phones off of ebay????????????

[chenso2]

I just got a new ebay account a couple of days ago and see a great deal for a phone that is gauranteed to have never been used and has a clean esn. I was wanting some feedback from people who have bought phones off of ebay. PLEASE LET ME KNOW about your dealings with ebay. Also, another question: if the new phone is in tennessee....once I get the phone in TEXAS----I can still use it on my account correct? Basically, if I went on a vaction and bought a phone in Memphis, but lived in houston texas....i could still have it activated on my houston texas number????????

[TheEsupremacy]

I have heard many horror stories about purchasing handsets off of ebay. I would try right here @ Sprint Users :tu: first if looking to make a purchase for a used phone as the majority here are good people.

[chenso2]

so you've heard all horror stories and no good ones...and possibly if you know about the buying of a phone in one state but having it activated in another...thnx for ur posting though.

[TheEsupremacy]

Yeah, sorry, wasn't much help. I would call Sprint on that for sure.

[rotor nuts]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (MobilePhone MM-5600/US/1.0) NetFront/3.1 MMP/2.0)

I dont think it matters where you buy a phone as long as it has a sprint esn.

[Skyh123]

@chenso2 this wouldnt happen to be for this phone would it?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290143372723

I saw a question from someone in TX asking about the same ?? regarding whether it would work.

[pixielee]

i am an eBay/PayPal employee .... for the buyer, really my best suggestion is to ask for the ESN to check with sprint to see if indeed the phone is clear and can be activated. Pay using your credit card through PayPal - with PayPal no one you pay ever sees your financial information. You have 45 days to file a claim if you do not receive the item, or do not receive it as described. If for some reason PP could not recover your funds, you file a chargeback with your credit card company. Ive experienced some phone sellers who ask you to fax photo ID and a proof of address to buy a phone - do not do this and report them to eBay - you do probably get a phone that works - however there have been issues of identity theft with such documents.

Things to look at :
Read the sellers feedback - look to see if the picture seems like a photo they took, or is it just a stock photo/picture - are they listed as brand new, or used, are they listing alot of the same item, are they charging ridiculous shipping cost ... when looking at the auctions, you may see alot of them looking identical, but different seller IDs - look at things like contact numbers or emails - while there are sellers who do that, with high $ items it could indicate someone you do not want to deal with

Good Luck!!!!! eBay is awesome LOL

[chenso2]

no not that phone.

[chenso2]

@alyxx.....since you know alot about the ebay transactions.....i've read previous feedback from the seller that has the phone i was looking at....they hold 99.9% positive feedback. Supposedly they have a stock of phones...and prevous buyers has said great things. I just don't want to be out of 420 dollars.

[matttress]

If you are paying $420, why not just buy it at the store? Doesn't sound like all that swell of a deal, especially if you are worried about shifty sellers.

[He123321]

What model did you buy in eBay? Also it does not matter where you buy the phone, or where you/seller lives. What matter is a clean esn, and make sure the phone is a Sprint phone.

[Duran]

paying with your CC is pretty safe....not to mention AMEX will get your money back :)

[TheEsupremacy]

Just to add - Credit Card companies are becoming less and less able/willing/helpful to battle disputes. Best Buy lost/stole/destroyed (story changes each time with them) my laptop computer last summer. Fought for over a year with them and credit card company. The credit card company could NOT obtain a credit from Worst Buys bank and they tried SEVERAL times as I had paperwork, a police report, and was an outright and obvious victim of fraud. Had to hire an attorney, another waste of money. Starting with the BBB after a year isn't gonna be much help either. Word to the wise here. Be careful.

[joan110]

I can't speak to the Ebay question but.. As long as the ESN is clean, and is a Sprint phone, it doesn't matter where you purchased it from. Just remember this esn swap that you do with this phone will push back the date for future upgrades. Other than that, Enjoy your new phone :tu:

[PintaC]

Just remember this esn swap that you do with this phone will push back the date for future upgrades.

I thought that they changed the policy so that as long as your line is continously active then you can still get the upgrade. Or is just one of those things were Sprint reps give you a different answer every time you call? :)

[joan110]

I thought that they changed the policy so that as long as your line is continously active then you can still get the upgrade. Or is just one of those things were Sprint reps give you a different answer every time you call? :)

I had a couple come in today husband not eligible for upgrade because the had purchased
a phone from a third party and pushed back date. Happens all the time.

[MaraG]

My Fiance ordered an a900m from ebay and the ESN was clear, he loves his phone. When I ordered a palm treo 700wx from ebay, the first time I called to activate it the CSR told me the phone was reported stolen and kept asking me where'd I get it from. I called the seller and he told me to send it back and he will send a new phone. When I got that one I imediately called CS to see if it was clean and the next CSR told me the esn# was registered under someone elses acct. I sent the phone back and the seller gave me a refund.

[matttress]

Look at it this way.

I've never had a problem buying a phone off of eBay. I never ask for the esn# if they guarantee it's clear. I always make sure they have good feedback and make sure the shipping is fair. If it looks like a retard listed it, then stay away.

I've sold about 10 phones there. I always state in the auction that the esn is clear, guaranteed and only the winner gets the number. I've had people get pissed that I wouldn't give it to them, but that's the way it works. If I find an auction where the esn# is listed in the auction, I won't bid on it.

[chenso2]

thanks guys for all the feedback....i think im going to go trough with it next week...and let you know how it goes.

[BCA2812]

I have sold and purchased numerous phones on E bay with no problems. Two things... First, checking feedback scores is fine, but see if they have "meaningful" transactions. A big ploy these days is to have a bunch of positive transactions based on worthless sales/purchases for a few dollars or less among a group of friends. See if the seller actually has high dollar sales/purchases transactions. Secondly, the seller probably will not provide you the ESN prior to purchase. But, a reputable seller will e mail it to you after you have won the auction. Call Sprint, if it checks out, pay for it... if not, then you don't pay. BCA

[chenso2]

I have sold and purchased numerous phones on E bay with no problems. Two things... First, checking feedback scores is fine, but see if they have "meaningful" transactions. A big ploy these days is to have a bunch of positive transactions based on worthless sales/purchases for a few dollars or less among a group of friends. See if the seller actually has high dollar sales/purchases transactions. Secondly, the seller probably will not provide you the ESN prior to purchase. But, a reputable seller will e mail it to you after you have won the auction. Call Sprint, if it checks out, pay for it... if not, then you don't pay. BCA

If the seller says the phone is brand new in the box....then would they still be able to give me the esn? so if it's truly brand new in box (bnib) then they wouldn't be able to give me the esn huh? which in the bnib condition i shouldn't have anything to worry about getting it activated. also i've looked at the feedback as well as "meaningful" transactions and see where theres lots of transactions for the same phone. the idea about winning the bid and getting the esn then paying whether or not it clears is a good idea.

[Skyh123]

The ESN is printed on the outside of the box so they would still be able to get the ESN if it is BNIB. Also from what i've seen on Ebay even if its BNIB they open the box for the pictures, just never use the phone, and would be able to get the ESN from the phone then.

[junyea]

I have purchased plenty of phones from ebay. From $50 replacements to $300 new treo's. As long as the ESN is clean, which can be ck'd thru Sprint, you will be fine. If the ebay seller is honest, they will give you the ESN# before the purchase, so you can ck it. Read the ad, if the ESN is bad they will specify it.

I have no horror stories to report with EBAY. everything has been great. GO FOR IT!!!!!! ENJOY THE DEALS!!!!

[chenso2]

I got my BRAND NEW 755p today....called and had it activated with no problems and I am using it 2day!!!! Ebay is great!!!!

[Miniwhip]

Got my Mogul for free off ebay! Added a line of service, no issues at all.

[saukriver]

I have bought and sold several phones off of eBay w/o any problems. It is a good way to buy a new phone w/o using up your new phone credit.

[Gadgetgirl]

Like others have said, I've used ebay for phone purchases but this was mor eor less during my Tmo days. If it's possible to get the ESN# clarified (what if someone gives the potential buyer an ESN# from a similar phone? Farfetched I know, but...) then go for it. I've always cautioned folks about buying Sprint phones from someone they didn't know because of the ESN issue.

[missdiva]

If the ebay seller is honest, they will give you the ESN# before the purchase, so you can ck it. !

Actually smart sellers won't b/c they know its not safe. Just ask via email if they guarantee activation 100% or money back, and maybe point out all bills have to be paid in full, and nothing can be reported lost/stolen etc. (in case they don't know those issues would prevent the esn from being used) Some people are honest, but just don't know how it works. Others are shady, and won't reply or will reply "no" if you ask about the ESN - then you know who to stay away from.

[Silent Majority]

How do you check the ESN is clean with Sprint?

[pixielee]

just call sprint and tell them you are buying a phone but want to check the esn to make sure its a phone that can be activated -

[spellflower]

I bought my current phone off ebay with no problems. Sprint did try to charge me an activation fee, but reversed it when I asked about it. They said it only applied to phones bought from them; another good reason to buy used!

As for the upgrades, my upgrade status didn't change after I activated my ebay phone. In any case, I find the upgrade pretty useless, since Sprint offers such lousy phones these days. I'd just as soon wait and get what I want on ebay without a contract.

[Penny]

Sometimes you have to be really careful on both ends. I have sold tons of phones on ebay. I always list a 100% money back guarantee if they can't be activated. However, like has been said if it looks shady and they have several of the same up for sale with large shipping charges then beware. If they will not give you the esn after you have won it that could be a red flag. Some sellers are selling stuff and then after they have sold it report it stolen.

On the flip side in defense of the seller, there have been cases where the esn was given out either prior to a winning bid or even after to the winner and that person has called in with the ESN and some how activated the phone without ever paying for it. They may not have the phone but the seller can no longer do anything with it.

So I would just say look at the feedback of the seller and see if they sell a lot of phones or other higher priced things and see what buyers are saying. But in order to be 100% protected buy from Sprint

[Blonde_Devil]

I bought my current phone(blue Katana) off of ebay when I dropped my 6 month old pink Katana outside the house by the mailbox, and didnt find it until after it had been run over :( It actually only cost me $46.00, shipping included and I had no problems activating. The seller put the ESN in the listing, but had a disclaimer that they were not sure phone could be activated. I callled Sprint to check, and they said it could be done no problem, so I went for it! No problems, and no activation fee.

[Gloomster]

I got my phone off of ebay no problem. The seller had good feedback and they guaranteed the esn was good to activate. I saw some other better deals for phones, but they looked too good to be true, which probably means they were a scam. I avoided those like the plague, no matter how tempting they were.

[Silent Majority]

Bought a Sanyo M1 off ebay not too long ago and had to return it cause the ESN was bad, the account has charges on it that had not been paid so it couldn't be activated. At least the seller took it back.

[elcamino_1968ss]

i just bought a used motorola V950 used and it is awesome...74.00 including shipping. looks great, works awesome and didn't have to pay 345.00 for a new one....i will continue to buy used phoned when needed.