how to safely sell upgraded phone

bboryla · May 28, 2013

Hey Guys.

Quick question. I'm due for an upgrade but I'm happy with my current phone. If I use the upgrade to get a marketable phone, what do I need to do to keep from possibly getting dinged for some kind of fee or penalty from Verizon?

Do I even need to activate it before selling it? If so, how long do I need to use before safely deactivating and going back to my old phone?

Thanks in advance.
bboryla

teddyearp · May 28, 2013

Hello and welcome to the site :hello:

I am sure you will need to activate it, but I think that's it. I don't think you need to keep it activated for long.

Also, note that Verizon is getting a bit more and more stingy on the upgrade thing. They now charge a $30 'upgrade fee'.

good luck

NYankee · Jun 1, 2013

So you are going to extend your contract and upgrade date 2 years to make a couple of hundred bucks? wow!

DragonSlayer95 · Jun 1, 2013

NYankee said:
So you are going to extend your contract and upgrade date 2 years to make a couple of hundred bucks? wow!

Depending on the phone, $500-$650, I'd probably do it if I didn't get bored with phones so quickly

vegeta13613 · Jun 9, 2013

A couple questions about this...

I have four people on my ATT plan, but only two of us are ever interested in upgrades (the other two are elderly, and are happy with cheap feature phones). That means the two of us with smartphones have lots of options to upgrade. Currently we are sitting an upgrade we really don't need. So, question time...

Are you sure that the phone NEEDS to be activated? I tend to think that it does as well, but I wonder if there is any way to get the cellphone new, in an unopened box (probably not).

Also, this is my rough plan at the moment. Buy a SGS4 FOR $168 plus the upgrade fee (~$40?), get a $50 Wal-Mart gift card with it. Wipe the phone, put the SIM card in my current phone, then sell the SGS4 for about $550 on eBay. Should this work, or am I missing something? Nothing about this would mess up my account, right?

NYankee · Jun 10, 2013

You may want to check 3rd party fees. Last time I checked, Walmart has a policy to make sure the phone is still associated to the line upgraded. If it's not, they will charge you a fee of several hundred dollars.

vegeta13613 · Jun 10, 2013

NYankee said:
You may want to check 3rd party fees. Last time I checked, Walmart has a policy to make sure the phone is still associated to the line upgraded. If it's not, they will charge you a fee of several hundred dollars.

Hmm. Sounds like something one could possibly work around, if it is still their policy. Although it might mean opening the phone and rooting... Does anyone know the specifics of this policy?

Rxpert83 · Jun 10, 2013

If you are ever not clear about something to do with your plan...Call your carrier and ask them.

Why not go to the source? They'll tell you exactly what the policy is.

3rd party? Same thing. Its also in the paperwork when you buy the phone/sign a contract

vegeta13613 · Jun 10, 2013

Rxpert83 said:
If you are ever not clear about something to do with your plan...Call your carrier and ask them.

Why not go to the source? They'll tell you exactly what the policy is.

3rd party? Same thing. Its also in the paperwork when you buy the phone/sign a contract

Well, as a general rule, it is easier to go online and get an answer on a forum, especially if you can find people who are doing the same thing as you are trying to do

It looks like I may be dealing with both Wal-Mart and ATT's rules, so things might get a bit complicated... I guess I'll go in this weekend and hope the guy at the Wal-Mart cellphone section is more knowledgeable about the specifics of the contract than he is about the cellphones. Thanks for the advice.

Rxpert83 · Jun 10, 2013

I understand what your saying :thumbup:

But the terms and conditions should be right there on the website for both companies as well. If you're going through a 3rd party, they're usually much more strict about how long it has to be on the line

nomarsgirl · Jun 11, 2013

Rxpert83 said:
I understand what your saying :thumbup:

But the terms and conditions should be right there on the website for both companies as well. If you're going through a 3rd party, they're usually much more strict about how long it has to be on the line

181 days for Amazon.

nikoretochan · Jun 18, 2013

If you get your phone from Verizon's website, then they don't make you activate it right away so you can get away with not using it. But if you get it from a Verizon store, its activated before you walk out the door. The thing is you would need the person who bought it from you to go to a Verizon store to activate it because if they tried to do it wirelessly or just by calling, they would activate it on your account.

how to safely sell upgraded phone

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