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RetiredInFl

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Jul 7, 2008
2,420
237
FORMERLY NJ now FL
There are hundreds of iPhones (and many hundreds of other phones of all types) that are being sold as "bad imei" on eBay. It's good the sellers are "honest" about it but where do all these phones come from?

These all couldn't be phones that people claim they lost, got a replacement for, and then are trying to sell them ... or could they? If so there are an awful lot of easily traceable insurance fraudsters out there. There has got to be an explanation for most of these devices other than the obvious .... insurance fraud.
 

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
I am sure there is a fair share of "insurance fraud", although there are people who lose a phone, report it, get a new one, only to find it in their couch cushions a month or so later. Most insurance companies just tell you to do whatever you want with it. What are they going to do with it?

But I would bet the vast majority are stolen/lost phones that were reported lost/stolen and the current owner of the phone is selling it now because they cannot get service with it.
 

scaredpoet

macrumors 604
Apr 6, 2007
6,627
342
There are hundreds of iPhones (and many hundreds of other phones of all types) that are being sold as "bad imei" on eBay. It's good the sellers are "honest" about it but where do all these phones come from?


- Thefts
- Phones that were lost, replaced by insurance, then found
- Outright insurance fraud from the start
- People leaving for another carrier and skipping out on the final bill/ETF

I wouldn't touch 'em. Leave it tot he iPhone exporters who will sell it to folks in Russia, where it'll work just fine once unlocked.
 

TheProFTW

macrumors regular
Jun 27, 2013
183
0
Washington, DC
There are hundreds of iPhones (and many hundreds of other phones of all types) that are being sold as "bad imei" on eBay. It's good the sellers are "honest" about it but where do all these phones come from?

These all couldn't be phones that people claim they lost, got a replacement for, and then are trying to sell them ... or could they? If so there are an awful lot of easily traceable insurance fraudsters out there. There has got to be an explanation for most of these devices other than the obvious .... insurance fraud.

Well..

*points a gun at you*

Give me your phone!

And that's how it works
 

617aircav

Suspended
Jul 2, 2012
3,975
818
I bought an iPhone 5 off craigslist that had a bad esn. After the police wanted nothing to do with it I sold it one eBay.
 

srsub3

macrumors 6502
Mar 10, 2013
418
275
NYC
To me they are stolen, but also phones whose owner fails to pay bills. However in many cases (us visitor that goes back to his country) they are very appealing because of their low price.
 

617aircav

Suspended
Jul 2, 2012
3,975
818
Why would you purchase a phone that was locked? IF you didn't know it was locked then shame on you for not making sure. Did you at least get close to what you spent? More?

I didn't know. I took the sellers word for it since he was a soldier. Cost was $300, didn't loose anything after eBay sale.
 

617aircav

Suspended
Jul 2, 2012
3,975
818
Didn't notice the name. I was Army before I went to med school then switched sides for the good life! When I was stationed in Germany years ago the AF guys always laughed at us sweating like slaves with no AC while their housing had it. I always knew they had it better but now I know lol.

Yep. In Iraq the everything airforce was better than army. We called them the CHAIR FORCE. Lol. I get out in October and going to nursing school.
 

617aircav

Suspended
Jul 2, 2012
3,975
818
That's what I was thinking as well and why I'm afraid to buy one off eBay even if the ESN CURRENTLY is still good. 30 days from now it could go bad.

Then you file an item not as described dispute with eBay. You have a 45 day automatic return policy on ebay, no matter what the sellers terms are.
 

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
OK then, on day 46 the IMEI could go bad. ;)

You are absolutely right. At the end of the day, this can realistically happen with ANY used phone you buy. There is no way to remove 100% of the risk, but chances are if the IMEI hasn't been blacklisted after 45 days, it's likely not going to be.
 

617aircav

Suspended
Jul 2, 2012
3,975
818
You are absolutely right. At the end of the day, this can realistically happen with ANY used phone you buy. There is no way to remove 100% of the risk, but chances are if the IMEI hasn't been blacklisted after 45 days, it's likely not going to be.

Best you can do is bay based on a sellers reputation, like me.
 
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