How to resell a subsidized AT&T iPhone 4S?

[FreakinEurekan]

You'll be paying $15+ a month for the iphone data plan. Why isn't that factored in?

If you bought an unlocked, you wouldn't have to pay $15 a month for 18 months.

He's going to be using an iPhone on that account either way, the data charge is irrelevant to the calculation.

 

[gb21]

I would echo the point mentioned by a previous poster: selling on eBay is a huge pain.

Scam buyers keep buying/bidding on them and then not pay or use fraudulent accounts (it took me 5 or 6 times to actually got someone real, and each time one has to open a case and wait for it to clear.)

Definitely avoid international buyers (higher chance of scam or non-payment as physical addresses often cannot be verified), but mostly because shipping insurance is a major issue with int'l shipment/tracking. Apparently US postal service does NOT cover iPhone if stolen or lost (mailing radio transmitting device is prohibited..) And some 3rd party insurance only covers up to entry into the country, but not while it's within...etc. I never found a feasible/reasonably priced way to insure the phone when asked to ship it to certain countries.

Plus the eBay and paypal fees, really not worth the trouble.

 

[bretmartin]

Do the AT&T locked iPhones really fetch that much on ebay?

Yes. See the spreadsheet I posted above, which contains actual average selling price data from eBay as of 11/20.

I did something similar, except I sold on craigslist.

I'm considering doing this as well. Did you have any problem finding people who would bring you cash in such a large amount?

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What about switching to Sprint or Verizon?

I considered it but I'm happy with my AT&T service (with the exception of their we-don't-unlock-iPhones-after-you-satisfy-your-contract policy).

There is also this

http://osxdaily.com/2011/11/17/unlock-the-iphone-4s/

Not sure if it's something Apple will patch with an update but apparently it's working for now.

I'm pretty confident this hole will be closed, and I don't want to count on unintentional defects like this to retain an unlocked device.

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You'll be paying $15+ a month for the iphone data plan. Why isn't that factored in?

Because I am going to pay that in either case.

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Huh? Data plans are a feature not tied to the contract; so the plan for the second 4S can be dropped once the line is dissociated with the iPhone IMEI.

How does this "disassociation" occur? Simply by putting the SIM in the other phone and turning it on?

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Activate it first.

Does anyone understand why the IMEI is apparently associated with the AT&T account before activation? i.e. Why would Apple or AT&T care if I take the SIM (which I get is attached to my account) from the subsidized iPhone, and then put it in the unlocked one for activation?

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I would echo the point mentioned by a previous poster: selling on eBay is a huge pain.

I appreciate all the warnings on this. It's been a while since I sold on eBay, and I've never sold something worth this much. Are iPhones particularly attractive to eBay fraudsters for some reason?

I'll definitely try Craigslist instead. (I'm thinking of waiting until just before Christmas, actually, hoping to capitalize on last-minute shoppers who would love to get the unit immediately instead of waiting for 1-2 week shipping times!)

 

[ApplesAndOrangs]

Huh? Data plans are a feature not tied to the contract; so the plan for the second 4S can be dropped once the line is dissociated with the iPhone IMEI.

Oh I see he's going to use it either way

So are you saying he can take the data off once he sells it? I thought AT&T didn't let you do that.

 

[benguild]

I have a phone-upgrade-eligible AT&T account.

I want to purchase an iPhone 4S 32GB at the subsidized price ($299), and resell that unit, preferably sealed and unopened, on eBay. I expect to be able to sell it for somewhere between $550 and $650 based on completed eBay listings for such units.

Then I'm also going to purchase a factory unlocked iPhone 4S 32GB ($749) to actually use.

In this way I hope to end up with an unlocked unit for less than $749 net ($299 + $749 - $550 = ~$500).

What I'm unclear on is how to handle the SIM cards and activation.

1. Will the micro SIM in the unit I buy subsidized be somehow linked to my account even before I activate it?
2. I have an existing AT&T SIM that I can cut to micro size (I have a cutter) for use in the unlocked unit. Is there any reason to get a new micro SIM from AT&T instead of using that card?
3. Will AT&T automatically switch me to the iPhone plan even though I won't activate the subsidized 4S? In other words, when does the iPhone data plan get added -- when I purchase or when I activate? (I'm not interested in skirting the requirement for an iPhone-specific data plan.)

Thanks for any help!

I did the same thing last month, because I travel internationally as well.
You need to activate the new iPhone before shipping it (the subsidized one) and put that SIM Card into your new, unlocked 4S.

That's all it takes! Other people cannot activate a new iPhone anymore if it was purchased under contract.

The unlocked iPhone may come with an unused AT&T SIM Card that you could ship with the phone to someone. Just make sure you restore it again before you ship it out.

 

[MrXiro]

I did the same thing last month, because I travel internationally as well.
You need to activate the new iPhone before shipping it (the subsidized one) and put that SIM Card into your new, unlocked 4S.

That's all it takes! Other people cannot activate a new iPhone anymore if it was purchased under contract.

The unlocked iPhone may come with an unused AT&T SIM Card that you could ship with the phone to someone. Just make sure you restore it again before you ship it out.

Is that all iPhone 4S phones? I had heard that the ones coming from AT&T did not need to be activated but if you think about it that is ridiculous... Why would they have multiple ways to activate your phone... But just for curiosity sake did you order yours from apple or from AT&T?

 

[tys]

You're going to have to activate the subsidized phone first. In other words, you can't sell it unopened. Otherwise, the only way the person will be able to use the phone is to activate the phone. It would activate on your account (he will need some of your personal information). It's just a mess from that point onwards (some random person with your working number). You're better off just doing it yourself. Just post a picture of your receipt with a date to prove how new the device is.

I'm looking to do the same as the OP: sell a new subsidized iPhone on eBay. Do I actually have to activate the new phone or can I just remove the SIM (without even powering it on) and ship the phone to the new buyer?

Thanks
tys