Sprint phones from E-bay usable?

Hello friends,

My existing Sprint PCS phone (LG TP-5250) is not giving reception in
my new apartment and I was told that I may have to buy a new phone,
preferrably a Sanyo to get better reception. I found a couple of them
in ebay (Sanyo PM-8200), they are cheaper and without a contract, I
presume?

The question is, can I buy these phones off of ebay and will Sprint
activate these phones in place of my existing ones (we have two phones
sharing mins, my wife and me) without insisting on a fresh contract
(meaning 'month-to-month)?

Would appreciate some help and thanks in advance.

Aravind

---

› See More: Sprint phones from E-bay usable?

Aravind wrote:
> Hello friends,
>
> My existing Sprint PCS phone (LG TP-5250) is not giving reception in
> my new apartment and I was told that I may have to buy a new phone,
> preferrably a Sanyo to get better reception. I found a couple of them
> in ebay (Sanyo PM-8200), they are cheaper and without a contract, I
> presume?

e-bay purchases are best for those who want to get a different phone (or
a replacement) but are currently on contract with Sprint and aren't
eligible for a rebate. If you're a new customer and buy one of these
phone and activate it, you'll still be on a contract with Sprint
*unless* you pay an extra amount per month ($10 I believe) to not be on
a contract.

> The question is, can I buy these phones off of ebay and will Sprint
> activate these phones in place of my existing ones (we have two phones
> sharing mins, my wife and me) without insisting on a fresh contract
> (meaning 'month-to-month)?

Yes, IF the phones aren't blacklisted. If they're on the blacklist, the
phones cannot be activated.

A phone is blacklisted if:

- The previous owner had their phone shut off for nonpayment.
- The phone was reported lost or stolen
- Fraud was committed on the previous owner's account.

So before you place a bid, check the seller's feedback, AND e-mail the
seller asking for the ESN numbers of the phones he's selling. You
should be able to check those ESN numbers with a Sprint rep to see if
they're still good. If they are, you can bid. If they tell you those
phones cannot be activated or if the seller refuses to give you the
ESNs, then DO NOT bid.


--
E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

"Aravind" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello friends,
>
> My existing Sprint PCS phone (LG TP-5250) is not giving reception in
> my new apartment and I was told that I may have to buy a new phone,
> preferrably a Sanyo to get better reception. I found a couple of them
> in ebay (Sanyo PM-8200), they are cheaper and without a contract, I
> presume?

Not necessarily. There are a number of possibilities.

The seller could have activated it, and decided they wanted another phone
and phone is still associated with a contract.
The seller decided to move his coverage to another wireless provider, and
can use the 8200 with them. The phone could still be associated on a
contract.
The seller could be in default on his account & is trying to dump the phone.
In this case, SPCS will not activate this phone till the past due on the
account has been paid off.
The seller could have found a lost phone and is trying to sell it. SPCS
won't activate this phone either.

>
> The question is, can I buy these phones off of ebay and will Sprint
> activate these phones in place of my existing ones (we have two phones
> sharing mins, my wife and me) without insisting on a fresh contract
> (meaning 'month-to-month)?

Yes, if there are no encumbrances on the phone, i.e.: balance due on the
account or if it was lost.

Best thing to do is to contact the seller, get the ESNs on the phone(s),
then call SPCS, tell them what you want to do, and ask whether there is any
problems associated via the phones, by giving the ESNs

If there is no problem with the phone(s) (or the seller for that matter), go
ahead and buy them. You can do an ESN exchange (transferring the registered
phone on the account) at no charge.



Bob

"Isaiah Beard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Aravind wrote:
>> Hello friends,
>>
>> My existing Sprint PCS phone (LG TP-5250) is not giving reception in
>> my new apartment and I was told that I may have to buy a new phone,
>> preferrably a Sanyo to get better reception. I found a couple of them
>> in ebay (Sanyo PM-8200), they are cheaper and without a contract, I
>> presume?
>
> e-bay purchases are best for those who want to get a different phone (or a
> replacement) but are currently on contract with Sprint and aren't eligible
> for a rebate. If you're a new customer and buy one of these phone and
> activate it, you'll still be on a contract with Sprint *unless* you pay an
> extra amount per month ($10 I believe) to not be on a contract.
>
>> The question is, can I buy these phones off of ebay and will Sprint
>> activate these phones in place of my existing ones (we have two phones
>> sharing mins, my wife and me) without insisting on a fresh contract
>> (meaning 'month-to-month)?
>
> Yes, IF the phones aren't blacklisted. If they're on the blacklist, the
> phones cannot be activated.
>
> A phone is blacklisted if:
>
> - The previous owner had their phone shut off for nonpayment.
> - The phone was reported lost or stolen
> - Fraud was committed on the previous owner's account.
>
> So before you place a bid, check the seller's feedback, AND e-mail the
> seller asking for the ESN numbers of the phones he's selling. You should
> be able to check those ESN numbers with a Sprint rep to see if they're
> still good. If they are, you can bid. If they tell you those phones
> cannot be activated or if the seller refuses to give you the ESNs, then DO
> NOT bid.
>
>
> --
> E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
> Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.
>

What is an ESN and how is it found?

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Aravind <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hello friends,
>
> My existing Sprint PCS phone (LG TP-5250) is not giving reception in
> my new apartment and I was told that I may have to buy a new phone,
> preferrably a Sanyo to get better reception. I found a couple of them
> in ebay (Sanyo PM-8200), they are cheaper and without a contract, I
> presume?
>

You had better double check as many are being sold on EBay for new
subscribers.

> The question is, can I buy these phones off of ebay and will Sprint
> activate these phones in place of my existing ones (we have two phones
> sharing mins, my wife and me) without insisting on a fresh contract
> (meaning 'month-to-month)?
>

I have sold several phones on EBay and all buyers were happy and able to
activate.

To my knowledge, you are going to be asked to sign up for one year for
any phone you activate. Really a joke as they often charge an
activation fee as well!

- --
Thomas T. Veldhouse
Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1
Spammers please contact me at [email protected].

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.6 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFBbr0X1p0e3NXsrtERAiLqAKC2T6ABfBCoUJR6b2bgCx+bWNJGhACgndue
3KR5wXLg5gso565x3MCl8U8=
=ZkGu
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

"Thomas T. Veldhouse" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
<snipped>
> To my knowledge, you are going to be asked to sign up for one year for
> any phone you activate. Really a joke as they often charge an
> activation fee as well!

Point of clarification here Tom. No activation fee is charged for an ESN
change on a current account. There is an activation fee on a new account or
a new line of service onto an account.

In addition, no contract extension when doing an ESN change.

Bob

FWIW the one I bought from Ebay had 20-30 private numbers left on it from
the previous owner!
John

--
Remove FLY to reply
"Aravind" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello friends,
>
> My existing Sprint PCS phone (LG TP-5250) is not giving reception in
> my new apartment and I was told that I may have to buy a new phone,
> preferrably a Sanyo to get better reception. I found a couple of them
> in ebay (Sanyo PM-8200), they are cheaper and without a contract, I
> presume?
>
> The question is, can I buy these phones off of ebay and will Sprint
> activate these phones in place of my existing ones (we have two phones
> sharing mins, my wife and me) without insisting on a fresh contract
> (meaning 'month-to-month)?
>
> Would appreciate some help and thanks in advance.
>
> Aravind

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Bob Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Point of clarification here Tom. No activation fee is charged for an ESN
> change on a current account. There is an activation fee on a new account or
> a new line of service onto an account.
>
> In addition, no contract extension when doing an ESN change.
>

You are correct. An ESN swap does not affect anything other than the 18
months required to get a credit towards a new phone, which is reset.
However, activating an old phone on a new plan still requires a 1 year
or more agreement ... unless you pay $10 / month to avoid that.

- --
Thomas T. Veldhouse
Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1
Spammers please contact me at [email protected].

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.6 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFBb8u71p0e3NXsrtERArroAJ0cXTMV0ZoIn0Z/rwbo+FuTeteVgwCfaHot
1R0A0nEOjTgVNtwgoX4GPLo=
=i8hE
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

John <[email protected]> wrote:
> FWIW the one I bought from Ebay had 20-30 private numbers left on it from
> the previous owner!
> John
>

And what is that worth anyway?

- --
Thomas T. Veldhouse
Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1
Spammers please contact me at [email protected].

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.6 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFBb8vh1p0e3NXsrtERAqNUAJsFIkKzXyrQ5Nb1vyMcMYGoh7h8FACgiJga
ZqZuvcye/kFuQMCHA00sghw=
=UmDf
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

"Thomas T. Veldhouse" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> Bob Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > Point of clarification here Tom. No activation fee is charged for an ESN
> > change on a current account. There is an activation fee on a new account
or
> > a new line of service onto an account.
> >
> > In addition, no contract extension when doing an ESN change.
> >
>
> You are correct. An ESN swap does not affect anything other than the 18
> months required to get a credit towards a new phone, which is reset.
> However, activating an old phone on a new plan still requires a 1 year
> or more agreement ... unless you pay $10 / month to avoid that.

Well, that's what I said above, regarding a new account, isn't it?

Bob

Oliver Cromwell wrote:

>
> What is an ESN and how is it found?

ESN stands for "Electronic Serial Number." Like the serial number on
any other major piece of equipment, it is unique to each phone. The
network uses it to pick your phone out from all the others.

To find it, remove the battery from your phone. You should see a
sticker with the Sprint logo and two barcodes, with numbers above them.
One number will be your ESN in decimal format, and the other (with
letters and numbers) is the same ESN in Hexidecimal notation.

And before anyone asks, it is indeed perfectly safe to give someone your
phone's ESN if you plan on selling it. It used to be the case that
"cloning" a cell phone by copying its ESN into another cell phone would
permit someone to make calls on your account. However, with CDMA, you
need a lot more than just the ESN to clone a phone, including a few
constantly-changing numbers that only the phone and the network know,
but will never divulge to any human in order to eliminate the security risk.


--
E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

Thomas T. Veldhouse wrote:

>
> You are correct. An ESN swap does not affect anything other than the 18
> months required to get a credit towards a new phone, which is reset.

Uhh, actually it should no longer do that either. As long as you're
paying "full price" for the phone, your new-for-you date won't extend.


--
E-mail fudged to thwart spammers.
Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply.

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Bob Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> You are correct. An ESN swap does not affect anything other than the 18
>> months required to get a credit towards a new phone, which is reset.
>> However, activating an old phone on a new plan still requires a 1 year
>> or more agreement ... unless you pay $10 / month to avoid that.
>
> Well, that's what I said above, regarding a new account, isn't it?
>

Did you mention the 18 month reset anywhere?

- --
Thomas T. Veldhouse
Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1
Spammers please contact me at [email protected].

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.6 (FreeBSD)

iD8DBQFBcC7b1p0e3NXsrtERAhTPAJ43RLjq7bE054rWjHkY3fjwjaGaNACfdhOp
ciMliSQloQ0KzoRGMpKllYI=
=SMOc
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

"Thomas T. Veldhouse" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> Bob Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>
> >> You are correct. An ESN swap does not affect anything other than the
18
> >> months required to get a credit towards a new phone, which is reset.
> >> However, activating an old phone on a new plan still requires a 1 year
> >> or more agreement ... unless you pay $10 / month to avoid that.
> >
> > Well, that's what I said above, regarding a new account, isn't it?
> >
>
> Did you mention the 18 month reset anywhere?

No, because it wasn't part of the original inquiry until you just brought it
up. Avarind was not interested in doing any contract extensions.

Speaking of the mail-in rebate offer, it looks like SPCS may make some
changes to it, considering the verbiage on the rebate page.

Bob

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Isaiah Beard <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Uhh, actually it should no longer do that either. As long as you're
> paying "full price" for the phone, your new-for-you date won't extend.
>

And what if you don't buy the phone from them at all? Suppose you buy a
used phone, or perhaps a phone from Costco.

- --
Thomas T. Veldhouse
Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1
Spammers please contact me at [email protected].

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.6 (FreeBSD)

iD8DBQFBcTwI1p0e3NXsrtERAo6VAJ43oH9ULsau1jSrMpF2S4AJNFMAwQCeMX8t
5SJv9g6XEYVi9V/31cwiMuo=
=cXDe
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----