$250 + taxes = $270 + $200 + $30 activation + early termination fee = $500 vs $550 for Ebay. So you save $50 for a phone that you have to unlock yourself (good luck!) and you have to fight tooth and nail with cell phone to try to weasel yourself out of a contract (might take an hour or two worrying) The Tmobile phone is not unlocked. I bought the original NEXUS ONE phone from Tmobile subsidized, it was locked. There were unlocked versions available at $550 at the time. That wouldn't make sense of Tmobile selling a Nexus 4 phone subsidized with contract, locked.
1)
It is unlocked. More than one person has already purchased directly from T-Mobile and put SIMs from AT&T (and other MVNOs) in it w/o issue. Here's a picture from Peter Alfonso, well-known Android enthusiast (and T-Mobile employee):
Photo by peteralfonso • Instagram that good enough for you? Not to mention the countless posts even on this very forum proving this.
2) You dont have to weasel out of anything. Call and explain you want to cancel and pay the ETF. They'll cancel and send you a bill. Done.
The ebay way takes 1 minute to get you your phone. The tmobile way, which you save maybe $50 on average gives you headaches and worries over what is being charged or when are you getting money back.
1 minute? How about the fact that the eBay seller doesn't even have the device yet. They still have to wait to get it from Google, then package it up again and send to you. More like a week. And, as you note, its more expensive.
Or just wait a month for the unlocked.
Yes, you can wait, but if you
don't want to wait, you can do this. Some people have more money than patience. That's their choice.
There's a reason why this phone is extra special because of the low unlocked price. This is part of Google's long term strategy to move people off the cellular grid and on to the data one. You're the one not getting what I'm saying, focused on teeny tiny dollars. By all means, keep driving an extra 20 miles so you can save $5.
Who cares what Google wants you to do?
But remember,
he's not staying with the contract. He's taking the phone unlocked and using it with a carrier of his choice. Exactly what Google is trying to have people do...