Activating a used/refurbished smartphone (Verizon, towers, money, buying)

[jobaba]

I lost my phone and more than likely, it's the last I'll ever see of it.

I would like to buy a used/refurbished or new phone and there are a lot on the market. Droid smartphones on Ebay that say their ESN #s are clean.

The question is, "Will I be able to activate it with no problem bringing it into a Verizon store?"

I've never done this before with a smartphone. I've done it tons of times in the past with flip-phones.

[Teckeeee]

Make sure it is not locked to Sprint. I am in similar shoes and searching ebay, read the fine print some are sprint only. If it doesn't say that it should work as long as it's CDMA for north america.

Consider PagePlus over VZ I did and couldn't be happier, half the price and better customer service. PP is a MVNO off of VZ's network/towers.

[MikeJaquish]

I always sell my used phones on Craigslist, and offer to meet people at the company store so they can check the ESN on the spot before giving me the money.
There are plenty of phones on Craigslist in my area. Price check against the same unit on EBay.
Right now, I have a Galaxy S3 on CL, at $295, and similar is going on EBay for $260 and up.
Sold an EVO yesterday for $55, and they are going for $45 or more on EBay.

If I were buying a phone through EBay, I would only buy from a Seller with 100 or more positive reviews, preferably over 300, and a score over 99%.

[Peregrine]

Originally Posted by jobaba

The question is, "Will I be able to activate it with no problem bringing it into a Verizon store?"

I've never done this before with a smartphone. I've done it tons of times in the past with flip-phones.

It's no different.
Ebay is fine, just use your common sense as always. I mean, Criagslist is fine, too, but I still prefer Ebay.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Just try to make sure you buy from a reputable vendor on eBay (has sold phones in the past with good reviews.) Its the least you can do to prevent getting an MEID/ESN that has been blacked out.

Even if it means maybe another $20 for a more reputable one, its worth the added insurance.

If doing it via craigslist, just call Verizon's CS number there on the spot to verify the MEID/ESN over the phone if you are not near a store.

[npaladin2000]

Make sure there's some sort of return option. Even if the seller checked the IMEI/ESN and it's good, nothing is preventing whoever they got it from from reporting it lost/stolen later on. People looking to game the insurance system WILL do that so they can cash in twice (sell a clean phone, get cash, claim it as lost, collect more cash or a replacement phone, wash, rinse, spin). It's happened to me before, IMEI checked out fine, bought it, a week later "Sorry, this phone has been reported lost or stolen."

[Teckeeee]

Originally Posted by npaladin2000

Make sure there's some sort of return option. Even if the seller checked the IMEI/ESN and it's good, nothing is preventing whoever they got it from from reporting it lost/stolen later on. People looking to game the insurance system WILL do that so they can cash in twice (sell a clean phone, get cash, claim it as lost, collect more cash or a replacement phone, wash, rinse, spin). It's happened to me before, IMEI checked out fine, bought it, a week later "Sorry, this phone has been reported lost or stolen."

Good tip, repd.