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iPhone X Selling Verizon iPhone X - do I activate 1st? Or just sell as is?

Blondie&Dagwood

Blondie&Dagwood

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 27, 2017
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As I was lucky enough to snag multiple Verizon iPhones with November 3rd delivery dates (more out of luck than anything because I was scpetical that the 1st order through the Verizon app wasn’t just a screw-up, so I carried on ordering again). I paid full price for each. I am selling the additional devices through Craigslist. What should I do before handing the phone over. Should I activate it first, then reset the phone and remove the SIM card; or do I just hand over the box to him unopened. Reason I ask is that I had opened multiple lines just for pre-ordering (1 to order on Apple, 1 to order on Verizon app, and the 3rd for the Verizon authorized dealer to order for me), and will be cancelling those additional lines as soon as the phones have been sold.

What is the best practice for this? I would hate for the buyer to have to call me down the road asking me for my account pin or SSN. Additionally, if I don’t pre-activate, will Verizon prevent me from cancelling the lines as the system will show a pre-order in progress?
 
Take the Sim card out of the X and then sell it. Do not turn on the X with the sim card in it. If you do, you will be responsible for at least one month on your account. That way when they activate it, it won't activate to your account. The sim card in the X is linked to your account, not the phone.
 
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I ended up with a similar deal and it appears that ATT will charge me $20 extra a month for the line. I already have 2 lines @ $40 per line so I don't understand why it's going to only be $20.

Regardless, I'm going to move some numbers around so that I end up with only 2 lines. When I ordered the new X, I tried to set it to my regular line that presently is via my IP8 (which I fully paid for). So I thought I could use that line for the X since I DON'T have a contract and the IP8 was fully paid for. However, the preorder software wouldn't let me do that so I chose the extra line just to keep the order going.

Guess I don't understand what a NO CONTRACT phone is with ATT.
 
IIRC, sometimes phones come with a carrier activation lock, where you can't just remove the sim before turning the phone on. You must go through the steps of entering your personal information to unlock the phone, after which, you can do whatever you want with it.

I don't recall when this comes into play. If someone could chime in.
 
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Packers1958 said:
Take the Sim card out of the X and then sell it. Do not turn on the X with the sim card in it. If you do, you will be responsible for at least one month on your account. That way when they activate it, it won't activate to your account. The sim card in the X is linked to your account, not the phone.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but I already had to activate the additional lines prior to the pre-order, otherwise I would not have been able to pre-order the phone quickly enough (wanted to avoid additional admin steps and the Verizon authorized dealer and ordering through Apple requires existing line), so am already on the hook for the 1 month line access fee. The profit from reselling these babies will more than cover this. Does this change your advice?
 
How will this work for T-mobile version of the APPLE Store? It was paid in full. I honestly do not remember it asking for my phone number, I remember the Verizon versions clearly asking for a phone number. I really wanted done of those for me. Should i also remove the sim before i sell it?
 
Blondie&Dagwood said:
Thanks, but I already had to activate the additional lines prior to the pre-order, otherwise I would not have been able to pre-order the phone quickly enough (wanted to avoid additional admin steps and the Verizon authorized dealer and ordering through Apple requires existing line), so am already on the hook for the 1 month line access fee. The profit from reselling these babies will more than cover this. Does this change your advice?
Click to expand...
Since it is active, you can turn on the X, but you will still need to remove the sim before you sell it. But then you will have to make sure you do a full reset so that it's not linked to your icloud account, and find my iPhone has been turned off, so that the buyer is not left with a locked phone.
 
Blondie&Dagwood said:
As I was lucky enough to snag multiple Verizon iPhones with November 3rd delivery dates (more out of luck than anything because I was scpetical that the 1st order through the Verizon app wasn’t just a screw-up, so I carried on ordering again). I paid full price for each. I am selling the additional devices through Craigslist. What should I do before handing the phone over. Should I activate it first, then reset the phone and remove the SIM card; or do I just hand over the box to him unopened. Reason I ask is that I had opened multiple lines just for pre-ordering (1 to order on Apple, 1 to order on Verizon app, and the 3rd for the Verizon authorized dealer to order for me), and will be cancelling those additional lines as soon as the phones have been sold.

What is the best practice for this? I would hate for the buyer to have to call me down the road asking me for my account pin or SSN. Additionally, if I don’t pre-activate, will Verizon prevent me from cancelling the lines as the system will show a pre-order in progress?
Click to expand...

did they all ship?
 
I am doing the same thing.
I somehow ordered 4 iPhone X and I only have 2 lines through my Verizon account.
3 have been shipped for a 11/3 delivery and one has a 11/17 delivery. I will probably cancel that 4th order unless demand remains high at that date.
So I will have 1 for sale on Friday. All were paid in full.

I plan to open the box, remove the sim and power on to confirm it works to the buyer. I will not activate or sign into my iCloud. Sell through CL and meet a local buyer at a public place with plenty of cameras like inside a Starbucks, gas station or bank branch.
 
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NovemberWhiskey said:
IIRC, sometimes phones come with a carrier activation lock, where you can't just remove the sim before turning the phone on. You must go through the steps of entering your personal information to unlock the phone, after which, you can do whatever you want with it.

I don't recall when this comes into play. If someone could chime in.
Click to expand...

Can anyone chime in here?
 
You do not need to remove Verizon sims before you sell it. If you want to for piece of mind you can, but the sim will be useless to someone who buys it without your SSN and account information. They will need to supply and use their own sim card for it to work. I've confirmed this with a random Verizon employee as well as a friend of mind who works in a local store.
 
What about T-Mobile phone paid for in full and not linked to any carrier number? TY
 
I seemed to remember that you had to activate the phone on the line that it was purchased on before you could swap SIMs, to help deter theft. Is this not the case anymore?
 
Ok, I just remembered that I used to have to activate with personal information (maybe SSN and phone number) when there used to be subsidies, and I used a subsidy to buy a phone. In those cases, you definitely could not just remove the sim. The phone itself was locked and required personal information to unlock.

However, for phones paid for outright, I think you MAY be able to just remove the SIM. I won't be sure until I get my phones on Friday. Will update.
 
patricem said:
Same thing meaning.....? Remove Sim?
Click to expand...
A T-Mobile iPhone bought from Apple and fully paid is unlocked and the SIM inside it is not activated. If you want to keep the phone and use your existing T-Mobile SIM, just swap the SIM out. If you want to sell the phone, you can leave the SIM in it, or take it out. Either way the phone is not associated with your T-Mobile account.
 
patricem said:
What about T-Mobile phone paid for in full and not linked to any carrier number? TY
Click to expand...

Would you mind creating a separate thread for T-Mobile phones. Want to keep this thread for iPhone's purchased at full retail price through Verizon, or tagged to Verizon accounts / lines that are going to be re-sold. T-Mobile phones purchased through Apple are not tagged to existing T-Mobile accounts, so will have a different answer to Verizon phones. Thanks.
[doublepost=1509473616][/doublepost]
firststate said:
You do not need to remove Verizon sims before you sell it. If you want to for piece of mind you can, but the sim will be useless to someone who buys it without your SSN and account information. They will need to supply and use their own sim card for it to work. I've confirmed this with a random Verizon employee as well as a friend of mind who works in a local store.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for the reply, so if I just give the buyer the un-opened box and let him go on his own way, he just needs to insert his own SIM card, and the iPhone will activate without him having to input any of my own SSN or Verizon pin code? What happens to the Verizon line that I purchased this phone on? Once he activates the phone with his own SIM, will my account line automatically reflect that there is no order tagged to it?
 
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Blondie&Dagwood said:
Would you mind creating a separate thread for T-Mobile phones. Want to keep this thread for iPhone's purchased at full retail price through Verizon, or tagged to Verizon accounts / lines that are going to be re-sold. T-Mobile phones purchased through Apple are not tagged to existing T-Mobile accounts, so will have a different answer to Verizon phones. Thanks.
[doublepost=1509473616][/doublepost]

Thank you so much for the reply, so if I just give the buyer the un-opened box and let him go on his own way, he just needs to insert his own SIM card, and the iPhone will activate without him having to input any of my own SSN or Verizon pin code? What happens to the Verizon line that I purchased this phone on? Once he activates the phone with his own SIM, will my account line automatically reflect that there is no order tagged to it?
Click to expand...
What do you mean by tagged to it? I bought 3 phones outright all on the same "line" but nothing looks like its attached to it, it still just shows my old 6S. If the phones get here and I sell them I dont think anything will change.
 
firststate said:
What do you mean by tagged to it? I bought 3 phones outright all on the same "line" but nothing looks like its attached to it, it still just shows my old 6S. If the phones get here and I sell them I dont think anything will change.
Click to expand...

When I go to MyVerizon, Manage Devices, Activate/switch/BYOD the screen says that there are pending upgrades associated to this account. Just want to make sure those can fall away automatically without me ever activating the SIM and device. Am I overthinking and over-engineering this? Interesting that you placed 3 orders on one line. Did you do them in 1 transaction or individual transactions? After I placed my initial order for 1 phone on Verizon App, when I tried to place another on the same line through Apple, when it went through the verification screen with Verizon it gave me an error message that I already had a pending order. Only after the phone was shipped did this fall away.
[doublepost=1509487413][/doublepost]See the screenshot below
 

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Blondie&Dagwood said:
When I go to MyVerizon, Manage Devices, Activate/switch/BYOD the screen says that there are pending upgrades associated to this account. Just want to make sure those can fall away automatically without me ever activating the SIM and device. Am I overthinking and over-engineering this? Interesting that you placed 3 orders on one line. Did you do them in 1 transaction or individual transactions? After I placed my initial order for 1 phone on Verizon App, when I tried to place another on the same line through Apple, when it went through the verification screen with Verizon it gave me an error message that I already had a pending order. Only after the phone was shipped did this fall away.
[doublepost=1509487413][/doublepost]See the screenshot below
Click to expand...

I don't know if they are going to "fall off or not". I did two separate orders, same credit card, same line , both paid in full on Verizon.com. I did another order GSM (T-Mobile so they don't ask for any subscriber info) via Apple.com. My fourth order was a friend who works in a brick and mortar store ordered one attached to the same line but with no payment info yet.
 
firststate said:
I don't know if they are going to "fall off or not". I did two separate orders, same credit card, same line , both paid in full on Verizon.com. I did another order GSM (T-Mobile so they don't ask for any subscriber info) via Apple.com. My fourth order was a friend who works in a brick and mortar store ordered one attached to the same line but with no payment info yet.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate. I went to 3 different Verizon stores after work this evening and was told different things. One associate told me what you did that I can just give the buyer the phone unpackaged and my line continues as normal, another associate told me that I should take the SIM card out of the phone before selling it or phone customer service and cancel that line otherwise the buyer will be able to use my line when he turns on the phone if I leave the SIM in it, and finally a 3rd associate told me that his own experience has been a lottery where some activations require the 1st account holder to activate first, whilst others can be activated fine by a different SIM. His recommendation to me was to activate the phone first, then take out the SIM and factory reset the device before handing it to the buyer. Guess I will just play it by ear on Friday and try find a buyer that is comfortable with this approach just to be safe.
 
Blondie&Dagwood said:
Thanks mate. I went to 3 different Verizon stores after work this evening and was told different things. One associate told me what you did that I can just give the buyer the phone unpackaged and my line continues as normal, another associate told me that I should take the SIM card out of the phone before selling it or phone customer service and cancel that line otherwise the buyer will be able to use my line when he turns on the phone if I leave the SIM in it, and finally a 3rd associate told me that his own experience has been a lottery where some activations require the 1st account holder to activate first, whilst others can be activated fine by a different SIM. His recommendation to me was to activate the phone first, then take out the SIM and factory reset the device before handing it to the buyer. Guess I will just play it by ear on Friday and try find a buyer that is comfortable with this approach just to be safe.
Click to expand...
I was likely going to ask if we could open it in person and remove the sim just for peace of mind.
 
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