Pondering ebay...

(sorry if this is getting posted more then once... I'm having a heck of
a time with getting the comcast servers to respond properly)

Hey all,
Other then the normal risks involved with purchasing items off of ebay,
I was wondering if there were specific added issues with purchasing used
cell phones using same? I just had my phone stolen and looking at a
cheaper replacement until my contract plan expires, so ebay would seem
to be a likely option. I've heard someone mention hassles with sprint
claiming that a used i330 didn't have the proper version of software and
refused to upgrade it since they didn't initially sell it to the customer...
I would assume that it's unlikely that folks would be selling hot
phones, especially those with long histories of verifiable positive
selling practices?
Known charges I'll have to absorb will be the activation charge and ?
Anything else I should be considering?

regards,
Karl
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If replying directly, please edit out the cleverly
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› See More: Pondering ebay...

I recently bought a used phone from eBay and replaced the Nokia phone that came with my contract. Before I bid on the phone, I requested the ESN then contacted Sprint to see if it could be activated. When they said it could, I bid and bought the phone. I simply called customer service and they activated the new phone. It was a breeze for me.

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
> (sorry if this is getting posted more then once... I'm having a heck of
> a time with getting the comcast servers to respond properly)
>
> Hey all,
> Other then the normal risks involved with purchasing items off of ebay,
> I was wondering if there were specific added issues with purchasing used
> cell phones using same? I just had my phone stolen and looking at a
> cheaper replacement until my contract plan expires, so ebay would seem
> to be a likely option. I've heard someone mention hassles with sprint
> claiming that a used i330 didn't have the proper version of software and
> refused to upgrade it since they didn't initially sell it to the customer....
> I would assume that it's unlikely that folks would be selling hot
> phones, especially those with long histories of verifiable positive
> selling practices?
> Known charges I'll have to absorb will be the activation charge and ?
> Anything else I should be considering?
>
> regards,
> Karl
>

tdr seems to have hit all the basics. Activation fee should be all you
get charged for the swap (from Sprint, at least). And even that can be
waived by a kindly rep from time to time.

The big red flag on this is a seller unwilling to provide the ESN. I'm
tempted to predict that your stolen phone is already out there on EBay
as I type this.

As for flashing software, the sales source is irrelevant. If it needs a
firmware upgrade, it's going to happen at a Sprint Service Center. I
think Radio Shack has like two service centers of their own, nationwide,
and they MIGHT ship it there, but since they're not the carrier, I'm 99%
sure they'll only support phones they sold themselves.

--
RØß
O/Siris
-+-
A thing moderately good
is not so good as it ought to be.
Moderation in temper is always a virtue,
but moderation in principle is always a vice.
+Thomas Paine, "The Rights of Man", 1792+