How hard is it to sell a phone on eBay?

[kwest12]

1st off, please don't crucify me for this

My question is pretty much described in the title, but let me describe my thought process here:

If I buy a DX, use it for over a month and then learn about some beast of a phone (with an unsigned boot loader) that is dropping later this year, I may want to consider selling the DX on eBay and trying to buy the new phone.


Here are some of the things I'm wondering about:

1) Is it considered breaking any of Verizon's rules if I do a factory reset on the phone and then sell it on eBay?

2) Does a factory reset get all personal info off of the phone? If not, what does?

3) If I do sell it, will I have access to any apps I bought when I get my new phone?

4) Does anyone know how insurance works in a case like this? Say for instance I'm insured by State Farm specifically for this phone (not all agents do this, but some do)... can I just "port" the insurance to my new phone?

5) If I buy a new phone off-contract (full price), does Verizon provide the 30 day return period?

6) I've never done anything like this before, so if you have any insight or things I need to know/consider, please share.


I want to just say that I may be so happy with the DX that I may not even need to do this.... but I want to be prepared well in advance just in case (aka before I even buy the phone).

I appreciate any help that you can provide me, so thanks in advance!

 

[Vihzel]

Once you purchase your phone, it's yours. You can do basically whatever you'd like with it. What you can't do is terminate your contract. You can sell your phone, but your plan will stay activated and you'll just have to purchase another phone at full MSRP (no discounts of any kind at Verizon).

A factory reset will erase all data off of the phone. It wont even be activated.

You will have access to the apps that you purchased through your gmail account that you used with the phone. It's all saved to your gmail account. It's the same as like going from an iPhone 3GS to an iPhone 4... you don't buy all of your apps over again.

You can move your insurance from the X to the next phone.

I'm not sure if Verizon provides the 30 day return period for phones bought at full price, but I would assume that they do as a return policy, like at Best Buy. I will have to check it myself when I buy the X at full price.

If you plan to sell on Ebay, make sure to keep the phone in best condition as possible for the biggest return. Make sure that you have a Paypal account attached to your Ebay account and that you're verified. It will make things easier, especially if you don't have any sales. Be completely truthful and perhaps include a 7 day money back guarantee to help ease users of buying from a new seller. Provide some pictures, such as the phone by itself and also all of the contents that is included in the purchase... any memory cards, accessories, and such. Keep your description nice and short. Don't include a big back story as to why you're selling the phone. That isn't necessary. Be sure to start the auction price low. Never start at a relatively high point. You can set up a reserve (the auction sale must reach a certain price you set to be sold) if you're worried about not getting enough money.

 

[djg08642]

Selling phones on eBay has been bittersweet for me. The lower the price, and the higher the bids, the more you'll end up paying eBay in the end. I always start my auctions at a dollar. The laptop I recently sold ended up going for about $200 and I had to pay $20 in selling fees to eBay. I'd try Craigslist first to be honest.

Also, I don't know how eBay savvy you are but be very wary of scammers. I never use the Buy It Now feature because scammers will always hit it and then send you a fake e-mail that looks like they sent you money but they really didn't. Although, I think you can make it where they have to pay right away... otherwise the Buy It Now won't work.

Include lots of pictures and like Vihzel said, keep the listing short. Long listings with a bunch of extra information won't help. Most people buying phones on eBay don't care... All the phones I've sold were people either re-selling them for parts or new eBayers that are looking for a deal. Sadly, the terrible listings from sellers with bad Engrish seem to get more for phones than regular Joes.

As for your questions, Vihzel got it right. You're not breaking any rules by selling the phone under contract. You just won't have a phone unless you buy one beforehand. You'll still be paying your bill.

Factory reset should take care of everything. Just make sure you take out the microSD card or format it real good to get everything off of it.

There shouldn't be a problem just changing your insurance policy to the new phone. Your premium might go up a little bit based on the price of the phone. My phone is covered under my renter's policy.

Good luck!

 

[odiej34]

I've been denied insurance from Verizon for a phone bought off of ebay. It was a few years ago but still denied. I would not tell them where you got it just act like it was from verizon. I've sold many phones on ebay, mainly because a new, BIGGER, badder phone came out. No problems there and I always use the but it now button. Just make sure you go to your paypal account and verify funds. Paypal gets a bad rap (maybe they deserve it?) but ive never had a problem and have been using it before ebay even new what it was.
My dad is a State Farm agent, so I will check on the insurance part, thanks! What state are you in and what did you ask for?
Thanks again.
Odie

 

[Gamble]

I'd try Craigslist first to be honest.

I agree, try craigslist first. You can list the phone on craigslist for free, without having to pay fees if it sells. You can also list it on eBay and state that you reserve the right to end the auction early at any time as it is listed locally for sale.

 

[aleis]

sold my incredible on craiglist in a day.

 

[HoldFastHope]

2) Does a factory reset get all personal info off of the phone? If not, what does?

Pro tip: Wipe porn off your phone before exchanging it | Android Central

 

[kwest12]

Thank you all for the insight, it is tremendously helpful. I really appreciate it guys.

My dad is a State Farm agent, so I will check on the insurance part, thanks! What state are you in and what did you ask for?
Thanks again.
Odie

I personally don't have the policy I'm referring to yet (I don't have a phone to insure yet lol) but here is what I'm talking about.
> http://androidforums.com/htc-incred...insurance-w-your-incredible-8.html#post781141
> http://androidforums.com/htc-incred...insurance-w-your-incredible-9.html#post795387

Personally I plan on calling every agent in a 90 mile radius of me until I find one who offers that type of insurance. I'm in western NY and I'm pretty sure I heard that someone around here offers that.

I agree, try craigslist first. You can list the phone on craigslist for free, without having to pay fees if it sells. You can also list it on eBay and state that you reserve the right to end the auction early at any time as it is listed locally for sale.

Woah! Can you seriously do that without getting dinged by eBay?


Here's 2 follow up questions for you guys;

1) Isn't Craigslist just local sales? I live in a relatively small area, which is probably less likely to see any buyers.

2) Is a Craigslist listing free? If so, I guess it wouldn't hurt to list it even if I am in a small area.

 

[HoldFastHope]

1) Isn't Craigslist just local sales? I live in a relatively small area, which is probably less likely to see any buyers.

2) Is a Craigslist listing free? If so, I guess it wouldn't hurt to list it even if I am in a small area.

Craigslist is completely free, no fees at all. It isn't just for local sales but it's mostly directed for local sales. But be VERY careful on Craigslist, some shady people will contact you, so be wary about everything. Especially shipping out your item and meeting up with someone to do any exchange. Ive read some horror stories that have happened on Craigslist. Don't let this deter you tho, just be super aware and careful.

 

[kwest12]

Craigslist is completely free, no fees at all. It isn't just for local sales but it's mostly directed for local sales. But be VERY careful on Craigslist, some shady people will contact you, so be wary about everything. Especially shipping out your item and meeting up with someone to do any exchange. Ive read some horror stories that have happened on Craigslist. Don't let this deter you tho, just be super aware and careful.

So you're saying I shouldn't arrange to meet up with the buyer if he suggests meeting at his place in the projects at 4:23AM and says he can't pay w/ money, but will compensate me in other ways? lol

Joking aside, I definitely understand what you mean. Any transactions I engage in will be done at a busy time in a busy public place and I may even bring someone else if I'm getting shady vibes.

The only thing that really worries me about an in-person transaction is the possibility of counterfeit $ or invalid checks. The person buying the electronics can at least check it out and make sure it's as specified... the one receiving the $ can't do much unless their a counterfeiting detection expert. :S

 

[HoldFastHope]

So you're saying I shouldn't arrange to meet up with the buyer if he suggests meeting at his place in the projects at 4:23AM and says he can't pay w/ money, but will compensate me in other ways? lol

Joking aside, I definitely understand what you mean. Any transactions I engage in will be done at a busy time in a busy public place and I may even bring someone else if I'm getting shady vibes.

The only thing that really worries me about an in-person transaction is the possibility of counterfeit $ or invalid checks. The person buying the electronics can at least check it out and make sure it's as specified... the one receiving the $ can't do much unless their a counterfeiting detection expert. :S

Haha, hey, you never know, some people these days simply do not grasp common sense. Not saying you don't but I thought i'd be as "no duh" as can be.

If you're worried about counterfeit money, ask for a money order instead.

 

[thecrock0984]

Easy man. I had an Inc and sold it for 550 on ebay after a month of light use. You need to set up a paypal account. That is the easiest way to accept money and all buyer now on ebay perfer to pay with paypal. You cannot accept cash as payment thru Ebay. Just set up a paypal which is simple. Go on there. Search the same phone you are selling to get an idea of a title for your listing and what to start the bid at, also look at shipping. With a big return or sale price, free shipping is the way to you. Only cost 10 or so to ship it and buyer read free shipping, and it will bring more bidders. Good luck!

 

[ckochinsky125]

ebays fees are ridiculous craigslist will most likely make you more money and no fees. As long as you do not cancel your contract then you are fine but i think with the x when you activate it i saw something you have to keep it for 6 months maybe im wrong but i would check into that with the verizon store

 

[kwest12]

ebays fees are ridiculous craigslist will most likely make you more money and no fees. As long as you do not cancel your contract then you are fine but i think with the x when you activate it i saw something you have to keep it for 6 months maybe im wrong but i would check into that with the verizon store

I will definitely check on that. I'm wondering if the 6 month thing is the time that must elapse before being allowed to terminate your contract w/o being slapped w/ the big "smartphone recovery fee" or whatever it's called. I seem to remember reading somewhere that VZW and a few other places were hitting people with both the early termination fees on the contract as well as some sort of smartphone penalty: I think the FCC or someone actually investigated them for this (I may be way off with what I'm remembering though...). If that's the case, I think those costs just apply if you try to return the phone after the 30 day period and end the contract.

 

[CRPercodani]

1st off, please don't crucify me for this

My question is pretty much described in the title, but let me describe my thought process here:

If I buy a DX, use it for over a month and then learn about some beast of a phone (with an unsigned boot loader) that is dropping later this year, I may want to consider selling the DX on eBay and trying to buy the new phone.


Here are some of the things I'm wondering about:

1) Is it considered breaking any of Verizon's rules if I do a factory reset on the phone and then sell it on eBay?

No. If you cancel the line there will be a big ETF fee though.

2) Does a factory reset get all personal info off of the phone? If not, what does?

All personal info will be gone yes. However the phone will still be tied to your account until someone else activates it or you activate a NEW phone on that same line.

3) If I do sell it, will I have access to any apps I bought when I get my new phone?

Yep, paid apps are tied to your Google account. If you use a different Google account for the new phone then you would lose them.

4) Does anyone know how insurance works in a case like this? Say for instance I'm insured by State Farm specifically for this phone (not all agents do this, but some do)... can I just "port" the insurance to my new phone?

No idea.

5) If I buy a new phone off-contract (full price), does Verizon provide the 30 day return period?

Don't think so but I could be wrong.

6) I've never done anything like this before, so if you have any insight or things I need to know/consider, please share.

I just had a problem selling my Droid on eBay. However my problem was because I actually ported my number to another carrier so it shouldn't happen to you. Basically the buyer had to wait until the last day of my billing cycle before they could activate the Droid on his/her account.

I want to just say that I may be so happy with the DX that I may not even need to do this.... but I want to be prepared well in advance just in case (aka before I even buy the phone).

I appreciate any help that you can provide me, so thanks in advance!

Hope that helps.

 

[odiej34]

ebays fees are ridiculous craigslist will most likely make you more money and no fees. As long as you do not cancel your contract then you are fine but i think with the x when you activate it i saw something you have to keep it for 6 months maybe im wrong but i would check into that with the verizon store

with the new upgrade (contract ending in 2010) i hear you can not do the buddie upgrade. (Press confrence) that was the reason i pushed so hard for getting my upgrade
Dates moved up. Something else to think about/look into.

 

[kwest12]

with the new upgrade (contract ending in 2010) i hear you can not do the buddie upgrade. (Press confrence) that was the reason i pushed so hard for getting my upgrade
Dates moved up. Something else to think about/look into.

Understandable, but I would be willing to bet you can almost always convince a rep to let you re-up and get the NE2 after 1 year... unless you make a habit of doing it every year that is. I've been present as someone has talked their way into that before. It just seems to take a little patience, kindness/politeness (to the rep that is) and then eventually asking them to see if their supervisor can help out. If the 1st rep can't help you, try a different rep, rinse and repeat.

 

[Doit2it]

I've been denied insurance from Verizon for a phone bought off of ebay. It was a few years ago but still denied.
Odie

I bought my Eris off Craigslist in January. I had insurance on my (then current) LG Dare. When I walked into the Verizon store to put the Eris on my account, I asked if they could transfer the insurance from my Dare to the Eris. They did, no problem. I'm currently paying $4.99 per month, which is the "feature phone" price. Smartphone insurance is $7.99. Now whether Asurion will notice this and deny a claim is yet to be seen.

 

[crimton]

sold my incredible on craiglist in a day.

if you don't mind me asking how much did it bring and was it rooted?