I’ve been shopping on Amazon for years now, but I never thought to look my cell phone up on Amazon before purchasing from my provider. Honestly, I didn’t know I had the option.

So when I heard Amazon Wireless–the division of Amazon that sells cell phones and service from  Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T Mobile–had great prices, I checked it out.

For all phone models I checked, Amazon was cheaper for all of them. Much cheaper!

Here are comparison prices as of October 6, 2010, for a few popular models of cell phone:

Samsung Captivate Android Phone (AT&T)

• AT&T Price: $199.99
• Amazon Price: $59.99

HTC DROID INCREDIBLE Android Phone (Verizon Wireless)

• Verizon Wireless Price: $199.99
• Amazon Price: $49.99

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Phone (AT&T)

• AT&T Price: $199.99
• Amazon Price: $89.99

Samsung Vibrant Android Phone (T-Mobile)

• T-Mobile Price: $199.99
• Amazon Price: $99.99

HTC EVO 4G Android Phone (Sprint)

• Sprint Price: $199.99
• Amazon Price: $99.99

For every phone for which I compared prices, Amazon had a much cheaper price.

Keep in mind that these prices were accurate at the time this article was written–however, they are likely to change as new cell phones are released. These pricing examples are simply to make the point that Amazon has some excellent deals on numerous cell phone models when compared to the prices you’d get when ordering direct.

Amazon even allows you to quickly and easily check to see if you’re eligible for an upgraded phone under your current service.