Even if you buy it from Amazon, focus on the third party seller that shows there on the right side next to “sold by”. There are multiple sellers in Amazon’s “renewed” store which are scammers, others are good.

I prefer buying my refurb iPhones from backmarket.com. I’ve had a bit better luck there, but with refurbs it’s always a coin flip.

I think you could find a refurbished iPhone 12 for a little bit more

The word “refurbished” is used way too often, when in fact it’s just a trade in that has at most been cleaned and boxed ready to go. The battery is usually in need of replacement within a short period of time.

If you live in the USA, you can get a brand new iPhone 11 from straight talk for $199, buy one month of service for $45, let the month expire without renewing, and after 61 days from activation it will be unlocked and available to use in any carrier.

In australia, you can get a brand new iphone 11 for 310 usd (479 aud)

Eh, I don’t know. I bought a iPhone 11 last may for that much. Though that one was in grade C