Do people really sell telephone numbers? (renting, transfer, buy)

[jyx]

I might be giving up a 212 landline number, and I've seen people selling them on Craigslist, sometimes for hundreds of dollars. Is that realistic? And how exactly would that work?

I was also wondering if it's possible to transfer that number to a cell - a friend was suggesting that I get a cheap "burner" phone, although I don't know what places would sell them, or how that kind of transfer would work, either.

Is anyone knowledgeable about this kind of thing?

[WhyRUMad]

Yep. It happens all the time. But you can usually get one for $20. If you'd like to hold onto your number, you can also transfer it to Google Voice.


I transferred my old 212 land line number to my cell phone.


If you buy one, they typically transfer the number to a cheap cell account without a phone (think pre-paid) and give you the pin. You then log in to the providers website and transfer the number by paying a small fee. You get another code. You then can call your cell phone provider and tell them you want to switch your phone number to another number you own. You give them the code and boom, your number changes to the new 212 number.

[UrbanAdventurer]

Depends what the phone number is. They're like coins. Most are worthless but a few are worth big bucks. Ones with repeating numbers or lots of zeros can go for a decent amount. On Ebay there are lots of vendors selling pre-paid cards with any area code you want.

[jyx]

Thanks. Maybe I'll try posting the number on CL just for kicks for a high number, just in case.

But, more realistically, I just bring a scrap of paper with the number written down when I buy a cell? Where do people buy these "burner" phones? Do I then keep getting a bill from Verizon for the number, or what? Is it as though I'm renting the number from them? Does the number disappear if I give up the cell at some point? I have no cell at all at the moment and really never have had one that I had to deal with myself.

[fr3ssconyc]

yea i bought one 212 # while back for like $100 on ebay. still have it after 4 years

[silverbullnyc]

This world and especially this city are made up of superficial people. So of course it will sell to sheep. Go get paid.

[DewDrop149]

Lol yea I did buy a 212 cell phone number years ago.... But at the time I was the only 1 with a 212 cell. I hated all those new Nyc area codes. That was my goal to be exclusive and it worked. I still have the number to this day.

[macnyc2003]

The problem is, with a 212 number on your cell, do people know that they can text you?