My way to buy a cell phone.

-Ask your friends or neighbors what provider they use. Make sure you ask people that use their phone around where you are going to be using the phone the most. Maybe around your school or home? Dont matter how cheap a phone is, if you dont have reception, it isnt worth jack.

-Research the company. See if their customer service is any good. See if anybody else has feedback on the company.

-Find out what particular features you want on your phone. Go online and see what phones are offered with the company. Different companies use different satellites (CDMA, GSM, TDMA....).

-Depending on what company you go with, you can start visiting local places. Small phone shops can sometimes offer prices that going into a huge store cant, and vice versa. So it would be good to shop around. Make a list of questions that you might have.