Selling a flashed device?

[hatthewmartley]

** I've posted this in another section to attract more answers but can't figure out how to delete this one?!

Hello all,

Been an Android user for many years but only started looking into rooting/flashing etc. very recently. I am very, very noob with it all so please bear with me.

Last night (after many hurdles) I was successful in loading the Cyanogenmod 12 onto my HTC M8 mini 2. I love it, very slick. However, I plan to upgrade my phone in around 6 months so I'm just curios as to the conditions on selling a rooted phone with a custom ROM? The few I have found on eBay seem to sell for a higher price than a stock device but I'm just unsure on the legality of it, so any help would be appreciated.

Again, I am pure noob with all of this so apologies for any naivety! And thanks in advance

 

[The_Chief]

Swappa is a great place to buy or sell pristine, gently used devices. Just make sure you disclose that it's rooted and ROMmed. A lot of people will pay a bit of a premium if the hard work of rooting is already done.

 

[Hadron]

I don't know where you are (i.e. what jurisdiction you are in), but in general there is no legal problem with rooting a device or selling it in that state. The manufacturer is unlikely to accept the warranty, but then with a second-hand sale that's not likely to be an issue.

However, I do feel it is unfair to sell a modified device to a buyer who is not aware that modifications have been made. We've had to help more than a few people who have bought devices that are rooted or more deeply modified and have been either confused by the changes or got themselves into a mess because they knew nothing about Android and found themselves with a device that let them modify things they didn't know they shouldn't touch. So personally I'd say you should either sell it making very clear that it has been rooted and is running CM12 rather than stock HTC software, or else return it completely to stock (with an RUU) before selling it.

 

[bcrichster]

Don't EVER sell a Rooted/flashed OS device to anyone that would intend to use it as a phone because many Carriers use a dial pad code/hidden menu (that comes with stock OS) to activate a phone or transfer accounts for use. Flash it back to stock before selling or you'll be doing the buyer a bad deal.

 

[dvhttn]

Don't EVER sell a Rooted/flashed OS device to anyone that would intend to use it as a phone because many Carriers use a dial pad code/hidden menu (that comes with stock OS) to activate a phone or transfer accounts for use. Flash it back to stock before selling or you'll be doing the buyer a bad deal.

Umm, that would depend, as Hadron says, on where you live. I'm in the UK and the carriers have never used a keypad code to activate a phone, it's all done via the SIM Card details online. The phone is never touched. Where do you live (country) as it's obviously different?

I've sold a rooted phone in the past, via Fleabay I think it was. I made sure I put all details about what I'd done in the ad and included all the files I'd used on the SDCard. Seller was happy.

 

[psionandy]

On a practical point of view (with a few exceptions) if you are selling a device on with a custom rom, either on Ebay or other methods, you are likely to get a (slightly) lower price...

And for some reason, putting the device back in the box that came with it, makes it worth (slightly) more