buying a phone on ebay...any tips? hints?

[ORD84]

Just want to make sure I don't get screwed with a bad phone ESN that verizon won't activate, anyone do this before and have any issues or how they resolved this problem with verizon or eBay?

 

[AntimonyER]

Before paying (or even better, before bidding) ask the seller for the ESN, and then call Verizon customer service and tell them you are purchasing a used phone and want to check the ESN to make sure it's clean. I always give the ESN in the auction listing when I sell mine, there isn't really anything someone could do with that info, so the seller should not have an issue giving it to you.

 

[brownchm]

Try to go for a phone listed as buy it now vs an auction because you will most likely end up spending more money than its worth in an auction. Also remember if they sell you a phone with a bad esn and did not say so then you can open a case with ebay and PayPal to get your money back

 

[timelord65]

I've bought several smartphones on ebay. Always buy from a seller with some history and a high favorable rating. Make sure the ad states "Clean ESN" If not ask the seller if the ESN is good and ready to be activated on another account. If the seller was dishonest, your protected by ebay's buyer protection program.

One time after I had already received the phone, I called Verizon to activate, I was told it was still tied to another account and couldn't be activated by me. I set a pm to the seller and he got the original owner to deactivate it. Everything worked out fine in the end on that occasion.