Can I sell a phone on ebay while still under contract?

[Fritzo]

Just wondering:

I have a Galaxy Nexus on Verizon. Is there anything stopping me from switching my account to an older phone then selling my Nexus on Ebay while still under contract? Seems like a good way to get the upcoming S III if it works

 

[IGemini]

Is there anything stopping me from switching my account to an older phone then selling my Nexus on Ebay while still under contract?

Nope. The contract is for the plan, not the phone. Go for it.

 

[Bateluer]

So long as the ESN on the Nexus is clean, ie, not reported stolen or anything along those lines, you're good. I've sold both my Droid 1 and Thunderbolt was still under contract.

 

[vshah]

yup, no reason not to

 

[dagamer34]

Sure, but I wouldn't expect much for it compared to the full price of a Galaxy S III which will easily reach $650.

 

[AstroManLuca]

The only other possible thing stopping you is if you bought your phone from an online retailer like Amazon Wireless or Wirefly in the past six months. If you cancel your plan or switch your phone in the first six months of buying it, they will charge you a fee, and usually a pretty big one. That's how they're able to offer phones for so much less than Verizon - I got a Galaxy Nexus for 1 cent from Amazon while Verizon was still selling them for $200.

 

[Fritzo]

Sure, but I wouldn't expect much for it compared to the full price of a Galaxy S III which will easily reach $650.

They're hitting $350 on ebay, so it's about the same as buying a subsidized phone on Verizon.

 

[Geekbabe]

Bumping this up, I just swapped my sim from my Galaxy SIII into my new Galaxy Note 2 & my Note is acknowledged by Verizon. I can now sell my SIII?

 

[lopri]

Carriers often will try to renew the contract (another 2 years, yay!) under the new owner, iirc.

Edit: Admittedly it's not going to be the seller's problem but you may want to check it with the carrier and inform the buyer correctly.

 

[cronos]

Bumping this up, I just swapped my sim from my Galaxy SIII into my new Galaxy Note 2 & my Note is acknowledged by Verizon. I can now sell my SIII?

This is actually a great question. If these are GSM phones then the answer is yes, but because this is Verizon I believe you still have to notify them to 'release' the SIII before you can sell it. Someone else may know the correct answer for this.

 

[ImDonly1]

This is actually a great question. If these are GSM phones then the answer is yes, but because this is Verizon I believe you still have to notify them to 'release' the SIII before you can sell it. Someone else may know the correct answer for this.

Not true. It is free to be activated if it is no longer under any account or blacklisted. Since you swapped phones, they took it off your account and added your new phone.

You can always check the ESN here
http://www.checkesnfree.com/

 

[Geekbabe]

Not true. It is free to be activated if it is no longer under any account or blacklisted. Since you swapped phones, they took it off your account and added your new phone.

You can always check the ESN here
http://www.checkesnfree.com/

Thank you, I just spoke with Verizon & they confirmed this as well

 

[Ravynmagi]

Seems like it would be an incredibly bad idea for someone to buy a phone that is still under contract. I'd be worried the seller might do something stupid like just cancel the plan, not pay the ETF, and cause the phone to get deactivated after someone else bought it.

 

[Geekbabe]

Seems like it would be an incredibly bad idea for someone to buy a phone that is still under contract. I'd be worried the seller might do something stupid like just cancel the plan, not pay the ETF, and cause the phone to get deactivated after someone else bought it.

The account is already tied to my new phone

 

[cronos]

Not true. It is free to be activated if it is no longer under any account or blacklisted. Since you swapped phones, they took it off your account and added your new phone.

You can always check the ESN here
http://www.checkesnfree.com/

Nice. So this LTE thing is really like GSM then? Switch over the SIM card and the account will be updated automatically? That's fantastic.

The account is already tied to my new phone

Wait, that celebration may have been too soon. Did you have to tell them to switch the account to the new phone or did you just switch the SIM card over like GSM?

 

[Geekbabe]

Nice. So this LTE thing is really like GSM then? Switch over the SIM card and the account will be updated automatically? That's fantastic.



Wait, that celebration may have been too soon. Did you have to tell them to switch the account to the new phone or did you just switch the SIM card over like GSM?

I swapped the sim into my new phone a couple days ago & it worked immediately. I called Verizon tonight & checked online the new phone shows up as being my device. I also went to the ESN checker in the link here. The checker says it's good.

 

[cronos]

I swapped the sim into my new phone a couple days ago & it worked immediately. I called Verizon tonight & checked online the new phone shows up as being my device. I also went to the ESN checker in the link here. The checker says it's good.

That's awesome! Thanks for confirming.

 

[Chocu1a]

Yes, you can sell it once you activate another phone on your account, ie; putting a 4g lte sim in your new phone. I have gone from a Charge> Galaxy Nexus> Galaxy S3> Note 2. Sold each phone after I activated the new one. In fact, You can swap out phones as much as you want. I was buying & flipping phones for a while & would test the phones by popping my 4G sim in before paying, to make sure it is legit & works. Never once had to contact Verizon.

 

[DefDC]

So, I'm wondering about the new "Illegal-to-Unlock-Phones" law. If you get a phone under contract, turn around and sell it, are you held liable? Or the person who bought it? Does it become a "used" and freely unlockable phone? Could you "sell" a phone to a friend, have them activate it, and "sell" it back to you?

 

[vshah]

it is not illegal to unlock, it is illegal to develop software that circumvents the unlocking protections built in to the device. small but important distinction. most carriers will unlock if you call and ask nicely, and are a customer in good standing.

 

[grkM3]

If you order a cell off Verizon corporate they come factory unlocked and they even give you the choice when ordering if its going to be used as a world phone and if you want it unlocked.

I ordered and unlocked iphone 5 for my brother threw there online site.

 

[lothar]

Seems like it would be an incredibly bad idea for someone to buy a phone that is still under contract. I'd be worried the seller might do something stupid like just cancel the plan, not pay the ETF, and cause the phone to get deactivated after someone else bought it.

Or reports the phone as stolen after selling it, which then gets it disabled by Verizon.

 

[Geekbabe]

Or reports the phone as stolen after selling it, which then gets it disabled by Verizon.

And this is why i prefer to sell locally, doing the transaction at the Verizon store & giving the buyer a signed statement of the sale.

 

[Chocu1a]

Or reports the phone as stolen after selling it, which then gets it disabled by Verizon.

I actually had a lengthy talk with Verizon on this subject. Once the phone is activated on your line, it is yours. The only way it will be blacklisted is PRIOR to activating it, ie; it cannot be added to your account. Once it is on your account, it is basically yours.

 

[Geekbabe]

Just finished the transaction, meet the young lady at the VZW store, she inspected the phone & had the CS Rep check the ESN & activate the SIII. The rep says they get several people a day coming in AFTER they've bought used phones only to find out they are bad. He complimented us on being shrewd. After weeding through scammers & low ballers it was a pleasant, easy transaction for us both.

LOL, the young lady's old phone? iphone 4S ..