Activating iPhone purchased from someone else?

[lawlbringer]

Are there issues with activating iPhone 5's that haven't had there initial SIM card activated? Or is that phone's IMEI tied to the original owner's wireless account and has to be activated regardless if you just swap sim cards?

A lot of folks selling these things sealed but what good is it if it can't be activated? I'm on AT&T, so I'm wondering what(or if) anything can be done to get around this.

 

[Applejuiced]

I heard some people having issues with people buying them on contract and selling them sealed without first activating them.
I saw and most likely everyone will see this screen below on AT&T when you buy it subsidized. Once you enter it and activate it initially out the box that screen will never come back no matter how many times you restore or update.
But if you dont have that info not sure how you will get around it. Maybe if you bring it to an AT&T store they will be able to reset it for you and activate it?

 

[forcetactic]

I'm also wondering if there's anything you can do to prevent the seller from reporting an ATT iPhone 5 as stolen later.

So far I haven't found a way and it seems as if every ATT iPhone you buy off craigslist can be potentially blocked by the seller if he or she wanted to

 

[Applejuiced]

I'm also wondering if there's anything you can do to prevent the seller from reporting an ATT iPhone 5 as stolen later.

So far I haven't found a way and it seems as if every ATT iPhone you buy off craigslist can be potentially blocked by the seller if he or she wanted to

I hear you, its a risk.
Every used iphone that you buy on CL, ebay or anywhere can later be reported lost or stolen.
I dont know why would one do that if its really theirs to sell. Or if its stolen then the original owner might blacklist its IMEI so then it cant be used in the US at all.