Buying a console in Cairo: what to check before you hand over cash
Published 30 Aug 2026
Meet in person, see the console powered on before paying, check the serial matches the listing, and get the condition in writing. Cash on collection protects you in a market with no reliable buyer protection.
Before you travel
- Ask for the serial number and photographs of the actual unit, not stock images
- Ask what is included: dock, controllers, cables, adapter
- Ask directly whether it has been opened or repaired
At the handover
- Power it on and let it run — a fault under load will not show in thirty seconds
- Check the screen on a full-white and a full-black image
- Try every port and both controllers
- Confirm the serial on the console matches the one you were sent
If a seller will not let you power the console on before paying, that is the answer to your question.