellular phone service provider for 2 whole years ( the price of this plan is $30/month, by the way ). As you can imagine, this is indeed one of the most common iPhone complaints right now.

As regards Walmart and Best Buy, neither one of them offers iPhone customers the chance to complete the purchase online. You need to go down to a local retail store in order to get your new iPhone 3g. The models and prices offered by these two stores are the same as AT&T's and Apple's ( oh no, sorry, Walmart offers a $2 discount on both models; yes, you read right : 2 whole dollars ! ). You can find some refurbished iPhones a little cheaper though, but nothing really significant in my opinion. Of course, you will still need to sign the same 2-year exclusive contract with AT&T.

As you can see, there is nothing really new here for those wondering where can I purchase an iPhone online at the best price? 

Now, people who understand this fact are sometimes tempted to search a number of online classifieds ( namely, Craigslist ) for the cheapest iPhone deal. Very often, unfortunately, this turns out to be a mistake. These sites still constitute pretty unsafe buying environments. You can find some good iPhone deals, but you can also come across many scams. The possibility to check both the product and the seller's reputation is pretty much nonexistent. Also, if something does go wrong, there is pretty much no one to turn to for assistance. If you still want to purchase an iPhone here, do so at your own risk. Wish you the best of luck.

Finally, there IS one place online you can go to if you want to buy an iPhone online safely, find all the models you've ever dreamed of and get a great deal, too: eBay.com. Of course, there are still quite a few important details you definitely SHOULD know if you want to successfully purchase an iPhone at this site at the best price and with 0 risk. However, I'm afraid getting into that here would be going a little far for this short article.

Well, that's it. As someone who also used to ask where can I purchase an iPhone online ?, I believe now you have a pretty good insight on the situation. The best of luck to you and I hope you too soon become the owner of a new iPhone 3G.