What are the dangers of buying Verizon Galaxy Note 2 from eBay or Craigslist?

[MissyHaney]

What are the dangers of buying Verizon Galaxy Note 2 from eBay or Craigslist?

I have a friend who wants one free and clear with no contract. He asked a Verizon corporate store employee. According to him, even if the phone can be activated(i.e. good IMEI with no issues), it's no guarantee that a couple of months down the road the phone won't be disabled due to other issues. For example, the previous owner not paying his bill or a delayed reporting of stolen/lost devices. Is this even possible?

 

[VDub2174]

I personally never had any issues with getting a phone on eBay. Before your friend buys, they can always ask the seller if the phone is currently tied to an account or not. It would be in your friends best interest if the phone wasn't.

 

[Umass021]

My current phone now is from eBay. The only downfall is no year warranty if something goes wrong. So far I have had no issues and the galaxy nexus I bought and it was a certified pre owned device. Good luck.

Sent from my A500 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[DINGSTER1]

I buy all my phones from Gazelle's eBay store. Never had a problem

 

[MissyHaney]

I buy all my phones from Gazelle's eBay store. Never had a problem

I don't think large companies that sell on eBay can be put into the same category of sellers
who sell maybe 100 phones a months.

Gazelle is a reputable company and I seriously doubt they'll ruin their reputation knowingly.
(even if somehow a phone gets into the bad ESN problem, I'm sure Gazelle will take care
of the customer) I've sold phones and other stuff to Gazelle at least 30 times and never
had a problem. They always paid fast and treated me well.

 

[jimbl]

Bought my last 2 phones off eBay. Both times I got the ESN and verified it was good. If the pictures are real good you can usually validate the "condition" they claim. I've always dealt with sellers that have at least hundreds of feedback and about 99% or better positive rating. Usually if you put all that together you're good to go.

 

[ShaggyKids]

Bought my last 2 phones off eBay. Both times I got the ESN and verified it was good. If the pictures are real good you can usually validate the "condition" they claim. I've always dealt with sellers that have at least hundreds of feedback and about 99% or better positive rating. Usually if you put all that together you're good to go.

I just bought a Note 2 off eBay following the same precautions that the previous poster stated. The phone was in even better condition than the seller described it and I am very happy with it so far.


Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mhans311]

This is my first post from my new note 2 that I bought off craigslist. I buy almost all my phones from Craigslist. That way I can see the phone and make sure it works. If you meet the person at a verizon store all the better as you can can just activate it right there. You can also get an idea by meeting the seller if they are trustworthy or not. Like Umass021 said the biggest downfall is no warranty. But that is worth keeping unlimited data for me.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4

 

[bryanus]

I buy all my phones from Gazelle's eBay store. Never had a problem

I purchased two iphone 5's from Gazelle last December 2013, for a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law and one for my wife.

A few days ago, my mother-in-law contacted me to tell me the phone was no longer receiving service.

After trying everything I could find about fixing it, I finally contacted T-Mobile, and discovered that the phone's IMEI has just been blocked due to non-payment by the original owner(!)

Just to clarify, this phone has been in daily use since Xmas Day 2013!

The T-Mobile rep told me that the original owner had been making payments all this time, but recently closed their account, and were sent a final bill. The bill was 10 days past due and at that time T-Mobile automatically blacklists the IMEI.

I bought these phones specifically from gazelle and paid more for them as a result, as I believed they were essentially guaranteed against this sort of thing.

I even contacted them before my purchase asking them if their phones were checked:

"Thank you for your interest! We do test all items to confirm availability for activation by you upon receipt. Unless otherwise noted in the listing, this item has been tested and is clear."

It turns out, this doesn't mean the device will remain that way after you receive it.

I contacted their support yesterday and was told that the unit is outside of their 30-day return window, so too bad.

Uh, what??

As far as I'm concerned, they didn't actually sell me anything. They sold a device that still had a lien against it, and now that it is blacklisted, I basically paid $400+ to rent it for the past 10 months. Technically, this iPhone is still the property of T-Mobile...

I've since opened a complaint with the BBB and am hopeful they will come to a resolution on this issue.

Moral of the story is: Don't think that just because you're buying from a bigger operation, that your phone is free and clear and ownership has been legally transferred to YOU.

As a matter of fact, you can even read Swappa's TOS and you will find a very loose policy on blacklisted IMEI/ESN's. They basically say you're only recourse is PayPal's 45-day dispute window.

Buying from these sites is really not any different than craigslist or a random seller on eBay.

The only way to really guarantee your device is free and clear is to buy a new one.

 

[Beth Kuykendall]

No danger as long as you meet the person at a Verizon store, take YOUR IMEI card out and put it into the new phone....and then verify that it works fine.

If you do NOT have an IMEI, then possibly you are in danger of having theirs not be clear....but get the help of the Verizon people, and you should be OK.

 

[berdinkerdickle]

Buy from only reputable ebay sellers, or you may end up with nothing more than a rock in the box. Yes, read of lots of these scams in eBay forums.
Also, require signed delivery, and open the box in front of the delivery driver.
Request to be shipped with someone other than USPS.
.
For Craigslist;
Only meet the seller in a public place.
Inside a store or coffee shop.
That way they can't take your money and run. Yes, getting to be a common scam.
There's two recent cases where for bigger purchases people go missing or found dead.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[kenshell]

old thread but i just picked up a note 2 off of CL
Being im on month to month with unlimited data...I dont get new phones since my Galaxy Nexus first came out. lmfao

This note 2 was never used. Was still wrapped and I got it for a good price.
To bad I updated it without reading.

 

[jlost]

old thread but i just picked up a note 2 off of CL
Being im on month to month with unlimited data...I dont get new phones since my Galaxy Nexus first came out. lmfao

This note 2 was never used. Was still wrapped and I got it for a good price.
To bad I updated it without reading.

What happened when you updated it? I have updated my twice and do not have any issues. I am curious.