Hey everyone, I just had a couple quick questions. I am planning on trading my black iPhone 5S for a gold one. The person contacted me through Craigslist, so we are going to meet tomorrow. Besides the basics like checking for scratches and stuff, is there anything else that I need to check for? The service is through Verizon, so I'm basically wondering if after we traded he could like blacklist the IMEI and I couldn't use the phone? I think we are going to meet at the Verizon store, if that makes any difference.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Trading Black iPhone 5S for Gold
- Thread starter cagcody
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If his phone was purchased on contract, if he defaults on his payment, VZW can still blacklist the IMEI.
Outside of that, going into Verizon to make the switch should prove successful for you and go without a hitch.
Outside of that, going into Verizon to make the switch should prove successful for you and go without a hitch.
Nah just have the Verizon people do the esn swap there. They gotta be clean to do a esn swap. Even under contract you can swap phones unless it's financed.
That's not the issue. Phone can still be black listed months later by original owner defaulting. I have seen several posts from Howard forums complaining of using the phone for months. Than they switch phones and than try to put lte phone back in previously good esn phone brought used and their phone isn't able to be used and their lte sim gets zapped and unable to use it.
So I can buy a phone today, on contract, trade it off to someone for a much lesser model, default that same day, and they are just fine? That doesn't seem to make sense at all. Not saying I don't believe you, but if you have intentions of defaulting this would be the way to go.
If u buy the 5s Verizon on contract, u can default pretty much the next day. You'll be charged the 350 etf on the contract. No blacklisting the imei.
U can swap esns on your line but the 2 year agreement is on your service. So yes if u swapped your 5s for let's say a galaxy or something, the 5s has a clean esn because your line is still active and on the galaxy now.
Verizon 5s are gsm unlocked from the beginning even under contract too
I realize they are unlocked (not sure why that's relevant in this case). I am referring to defaulting as STOP paying your monthly bills. Surely they aren't simply going to say "hey this guy didn't pay the last two months, let's just add an ETF and call it a day and not do anything about the phone we essentially gave him on credit". Or maybe they do... I just can;t imagine that being the case.
It's exactly what they do. Carriers care more about service. Phones are a means to get u to sign that agreement. If u stop paying your bill or don't pay your etf, it gets put on your credit. But if your active, you can esn swap phones and in our example the 5s will have a clean esn with no account attached to it, able to be activated. Verizon won't blacklist it.
Well, I know for a fact AT&T doesn't do it that way. They will blacklist an IMEI if said phone was purchased under contract and that person defaults on their payment. Everything I have read states that Verizon will do the same as well.
I tried chatting with a rep online, but all he could tell me was to call in. Not interested enough to spend THAT much effort on it.
My gut still tells me you are incorrect. It is simply foolish to charge a person who has defaulted and do nothing else to the phone when it is so ridiculously easy to do so. Following your statements, the only bad ESN to exist would be those phones that were reported lost or stolen. Again, everything I read says that is not the case.
No matter. best of luck to the OP.
Oh boy. Ok lemme clarify.
All 4 big carriers are the same on 2 year agreements. U can get a 5s on Verizon AT&T sprint etc, swap phones with something like a galaxy for example anytime, even under a 2 year agreement. This is a esn swap. If u do that the 5s has a clean esn ready to activate. The line is on the galaxy now. The etf is still there to account for the phone purchased.
It's not blacklisting the phone when u default. There's an account on the phone. That's why you'll have trouble activating on another carrier. U pay the past due and etf, it's good to go. They don't blacklist the phone for this. It just already has an account with a balance on it already.
Blacklisted esns are ones reported as stolen.
U could've bought your att iPhone, swapped it the next day, and the iPhone would have a clean esn.
Maybe you are not undesrtanding what I am saying when i use the term "default"...
I can guarantee you that the ETF, on AT&T, is linked to the specific phone you purchased, and not just your account. If I sell my phone (or trade it) and five months later decide I don't feel like paying my monthly bill anymore (default on my payments), THAT PHONE now has a banned IMEI. Whatever phone I currently have on my account, so long as it is NOT the phone that I purchased with the subsidy (ie the phone I traded for) remains clean. I highly doubt that Verizon does this differently.
Trading Black iPhone 5S for Gold
It's not true. Etf is tied to your account. Blacklisting a imei is for lost or stolen. If u default, it's considered a "bad" esn cuz there's an account with a balance on the phone, not cuz AT&T blacklisted it.
If you don't pay your bill, the bill and etf is on the phone the account is on.
Again u can buy a iPhone on a 2 year contract, swap esns, and that iPhone will have a clean esn. If u stop paying or cancel, the account is to the phone the account is on. So is the etf. It's all about the line and service.
It's no different if u buy a clean esn phone off eBay and do a esn swap. Once u do that the account and etf is on the new phone. The old phone is clean.
Just like carrier insurance like asurion. They want your damaged phone so that when you swap your account to the replacement, they repair it, turn around and sell it cuz it's got a clean esn on it.
I know we're going back and forth here lol. Just saying I know from being a dealer this works. We do postpaid, prepaid, phone flashing, etc. we work with CDMA and gsm phones. Verizon and AT&T, along with sprint & tmobile.
It's not true. Etf is tied to your account. Blacklisting a imei is for lost or stolen. If u default, it's considered a "bad" esn cuz there's an account with a balance on the phone, not cuz AT&T blacklisted it.
If you don't pay your bill, the bill and etf is on the phone the account is on.
Again u can buy a iPhone on a 2 year contract, swap esns, and that iPhone will have a clean esn. If u stop paying or cancel, the account is to the phone the account is on. So is the etf. It's all about the line and service.
It's no different if u buy a clean esn phone off eBay and do a esn swap. Once u do that the account and etf is on the new phone. The old phone is clean.
Just like carrier insurance like asurion. They want your damaged phone so that when you swap your account to the replacement, they repair it, turn around and sell it cuz it's got a clean esn on it.
I know we're going back and forth here lol. Just saying I know from being a dealer this works. We do postpaid, prepaid, phone flashing, etc. we work with CDMA and gsm phones. Verizon and AT&T, along with sprint & tmobile.
Last edited:
Well, I am certainly not going to continue to argue. I know, from personal experience, that this isn't the case on AT&T. But, say what you will.
For AT&T and T-Mobile, there's no ESN, it's just the IMEI. You don't need to do an "ESN swap" on AT&T. You just swap SIM cards and you're good to go. GSM accounts are tied to the SIM card and not the devices. However, AT&T is certainly within their rights to blacklist IMEI for on-contract phones if the user has defaulted on their account.
I understand that. Yes esn is mainly CDMA, imei for gsm. I only use esn because I believe the main issue of the thread was Verizon. But again it applies to gsm carriers as well.
Again blacklisting is lost or stolen. Having an account with a balance on an esn/imei is different.
Again, you can buy a phone on contract, do a esn swap/imei update, and the original phone will be clean. The account and etf is attached to the phone the service is on.
Again for example, u have an iPhone under contract. Screen breaks. U have another smartphone laying around which is clean and no account on it. You do the swap. Once u do it, the iPhone is clean. You still have an etf but it's on your service, not the phone. If u cancel or stop paying, the etf is charged to your account and there's a balance on the new phone, but again your iPhone is still clean. Don't pay that it goes to collections and on your credit.
Verizon, sprint, AT&T etc are all the same on 2 year contracts
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1691765/
See my thread
it may be helpful for you especially the bottom 1/3. Please note that blacklisting of IMEI is something that no one can protect you with in words ever unless that phones IMEI is paid off 100%.
Some reports lately have been that even Verizon iPhones are showing "No Service" on AT&T / T-Mobile so it maybe that Verizon is beginning to share IMEI #'s with the central blacklist server ..... I have only heard reports on 5S models so far, no 5 or 5C.
See my thread
it may be helpful for you especially the bottom 1/3. Please note that blacklisting of IMEI is something that no one can protect you with in words ever unless that phones IMEI is paid off 100%. Some reports lately have been that even Verizon iPhones are showing "No Service" on AT&T / T-Mobile so it maybe that Verizon is beginning to share IMEI #'s with the central blacklist server ..... I have only heard reports on 5S models so far, no 5 or 5C.