how to tell if my iphone 5 is refurbised

what makes you think its refurbished?

You took a gamble buying a gray market phone. If you suspect it is not as advertised, then return it and get your money back.

If it was refurbished by Apple, there is no physical difference between a new and a refurbished iPhone.

A refurbished iPhone 5 will have been factory rebuilt

with all new outer covers and new battery

It will have been hand tested and many believe

maximum reliability from a refurbished iPhone

If that is what you have ,there is nothing to worry about

This is definitely a replacement straight from Apple. And you still have your hardware warranty till November with the opportunity to purchase an extended warranty. You actually made an excellent choie with purchasing this. Most phones purchased online are out of warranty.

Is that speaking as an Apple employee ?

I am not providing any information or accessing any information with the use of Apple. I simply called 1800 my apple and provided the serial number and asked about the warranty. That is not against employee policy as i am an apple customer too.

basically

There is no way to tell. It may be refurbished or it may be new stock. And as long as it looks new and works like new, does it really matter?

Warranty expiration can be looked up on line; no problem there. Claiming to know that an iPhone is new stock rather than refurbished is a different matter. And you replied to the wrong person, FYI; Tim said nothing about you being employed by Apple.

anybody with common sense knows if a device is a replacement it is refurb. Thats common knowledge to all cellphone users whether their apple or not. i couldnt tell who made the comment but you still got the response either way right? And if you read what she wrote she simply said it was replacement......

AND I QUOTE "The listing said brand new iphone5 and that it was an insurance replacement from apple but iit has come in a plain white box"

All insurance replacements are refurb regardless

Most replacements are refurbs, yes, but in some cases, particularly early in a product's release, Apple has used new stock. That is not "common sense", it's fact.

And I wasn't the one to whom you should have replied either since I was neither requesting nor expecting a reply. Please be more careful to whom you're replying as misplaced replies can cause confusion and in some cases anger. This is something you should know if you are who you've claimed to be.