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I got a bad imei phone from craigslist. What can i do with it? can i sell it on ebay? So many dishonest people on craigslist. a lesson learn for me.
dealkk said:
I got a bad imei phone from craigslist. What can i do with it? can i sell it on ebay? So many dishonest people on craigslist. a lesson learn for me.
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Sell it as is
Or unlock it
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
dealkk said:
I got a bad imei phone from craigslist. What can i do with it? can i sell it on ebay? So many dishonest people on craigslist. a lesson learn for me.
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just curious- what do you mean by a bad IMEI? what makes it bad?
saucyross said:
just curious- what do you mean by a bad IMEI? what makes it bad?
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It's when someone reports phone lost or stolen.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
nanobutter said:
It's when someone reports phone lost or stolen.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
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Or doesn't pay their EIP on it or says they didn't receive it and sells it. There's many ways T-Mobile phones can be blacklisted.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Basically it's junk use it on WIFI or be just as dishonest as the person who sold it to you. Or be honest & maybe someone will but it to use on WIFI. But blacklisted it's a brick. No amount of flashing or roms can change an imei. It still does everything the phone can do, but it will never have cellular service.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
I feel for you, man. I got my One just a few days ago and seriously considered buying secondhand because I wanted to buy the phone outright and used phones run a couple hundred less. Ultimately I decided there was too much risk and it was worth the peace of mind to buy a new phone directly from TMO. You can't even trust buying a sealed phone still in the package from a third party, since people can steal them in transit or from the store and when the store does inventory and finds the phone missing it goes dead.
Contacting the police and filing a police report is about all you can do. Depending on how stupid the seller was, how much information you got and how motivated the cops are to follow up on your case, you may get your money back. As for the phone, it will not work on any of the US carriers or their MVNOs. About the only option is selling it on eBay to someone overseas. You can sell them on eBay as long as you disclose it has a bad IMEI.
Hesster said:
I feel for you, man. I got my One just a few days ago and seriously considered buying secondhand because I wanted to buy the phone outright and used phones run a couple hundred less. Ultimately I decided there was too much risk and it was worth the peace of mind to buy a new phone directly from TMO. You can't even trust buying a sealed phone still in the package from a third party, since people can steal them in transit or from the store and when the store does inventory and finds the phone missing it goes dead.
Contacting the police and filing a police report is about all you can do. Depending on how stupid the seller was, how much information you got and how motivated the cops are to follow up on your case, you may get your money back. As for the phone, it will not work on any of the US carriers or their MVNOs. About the only option is selling it on eBay to someone overseas. You can sell them on eBay as long as you disclose it has a bad IMEI.
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Phones with bad imei can be used overseas? do you have something that confirms it? I would like to know since I was considering in purchasing one.
cristian.daniel23 said:
Phones with bad imei can be used overseas? do you have something that confirms it? I would like to know since I was considering in purchasing one.
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He isn't saying they work, he's saying that he should do to others the same thing that happened to him..
dealkk said:
I got a bad imei phone from craigslist. What can i do with it? can i sell it on ebay? So many dishonest people on craigslist. a lesson learn for me.
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No, don't sell it on ebay. When selling it on ebay you have to wait at least 2 or 3 days for the buyer to confirm whether or not the phone is working or not under some circumstances. The buyer can easily file a complaint using the resolution center thus resulting in the money that the buyer gave to you being locked until the problem is resolved. It's best to do it through craigslist since ebay and paypal have all those fees anyways.
cristian.daniel23 said:
Phones with bad imei can be used overseas? do you have something that confirms it? I would like to know since I was considering in purchasing one.
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I live in the US, so I've never tested it myself but I've heard from others on this board and elsewhere they bought bad IMEI phones for use in foreign countries and the phones worked. There is actually a huge international black market in stolen phones run by organized crime just for that purpose.
saucyross said:
He isn't saying they work, he's saying that he should do to others the same thing that happened to him..
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Uh, no. That's not what I'm saying at all. I am absolutely against selling a phone and not disclosing it has a bad IMEI. For some users, bad IMEIs don't matter. They either don't apply in the person's country, or the buyer is equipped to swap the motherboard with one from a damaged phone with a good IMEI. Those are the people you want to sell to.
bad imei
This happened to me as well. I bought an s4 from a guy he had changed the imei. I checked back of phone it in fact did not match the actual phone imei. Yet it worked fine. Anyway if u get a bad imei phone if u sim unlock it u can use it on any network but tmobile as long as its a gsm network. U can sell it to someone who intends to use it on att
Radsolutionz said:
This happened to me as well. I bought an s4 from a guy he had changed the imei. I checked back of phone it in fact did not match the actual phone imei. Yet it worked fine. Anyway if u get a bad imei phone if u sim unlock it u can use it on any network but tmobile as long as its a gsm network. U can sell it to someone who intends to use it on att
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doesnt at&t and t-mobile share their blacklists now? if so it can not be activated on either network.
dealkk said:
I got a bad imei phone from craigslist. What can i do with it? can i sell it on ebay? So many dishonest people on craigslist. a lesson learn for me.
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pm message me. i have someone you can get in contact witth that can clean it out for you!
My "galaxy s5" came in today. Worked for one minute and died. Appear cheap made. Says made in China. Called tmobile she told me imei is unknown. Watch out if buying on ebay. I'm returning Monday
optimusv45 said:
My "galaxy s5" came in today. Worked for one minute and died. Appear cheap made. Says made in China. Called tmobile she told me imei is unknown. Watch out if buying on ebay. I'm returning Monday
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You have to be really careful on eBay with mobile phones. So many of them are blacklisted, blocked or are about to be. You have to make sure they can prove it was paid off. S3s have been around long enough as well as some S4s so your chances of getting a blocked phone are not as great but there are very few S5s that are not under contract of some sort. There are a couple of sites where you can check the IMEI for free, but that only shows what the state is today, and does not protect you from them reporting it lost or stolen after you buy it and have it for a couple of months.
gspears said:
You have to be really careful on eBay with mobile phones. So many of them are blacklisted, blocked or are about to be. You have to make sure they can prove it was paid off. S3s have been around long enough as well as some S4s so your chances of getting a blocked phone are not as great but there are very few S5s that are not under contract of some sort. There are a couple of sites where you can check the IMEI for free, but that only shows what the state is today, and does not protect you from them reporting it lost or stolen after you buy it and have it for a couple of months.
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I'm not that afraid of blocked phones. I'm planning on unlocking and using on att anyways. I'm just buying the tmobile version for the bootloader. The one I bought is straight up fake. They had a tmobile imei flashed to it.
optimusv45 said:
I'm not that afraid of blocked phones. I'm planning on unlocking and using on att anyways. I'm just buying the tmobile version for the bootloader. The one I bought is straight up fake. They had a tmobile imei flashed to it.
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AT&T and T-Mobile share phone blacklist data so depending on why it was blacklisted you can get it unlocked but that doesn't mean it will work on AT&Ts network. In my experience in dealing with used phones, if it's blacklisted for account or payment reasons then it will normally work on AT&T's network. But if it's reported lost or stolen and blacklisted for that reason, it normally won't work on AT&T's network.
I have a G900T I'm using on AT&T with no issues, but I've repaired and resold many blacklisted phones and have run into the issues I described earlier many times so I hijacked your thread to try and give a cautionary tale to others to help them avoid these headaches. I know how to deal with it but most ordinary Joes don't. I've seen the fake S5s and S4s and that's an issue too, but whether it's fake or not, if it doesn't work that sucks.
Sorry you ran into this issue and for hijacking your thread.
That's why I only use Swappa!
HF4L said:
That's why I only use Swappa!
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Swappa just makes sellers say their devices are whatever before listing. They don't have any real means to do quality check either. No real difference
gspears said:
AT&T and T-Mobile share phone blacklist data so depending on why it was blacklisted you can get it unlocked but that doesn't mean it will work on AT&Ts network. In my experience in dealing with used phones, if it's blacklisted for account or payment reasons then it will normally work on AT&T's network. But if it's reported lost or stolen and blacklisted for that reason, it normally won't work on AT&T's network.
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This is true. I have had a TMo S5 that got blacklisted after 2 days of me buying it. I had to just sell it off underpriced. Sigh.
From what I heard from multiple AT&T reps, and got done on the one I got (another TMo S5 from another person), was to take him to TMo store first to verify the account is on his name and that the phone has been paid for. And then go with him to AT&T store to register the IMEI on my name. Once AT&T registers the IMEI on a person's account in person with both parties present, black listing won't apply to that number any more.
optimusv45 said:
Swappa just makes sellers say their devices are whatever before listing. They don't have any real means to do quality check either. No real difference
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But swappa does require the esn to be checked which weeds out stolen, being financed (which is still consider stolen since Tmo still owns it til paid off), cloned esn/imei which will catch you a felony if in possession of and fake devices.
ShinySide said:
But swappa does require the esn to be checked which weeds out stolen, being financed (which is still consider stolen since Tmo still owns it til paid off), cloned esn/imei which will catch you a felony if in possession of and fake devices.
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My fake device checks fine on swappa. When I called tmobile she told me the imei is clear and the device is unknown
I'm coming from att note 3. What's you all opinion on note 3 locked bootloader vs galaxy s5 unlocked bootloader ?
Edit: disregard this one. I posted in the sticky to discuss other devices
optimusv45 said:
Swappa just makes sellers say their devices are whatever before listing. They don't have any real means to do quality check either. No real difference
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That's not true. Swappa makes sellers refund you fully if the phone stops working due to an imei issue. On eBay, if I state the device turns on and appears to function as normal but could have a blocked imei. And eBay won't make me refund the buyer due to an accurate description.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
elesbb said:
That's not true. Swappa makes sellers refund you fully if the phone stops working due to an imei issue. On eBay, if I state the device turns on and appears to function as normal but could have a blocked imei. And eBay won't make me refund the buyer due to an accurate description.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
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I haven't sold on swappa. How do they make you refund ? They somehow can withdraw money from your PayPal after you get the money ?
http://swappa.com/faq/general/paypal_dispute_swappa
Plus, I don't think the powers to be here at XDA would promote a service like Swappa without doing some do diligance. Plus I've bought and sold on Swappa, and have good results each time.
HF4L said:
http://swappa.com/faq/general/paypal_dispute_swappa
Plus, I don't think the powers to be here at XDA would promote a service like Swappa without doing some do diligance. Plus I've bought and sold on Swappa, and have good results each time.
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I see. I don't try to be a pain but just for the sake of discussion, from what I read it's still vague in how they are able to promise people refunds. Just curious if they will just pay for it or somehow make the seller refund obviously without access to their PayPal. Like on ebay, if you don't get what the listing is, eBay will cover you first and go for the seller themselves
Bought my first device on swappa. From what I read on swappas FAQ, if something goes south they just have you use PayPal dispute resolution ... not great, all the refund they can promise you is the 10 bucks fee which is of course nothing
optimusv45 said:
Bought my first device on swappa. From what I read on swappas FAQ, if something goes south they just have you use PayPal dispute resolution ... not great, all the refund they can promise you is the 10 bucks fee which is of course nothing
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That's strange cause I had bought a phone that was reported incomplete payment and they wanted me to dispute it with them before going to PayPal. I guess it all depends on the situation.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
elesbb said:
That's strange cause I had bought a phone that was reported incomplete payment and they wanted me to dispute it with them before going to PayPal. I guess it all depends on the situation.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
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Yeah that's what's stated on their official FAQ. After hearing so many positive things about swappa, of course I made a purchase on a seller that doesn't have much past selling history, something I would never do on ebay. Now seller doesn't reply at all, even after the staff left two messages. I guess we'll see what happens. Yes swappa just tells you to dispute with them, them being the seller, if they just don't say anything, you can't do anything about it. I feel swappa is great for sellers because you get immediate payment but not great for buyers. Of course sellers get their money FIRST lol, why would they even care about you. A couple hundred dollars phone scam is so easy you just need a unverified PayPal account, which is just an email, when someone buys you get the money right away. You don't verify your PayPal to transfer funds instead you just use the unverified PayPal to pay for online purchases. And they refund they handle is the 10 bucks lol, PayPal does the rest( what's said in this post is what I understand of swappa and currently what's going on with me. By no means it is 100% correct, feel free to comment). I'll probably sell on swappa and buy on eBay from now on
Pics of the phone?
RakumiAzuri said:
Pics of the phone?
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Looks like this
Pic
I can't post pics for dome reason
I'm up here in Canada, but like many others I can't and won't be able to afford paying for an unlocked phone in full upfront. I know with the pixel and stuff in the US at least, google offered financing options for unlocked phones. So I was just wondering if LG has done anything similar. I'm going to have to get this phone, whether or not I can get the unlocked version or not, but being able to have a better rom would make this the perfect phone.
fifteenfathoms said:
I'm up here in Canada, but like many others I can't and won't be able to afford paying for an unlocked phone in full upfront. I know with the pixel and stuff in the US at least, google offered financing options for unlocked phones. So I was just wondering if LG has done anything similar. I'm going to have to get this phone, whether or not I can get the unlocked version or not, but being able to have a better rom would make this the perfect phone.
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The official unlocked LG V30 US998 will be available directly from LG.com, as well as from B&H Photo, Best Buy, Amazon.com.
Looking at the LG G6 US997 as an example, both Best Buy and Amazon offer financing.
AMAZON:
Item is eligible: No interest if paid in full within 6 months with the Amazon.com Store Card.
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BEST BUY:
Cardmember Offers
12-Month Financing
6-Month Financing
Get 5% Back in Rewards
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Whether they will give financing to Canadians or if there is a similar .ca website you can order from, I don't know.
ChazzMatt said:
The official unlocked LG V30 US998 will be available directly from LG.com, as well as from B&H Photo, Best Buy, Amazon.com.
Looking at the LG G6 US997 as an example, both Best Buy and Amazon offer financing.
Whether they will give financing to Canadians or if there is a similar .ca website you can order from, I don't know.
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Looks like I'm kinda stuck then. Both BestBuy and Amazon require you to have one of their branded credit cards for financing, and if you try to apply for them there isn't even an option to change the country. Gonna do some lurking to see if there are any canadian sites that have the option, but its looking more and more like I'm never going to have a rooted LG v30
Similar boat bud. I'm porting from VZW to TMo. Need TMo to pay off my devices. Carrier locked phone, here I come
Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk
fifteenfathoms said:
Looks like I'm kinda stuck then. Both BestBuy and Amazon require you to have one of their branded credit cards for financing, and if you try to apply for them there isn't even an option to change the country. Gonna do some lurking to see if there are any canadian sites that have the option, but its looking more and more like I'm never going to have a rooted LG v30
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I know PayPal will do financing if you buy from eBay, but I don't know about Canada eBay... also you would need to make sure the US998 is truly the carrier unlocked version, and not reselling U.S.CELLULAR model.
ChazzMatt said:
I know PayPal will do financing if you buy from eBay, but I don't know about Canada eBay... also you would need to make sure the US998 is truly the carrier unlocked version, and not reselling U.S.CELLULAR model.
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I thought it was strange that they named it the same.
Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk
fifteenfathoms said:
Looks like I'm kinda stuck then. Both BestBuy and Amazon require you to have one of their branded credit cards for financing, and if you try to apply for them there isn't even an option to change the country. Gonna do some lurking to see if there are any canadian sites that have the option, but its looking more and more like I'm never going to have a rooted LG v30
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https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/bbycard.aspx?CheckCookies=1
Sent from my HTC 10 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
bacon612 said:
https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/bbycard.aspx?CheckCookies=1
Sent from my HTC 10 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
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This would be so perfect, but sadly Bestbuy Canada doesn't sell unlocked LG phones at all. I will never understand why.
ChazzMatt said:
I know PayPal will do financing if you buy from eBay, but I don't know about Canada eBay... also you would need to make sure the US998 is truly the carrier unlocked version, and not reselling U.S.CELLULAR model.
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It's weird that US cellular got the same model number. But about PayPal credit, I looked into it and it's only available in the US. It's disgusting how much the Canadian government locks its consumers down to shopping inside Canada...
fifteenfathoms said:
It's weird that US cellular got the same model number. But about PayPal credit, I looked into it and it's only available in the US. It's disgusting how much the Canadian government locks its consumers down to shopping inside Canada...
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It's the same model number, but somewhere in the settings it supposedly has a "z" on the end to differentiate it from the official carrier unlocked version.
Hey all,
I did some searching so it makes me suspect this isn't possible yet, but does anyone have a method to change the IMEI or MEID of the LG V30+ (Sprint, if that matters)? I need to change it and not just mask it.
The short story is I bought on on eBay but it was already tied to someone's account. The seller won't give me that person's contact info, Sprint won't tell me if there's a finance balance on it and if I can pay it off, and Sprint won't give me that person's contact info either. eBay declined my request for a refund, so now I'm just trying to see if I can make this thing usable at all.
Thanks!
Changing IMEI is illegal you know?
t1mman said:
Changing IMEI is illegal you know?
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I've done some research and can't find anything that says it is illegal in the United States, which is where I live. I do believe it's illegal in Europe but I don't intend to use the phone there so I'm not really concerned about that.
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself. So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2249666&p=40723213
Is it google account lock ? Did you do a imei check ?
If its google account lock some sites provide service to bypass that
Imei check status - will tell you about just that the status. Could say clean , unpaid bills anything other than clean you may have to pay to get rid of that bad status aince sprint aint helping u
Another thing when you try to activate it on your sprint account they will remind you that you will be taking over unpaid payments left by previous owner. All the times i activated sprint phones a d the rep tells me that means ill be takong over payments. And on some phones wherr the rep doesnt say anything about taking over payments means phone is paid off by previous owner.
nizmoboy98 said:
Is it google account lock ? Did you do a imei check ?
If its google account lock some sites provide service to bypass that
Imei check status - will tell you about just that the status. Could say clean , unpaid bills anything other than clean you may have to pay to get rid of that bad status aince sprint aint helping u
Another thing when you try to activate it on your sprint account they will remind you that you will be taking over unpaid payments left by previous owner. All the times i activated sprint phones a d the rep tells me that means ill be takong over payments. And on some phones wherr the rep doesnt say anything about taking over payments means phone is paid off by previous owner.
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When I put the IMEI into swappa's IMEI checker it says "Financial Eligibility - Device is not eligible for resale (financed)." When I talk to Sprint (Which I've done over a few calls and trips to the store) they tell me it can't be put on my account because it's still attached to another account, but they don't tell me why at all. They've never told me if I could just take over payments for the phone, which is interesting since I've asked specifically about that. I wonder if something else is blocking this IMEI? So far I haven't been able to reach anyone at Sprint that can tell me anything about the phone's previous owner or any financial obligations on the phone.
Do you happen to know of a different IMEI checker I should try that might give me more information?
Imei checker by cavallo enterprise
I tried that on my insuranced replacement lg v30 and it gave me unpaid balance on mines
cjshrader said:
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself.
So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
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I'm sorry you are out the money....
But the flaw in your logic is that 2017 $800-$900 LG V30 phone still belongs to Sprint, until paid off. The person who "sold" it to you had no right to sell property they do not own (unless they used the money to pay off the balance). So, technically, they are stealing it. The only reason it's not been "reported" stolen is Sprint is probably taking care of this in civil proceedings as opposed to criminal proceedings? They are probably getting a judgement against the person. In which case, Sprint doesn't want to deal with you because that just complicates the case.
IF the person you bought it from had used that money to immediately pay of the balance, then everything would be OK. But they probably sold for lot less than owed to Sprint. (Sprint wants customers with recurring monthly payments, they don't want to be Best Buy. The financial price of the contract is probably a LOT more than the hardware cost of the phone.)
This phone was released in October. The user probably didn't make any payments, to be honest. So you would be out not only what you paid them, but probably the full amount they owe Sprint for up to two years?
Sprint also had deals where you would get a phone, get free first year service, but then be obligated to pay for 2nd year of service. People signed a legal contract. To get out of the contract they had to pay the value of what was still left. The amount owed on this phone might not be just the cost of the phone, but a year or two of Sprint service charges. I haven't seen the contract, I really couldn't care less about Sprint --- I've helped many friends escape Sprint -- I'm just speculating why Sprint isn't being helpful with you. It seems it's more than just the phone?
One Sprint deal was to LEASE TWO PHONES. LEASE one phone, get one for free:
http://newsroom.sprint.com/lg-v30-a...e-get-one-on-us-just-38-per-month-for-two.htm
In which case, they weren't even buying the phone from Sprint over two years, they were renting it.
I see this a lot with new Sprint phones sold on Craigslist and eBay -- lots of drama for some reason. Earlier this year was lots of posts for help in unlocking Sprint Galaxy S8/S8+. It's not that those model phones cannot be unlocked, it's that money was owed on them still. People were getting new Sprint phones for "free", then turning around and selling them on eBay, Craigslist. But they weren't free. They had signed a contract, and until the terms were fulfilled it was still Sprint's phones. So, it was really a scam.
In many countries, changing IMEI numbers is like changing VIN on a car. It's against the law, because either the car is stolen or some other bad intent is happening.
Sent from my carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
cjshrader said:
I've done some research and can't find anything that says it is illegal in the United States, which is where I live. I do believe it's illegal in Europe but I don't intend to use the phone there so I'm not really concerned about that.
The way I see it I legally bought a phone. I was mislead a little bit, but the phone is not reported stolen so that means the original owner sold it legally to someone else who bought it. That original owner still owes Sprint money, but that should have nothing to do with the phone itself. So I'd just like to use the phone I paid for. I have an IMEI from an older phone that went into the toilet, so I don't really see the problem with swapping the IMEI of this one out for that one.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_cloning#Effectiveness_and_legislation
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/cell-phone-fraud
Contact your seller, explain the situation, and if the description didn't state the IMEI issue, or didn't state the item was AS-IS, contact paypal/ebay and open a dispute.
If it was stated, well, you knew what you where getting into!
Good luck!
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
cjshrader said:
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
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If you paid by CC, just dispute the charges with your CC company and they'll give you your money back. (Chargeback) now if the seller indeed showed it was not usable, you're outta luck.
cjshrader said:
I appreciate all the comments from everyone. Although I'm not sure that simply changing your IMEI is specifically illegal, I can see 100% how someone could use that information to do something illegal and therefore this forum wouldn't want to discuss it.
I'm going to continue to try to use the resources nizmoboy98 provided to me to see if I can learn any more (They haven't been working so far and have me a little nervous that they are also some form of scam...but I'll give the benefit of the doubt).
If that doesn't give me any additional worthwhile information, then I'll have to sell it for parts on eBay and be much more upfront than the seller was to me. I won't make all my money back but maybe I can make some. (The seller did say the phone was as-is but also said the only problem with it was it was "Activated on someone else's account" which didn't mean the same thing to me as it did to him) I've learned a valuable and expensive lesson about checking IMEIs in the future.
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Click to collapse
Really sorry for what seems like a loss. The phone is a great phone. I hope something positive and inexpensive works in your favor.
Sent from my LG-H931 using XDA Labs
Just use some of the online services to sim unlock the phone. Screw the provider, they are all assholes.
That's if I understood correctly what you meant by "locked to another persons account"
Mr CATFISH said:
Really sorry for what seems like a loss. The phone is a great phone. I hope something positive and inexpensive works in your favor.
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Click to collapse
I appreciate that, and even though I'm paying extra for one I'm definitely thinking it's going to be the next phone I get. I've been on a Note 4 for a long time and it's on its last legs.
adsubzero said:
Just use some of the online services to sim unlock the phone. Screw the provider, they are all assholes.
That's if I understood correctly what you meant by "locked to another persons account"
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Click to collapse
The IMEI is tied to that account, I don't think the SIM card would affect anything.
Josh McGrath said:
If you paid by CC, just dispute the charges with your CC company and they'll give you your money back. (Chargeback) now if the seller indeed showed it was not usable, you're outta luck.
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Click to collapse
The purchase was through Paypal, and since eBay and Paypal are generally in lock step together. That being said, I should still take a shot, it wouldn't hurt. This is effectively a bad IMEI phone, and the seller said the problem with it was it was "activated on someone else's account." Those two things don't mean the same to me.
cjshrader said:
The IMEI is tied to that account, I don't think the SIM card would affect anything.
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Click to collapse
He's saying there are other providers who don't care that it's a blacklisted phone. That IF you get the phone carrier unlocked through an unlock code perhaps you can then use it with another service provider.
My understanding is there's a U.S. carrier blacklist covering all four major carriers. Whether there are loopholes, I don't know. Like maybe since is not actually been reported lost/stolen?
But there's also tons of U.S. MVNOs who may or may not suscribe to that list. Those MVNOs use the major carriers, like AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, but provide their own SIM cards.
I'm just explaining what the other person meant. What you do is your own decision.
Sent from my official carrier unlocked LG V30+ US998
Try and search ebay for the this seller and message the seller any questions you have. Ask seller if you will get refund if it does not work . im guessing sites that provide this service knows someone that works at sprint and maybe pays them under the table to change status of imei
Hey all,
Just to close this topic I called eBay just to give it one more shot (I'd already opened a case and had it denied, even after appeal). After speaking with them, they told me it's against eBay policy to sell a phone with a bad IMEI so they will actually go through with the refund. I immediately bought another version of this phone on swappa, so basically I think this is the happiest possible ending (except for the seller on eBay, who is about to have their phone back).
Once again thanks for all the comments, I appreciate it.
cjshrader said:
Hey all,
Just to close this topic I called eBay just to give it one more shot (I'd already opened a case and had it denied, even after appeal). After speaking with them, they told me it's against eBay policy to sell a phone with a bad IMEI so they will actually go through with the refund. I immediately bought another version of this phone on swappa, so basically I think this is the happiest possible ending (except for the seller on eBay, who is about to have their phone back).
Once again thanks for all the comments, I appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You sent the seller back a bad phone?
MicroMod777 said:
You sent the seller back a bad phone?
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Click to collapse
Well, with the refund it's now eBay seller's property (again)...
He can sell it to someone outside the U.S. and it will work.
MicroMod777 said:
You sent the seller back a bad phone?
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Click to collapse
This is a year old thread ?
So it looks like this will be my second time buying from eBay where someone tries to scam me.
Turn on the phone, realize it's google locked, and spend about an hour researching how to get around it. Maybe the guy forgot to remove it from his account?
I look it up on Swappa and see that the IMEI is clear yet it was FINANCED! (not eligible for resale.)
To ask what is probably a stupid question, I don't have any options, do I?
This has been previously discussed in the Q&A section. I also bought a Google locked V30+ intentionally and was able to work around it. Search for "bypass FRP LG V30/G6 Android 8.0 2018"
grob971 said:
This has been previously discussed in the Q&A section. I also bought a Google locked V30+ intentionally and was able to work around it. Search for "bypass FRP LG V30/G6 Android 8.0 2018"
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I went through that whole long process. But now it won't activate on my network. I think since it was financed I can't use it.
TPMJB said:
I went through that whole long process. But now it won't activate on my network. I think since it was financed I can't use it.
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Click to collapse
Then maybe the IMEI is not clean. I recommend contacting the seller or get eBay involved if the seller didn't disclose that the phone was financed.
grob971 said:
Then maybe the IMEI is not clean. I recommend contacting the seller or get eBay involved if the seller didn't disclose that the phone was financed.
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Click to collapse
Actually, it's a Sprint phone and I'm using an ATT MVNO card, so I imagine that's why.
Either way, not disclosing it was financed AND google locked is a **** move
If I can fix it I at least want 50 bucks back. Cost me $230. It's otherwise mint, however.
TPMJB said:
Actually, it's a Sprint phone and I'm using an ATT MVNO card, so I imagine that's why.
Either way, not disclosing it was financed AND google locked is a **** move
If I can fix it I at least want 50 bucks back. Cost me $230. It's otherwise mint, however.
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Click to collapse
Mine also was a LS998. Works perfectly on Straight Talk (ATT) after the Google bypass and converting to US998. Try the conversion and see if that resolves the network issue. Good luck.
grob971 said:
Mine also was a LS998. Works perfectly on Straight Talk (ATT) after the Google bypass and converting to US998. Try the conversion and see if that resolves the network issue. Good luck.
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Click to collapse
It seems to recognize my SIM card now, but in Oreo US998 I can't change the APN settings (mine are wrong). Just stuck on the default ATT apn settings. No way to test it...
Edit: Sent myself a text ( I use google voice). It works!
Now I'm going to finish bootloader unlock and installing Pie...
...tomorrow lol. Also gonna try to get money back from eBay douchebag
TPMJB said:
So it looks like this will be my second time buying from eBay where someone tries to scam me.
Turn on the phone, realize it's google locked, and spend about an hour researching how to get around it. Maybe the guy forgot to remove it from his account?
I look it up on Swappa and see that the IMEI is clear yet it was FINANCED! (not eligible for resale.)
To ask what is probably a stupid question, I don't have any options, do I?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get a refund from eBay due to seller dishonesty.
Next time, buy from eBay pro dealer who stands behind their products. Like this one:
LG V30 LS998- 128GB - Titan Black (Sprint) Smartphone A Mint - $299
I've bought from that guy several times or had others buy from him. Just make sure you get the "mint" one. Use Frankenstein to convert to US998.
OR if you want BRAND NEW IN BOX -- with 2-year LG warranty:
LINK REMOVED AS SELLER IS NOT RELIABLE
ChazzMatt said:
You can get a refund from eBay due to seller dishonesty.
Next time, buy from eBay pro dealer who stands behind their products. Like this one:
LG V30 LS998- 128GB - Titan Black (Sprint) Smartphone A Mint - $299
https://www.ebay.com/itm/LG-V30-LS998-128GB-Titan-Black-Sprint-Smartphone-A-Mint/192609345150
I've bought from that guy several times or had others buy from him. Just make sure you get the "mint" one.
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I mean, it's working now I just had dicking around to do. Not thrilled, but it did only cost me $230 and is otherwise a mint V30+.
Still annoyed.
Though I think if someone gave me a V40 for free but I had to use it on Sprint's networks, it would be worse than my current situation :laugh:
Edit: Also your guide helped me out a TON! Thanks!
TPMJB said:
I mean, it's working now I just had dicking around to do. Not thrilled, but it did only cost me $230 and is otherwise a mint V30+.
Still annoyed.
Though I think if someone gave me a V40 for free but I had to use it on Sprint's networks, it would be worse than my current situation :laugh:
Edit: Also your guide helped me out a TON! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You paid $230 for a $350+ phone (even if it's used) and didn't expect problems? Why'd you think it was so cheap? That's why I use Swappa almost exclusively now.
Not to be a shill, I've got no connection to this listing. But if your'e fine with silver and 64gb base:
LG V30 US998 64GB US Cellular Smartphone-Silver-Mint
https://www.ebay.com/itm/173602248812
I just bought one at $319 less than two weeks ago and it was new in box, had the screen protector on it, etc. manufactured june of 2018 and it successfully qualified for 2nd year warranty. Legit. Best price I've seen shopping a ton on ebay and swappa.
Just bought another today, for my wife, the price is now $299. Super solid.
ldeveraux said:
You paid $230 for a $350+ phone (even if it's used) and didn't expect problems? Why'd you think it was so cheap? That's why I use Swappa almost exclusively now.
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Click to collapse
Where the hell are you still finding the V30 for $350? Retail? Why would you buy a phone from retail?
I just picked up another one for $200 even. I'm giving it to a friend at cost after I unlock it so it can be used wherever (she is going back to Colombia in a month for good.) Colombia uses the same LTE bands we do, but this phone is Verizon Locked.
water- said:
Not to be a shill, I've got no connection to this listing. But if your'e fine with silver and 64gb base:
LG V30 US998 64GB US Cellular Smartphone-Silver-Mint
https://www.ebay.com/itm/173602248812
I just bought one at $319 less than two weeks ago and it was new in box, had the screen protector on it, etc. manufactured june of 2018 and it successfully qualified for 2nd year warranty. Legit. Best price I've seen shopping a ton on ebay and swappa.
Just bought another today, for my wife, the price is now $299. Super solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still more than I'd spend on a phone. First Apple jacked up the prices of phones because its followers are incredibly stupid. Capitalizing on this, Samsung did the same for no reason whatsoever and those sheep followed. Then Google released the first pixel for 3 times the price of the Nexus 6P (which is barely any better than the 6P, aside from hardware issues,) so on and so forth. I refuse to buy into this trend. People leasing phones like you would a car is a problem.
I agree with you entirely. The days of subsidized phones is over. Though I've seen the V30 go on sale for half of MSRP back in august on verizon for a few days. The Pixel 3 and 3 XL were buy one get one free for a week or so on Verizon. That's about $400~ for a new phone, which is reasonable.
When you paid $200, are you getting a new phone? I have my doubts about that. But link please if you're finding that.
Of course $300 is more than I'd like to spend. In 2015 early 2015 I got the LG G4 for $199 with a promo through Verizon, I wasn't changing carriers so had no problem with the 2 years contract. But for the tech I'm getting today compared to 2015, $100 more isn't terrible.
At the end of the day you certainly can choose not to lease but the MSRP of phones is crazy high. If you're getting a modern phone for cheap it's either really shady black market china/etc stuff (liable to get scammed), used, at least a year or more old model, or a flash deal that isn't something you can reliably bank on. I don't know how you can say you're opting out of high prices, you're not, you're compromising on something or have happened to get lucky in a way that isn't something everyone can plan on. $299 for a truly NEW, with mnfg warranty V30 is a pretty solid deal.
TPMJB said:
Where the hell are you still finding the V30 for $350? Retail? Why would you buy a phone from retail?
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Click to collapse
I'm not trying to weed through the same scams that you fell prey to on EBAY so I can find a phone that will maybe be as described, in decent condition, clean IMEI, etc. So if you want reputable; retail or Swappa or similar. Never EBAY. I was lucky to find a nice V30+ on Swappa, but there are no more for sale. I'm not talking about a V30. A V30+, like you said in the title. You know, the better one.
Bottom line is you found a deal that was literally too good to be true. Use discretion next time, especially if the device isn't even for you, but some mysterious Columbian 3rd party. Or whatever your story is now. :good:
ldeveraux said:
I'm not trying to weed through the same scams that you fell prey to on EBAY
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some scam. I got a working V30+ for $230. Google locked ones that have good IMEIs but the owner didn't pay his dues still go for around $200.
Is an hour of my time worth $100? I'd say so.
Also, it's "Colombian."
water- said:
Not to be a shill, I've got no connection to this listing. But if your'e fine with silver and 64gb base:
LG V30 US998 64GB US Cellular Smartphone-Silver-Mint
https://www.ebay.com/itm/173602248812
I just bought one at $319 less than two weeks ago and it was new in box, had the screen protector on it, etc. manufactured june of 2018 and it successfully qualified for 2nd year warranty. Legit. Best price I've seen shopping a ton on ebay and swappa.
Just bought another today, for my wife, the price is now $299. Super solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same exact one I bought - first was at $319 for my wife... then I got jealous and she bought me the same one at $299 yesterday. Great deal for a BNIB phone, and I can certainly recommend the seller, as the device is exactly what was listed!
water- said:
Not to be a shill, I've got no connection to this listing. But if your'e fine with silver and 64gb base:
LG V30 US998 64GB US Cellular Smartphone-Silver-Mint
https://www.ebay.com/itm/173602248812
I just bought one at $319 less than two weeks ago and it was new in box, had the screen protector on it, etc. manufactured june of 2018 and it successfully qualified for 2nd year warranty. Legit. Best price I've seen shopping a ton on ebay and swappa.
Just bought another today, for my wife, the price is now $299. Super solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
schwinn8 said:
Same exact one I bought - first was at $319 for my wife... then I got jealous and she bought me the same one at $299 yesterday. Great deal for a BNIB phone, and I can certainly recommend the seller, as the device is exactly what was listed!
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Click to collapse
I'll add this to the WTF thread later tonight. That way there's a good selection of mint 128GB V30+ ($299), new 64GB V30 ($299) for same price, and then new 128GB V30+ ($378) -- first from trusted seller, latter two with warranty.
The V30+ is an awesome device but I can't justify paying $300 for any phone. I got mine for under $200 on eBay back in August. Mint condition, clean IMEI but was Google locked. A little research and effort and I was able to bypass the lock and convert to US998 (thanks to the awesome guides in this forum). You can still find these on eBay if you're willing to put in the effort. Definitely worth the $100+ savings. At least to me.
A bit late to the party, but if it hasn't already been said:
Clean IMEI means that the device has never been network blacklisted. Usually blacklisting happens because it's reported stolen or lost, and is irreversible as far as the consumer is concerned; it permanently blocks activation for the network.
Clean IMEI and no other flags means good to go.
Financed means it's still attached to an account and is still owed money on. You might be able to contact the carrier and pay off the balance; this would release the phone for reactivation, but will probably increase the cost to the point where you would be better off just buying a clear phone.
A financed phone is a ticking time bomb. At the point that the carrier decides that the original customer has no intention of paying the phone off, they'll blacklist the IMEI so it can never be activated on that network again (this includes MVNOs using solely that network).
Don't buy phones that are financed unless you know you'll never use it on its home network. If you have a decent feedback score, ask private sellers for the IMEI so you can check it before buying. Or, as others have said... just spend a bit more and buy from a reputable seller.
Septfox said:
Don't buy phones that are financed unless you know you'll never use it on its home network. If you have a decent feedback score, ask private sellers for the IMEI so you can check it before buying.
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Agree 100%. That's where you have to do your research and put in a little effort before hitting the buy button. Do this and you can certainly get yourself an incredible deal on these incredible phones.