I am considering purchasing a mobile phone on ebay but 99% of them are unwanted contract upgrades, your not even allowed to sell these are you?

The thing i am worried about is if i were to purchase one of these phones wouldn't the seller be able to get it barred or if the network found out that the person had sold it then wouldn't they block the phone?

I need some advice on this before i consider getting one, cheers.

not sure if my advice is any good to you but if i was in your shoes i would get it from a shop as it saves all the hassle and worry if the item real works and if they are really going to send it after you have paid them.

at least at a shop you get the item you pay for and a warrenty to go with it if anything fails on the phone

hope this helps x

The contract only relates to to the tariff the original owner has, which is all to do with the SIM. If your SIM is compatible with a phone which is being sold, then all you are doing is paying for a handset.

For example, I have two handsets at home. Both are locked to my mobile provider. If for some reason my 'better' handset goes wrong, I can use my older handset, with my normal SIM card, and they wouldn't know a thing, nor care.

I own my old handset though (as I've had an upgrade), so if I wish to sell it on, I can do. I can't do anything to the phone itself to give it 'my identity'. My other half can use either of my handsets without compuction with her SIM card, as her SIM is compatible with either phone, as we're on the same network, and obviously I could use hers if needs be.

Unless you need repairs or you're paying insurance, your provider won't give a monkey's as long as the bill is paid.

Legally, I may be wrong, but in reality, I'll bet I'm not really.

The first owner of the phone can always get it blocked though, or it may already be blocked. That's why I wouldn't buy a phone off Ebay, but it's probably overly paranoid.

The first owner of the phone can always get it blocked though, or it may already be blocked. That's why I wouldn't buy a phone off Ebay, but it's probably overly paranoid.


Yes that's right, sell you the phone then ring up and say it's stolen. Then they have your cash to pay the £50 excess to get another + they are quids in.
In the meanwhile you have a blocked phone that will only work outside the UK, as it's illegal to unblock them.

I have a G1 on contract for £30 p.m. (due to phones 4 u not having the correct tariff on the computer) and i noticed you could buy the phone on pay as you go. It was £350 on PAYG , the same phone at the time was fetching £400 on eBay ??? If i was spending that amount i'd be going to the shop.

Unless you need repairs or you're paying insurance, your provider won't give a monkey's as long as the bill is paid.

Legally, I may be wrong, but in reality, I'll bet I'm not really.

when i took my contract out they didn't even write down the phones IMIE number for the contract, it was only for the insurance. That may have been due to the silly woman serving me, as it took me 1hr 30mins to get the phone due to computer errors.

once you get a phone with a contract you are usually tied into the contract for a period of time, after that period is up the phone is yours you can do what you want with it, if you upgrade to a new phone you will again be tied to the contract for a period of time but the phone you upgraded from is yours and once the contract period expires the new phone is also yours to do what you want with

I've had mobile phones for over ten years; each time I get an upgrade, I erase all the personal stuff on it, and sell it on eBay.

If I was going to be silly enough to then report it stolen and get it locked, it wouldn't be difficult for the eBay purchaser to use the eBay system to get back to me; after all, eBay know my name, my address, my bank details etc. At the minimum I would be forced to repay the buyer and trash my feedback score.

Once a phone contract has ended, either by termination or upgrade, then phone companies don't care about the phone at all. They don't have any proof I still have the phone during the contract either; as long as I pay them the monthly bill, they're happy.

As a side point, an awful lot of contracts these days are now 18 months, with some being 2 years. Theres going to be some very tired looking phones on eBay in a year or so..

I am considering purchasing a mobile phone on ebay but 99% of them are unwanted contract upgrades, your not even allowed to sell these are you?

The thing i am worried about is if i were to purchase one of these phones wouldn't the seller be able to get it barred or if the network found out that the person had sold it then wouldn't they block the phone?

I need some advice on this before i consider getting one, cheers. If the seller dosnt keep up with there contract it could be blocked it could be months after you can never tell i would buy from a shop.I know a few fallen for this con phone been fine for a month or so then oops blocked.But theres many genuine ppl out there so at the end of the day its 50/50 chance.

In my case with the phone i want it's a case of paying around £200 on ebay or £400 for it online.

The phone i want to get is not available on PAYG, i don't want a contract so either i have to pay around £200 on ebay or pay £390 for a brand new unlocked sim free version.

People on ebay sell their upgrades that they have just recieved from their network provider or shop etc etc.

What if i got a signed receipt from the seller saying that they had sold it to me or something?

So the phone you have seen on eBay is a brand new phone? The seller is saying he has got it as he has renewed his contract?

I'd be careful if I were you; I don't know anyone who gets given an upgrade then doesn't use it and sticks with their old phone for another year or two years, most people can't wait to get rid of the old phone.

Far higher chance IMO of it being off the back of a lorry, or not even a UK spec phone. Ask for a photograph of the phone in the box complete with instructions etc, and especially with all the seals (broken obviously) on the box. The seals will have the name of the provider, such as O2 or T-Mobile. There might also be some branded marketing material in the box, such as T-Mobile Web and Walk or Club Nokia that would also give a clue as to the country of origin.

what phone are you after??

If you bought it off ebay and the "seller" is in a contract on that phone it will 90% chance of getting blocked!

All he has to do is Report lost or stolen he then gets a replacement if on insurance

IF he missed payments on the still outstanding contract if would be locked

Its not locked on a sim card, its locked via the IMEA number it simply gets put on a black list

So you could buy it, 3 months later stop working thats £200 down the drain you might aswell save up and buy sim free! or PAYG I did, nokia 5800 managed to find it on offer at £195.00 where as everywhere else had it at £300.00 in the first month it came out!

Be very careful, mobile phones are among the most-scammed items on ebay. I have used ebay for quite some time, personally I wouldn't risk buying a phone.

Be very careful, mobile phones are among the most-scammed items on ebay. I have used ebay for quite some time, personally I wouldn't risk buying a phone.Same here, i wouldn't even consider buying a phone off ebay.

i would also suggest you get it from a shop instead.