Buying used GSM phone, anything I should check for? - General Questions and Answers

I'm buying a used GSM phone to use on tmobile.
Is their anything I should check for?
I know that non t-mobile phones need to be unlocked. I figure that I check here if it has been rooted then unlock it myself.
But the other things I'm worried that is that I wont be able to activate it, or that it might have network incompatibilities.
So what should I check? ESN? What antennas does it need to have?

.
Thread moved to Q&A due to it being a question. Would advise you to read forum rules and post in correct section.
Failure to comply with forum rules will result in an infraction and/or ban depending on severity of rule break.

freshjr said:
I'm buying a used GSM phone to use on tmobile.
Is their anything I should check for?
I know that non t-mobile phones need to be unlocked. I figure that I check here if it has been rooted then unlock it myself.
But the other things I'm worried that is that I wont be able to activate it, or that it might have network incompatibilities.
So what should I check? ESN? What antennas does it need to have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ESN refers to CDMA phones, not GSM. If you're purchasing a T-Mobile phone, I'd check the IMEI number since T-Mobile is starting to block stolen/lost/etc phones like Sprint and Verizon. If you're purchasing a phone from another country or something, make sure the frequency is the same as T-Mobile as they are AWS. Any GSM phone thats not AWS will work with T-Mobile once unlocked but your data speeds will be slower.

PakAttack1994 said:
ESN refers to CDMA phones, not GSM. If you're purchasing a T-Mobile phone, I'd check the IMEI number since T-Mobile is starting to block stolen/lost/etc phones like Sprint and Verizon. If you're purchasing a phone from another country or something, make sure the frequency is the same as T-Mobile as they are AWS. Any GSM phone thats not AWS will work with T-Mobile once unlocked but your data speeds will be slower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If a phone has a bad IMEI on ATT, would you know if it would still be good on T-mobile?
I might be able to save some money if this loophole exists.

I don't think AT&T blocks IMEI's but even if they do, once unlocked it will be good on T-Mobile. Just how if there was a bad IMEI on a T-Mobile phone, you can unlock it and use it with another GSM carrier.

Figure out how to check for water damage for that specific model you're buying. And absolutely check for it.
I've been hosed once because I didn't properly check. Ended up having to replace the motherboard of the phone I bought.

PakAttack1994 said:
I don't think AT&T blocks IMEI's but even if they do, once unlocked it will be good on T-Mobile. Just how if there was a bad IMEI on a T-Mobile phone, you can unlock it and use it with another GSM carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think they (and all cariers) do as part of the insurance agreement.
I think when I person reports a phone stolen and goes through insurance, I thought the IMEI gets blacklisted for life. That and not paying the bill / early termination fee.
Thanks for telling me everything. I just hope I dont buy a phone, and the guy reports it stolen AFTER I buy it.

Yeah I agree with you in regards to T-Mobile since someone can just report it stolen after they've sold it but I'm pretty sure AT&T doesn't do that as of yet. Also, AT&T and T-Mobile don't share IMEI databases so even if its stolen on T-Mobile, AT&T wont know and it will be useable. Like Azure1203 said, check for water damage, any discoloration on a white screen, see if the digitzier works, check for the red water damage indicator on the battery and underneath, etc.

Related

Verizon phone on Sprint?

These guys in my area selling phones from Sprint and claiming they can put them on Verizon and vice versa. They are also selling phones like the Droid 2 and Pro, claiming to put them on T-Mobile. I know those are world phones with GSM capabilities but I did not think for the U.S. I always thought this was not possible. Can someone tell me if I am wrong?
i'd be very careful about dealing with them.
you can take a sprint phone and put it on verizon. you'll have to edit the esn on the phone which is illegal, but it can be done.
as far as putting a verizon phone on t-mobile, thats impossible afaik. unless these devices have north american gsm frequencies, it won't work. however if they do support NA frequencies, it would be possible.
Is this what they do when they talk about spoofing esns or something like that. I think I have an idea of what your talking about. I do not deal with them because I know they are less than reputable. But is that spoofing or whatever?
rllong1 said:
These guys in my area selling phones from Sprint and claiming they can put them on Verizon and vice versa. They are also selling phones like the Droid 2 and Pro, claiming to put them on T-Mobile. I know those are world phones with GSM capabilities but I did not think for the U.S. I always thought this was not possible. Can someone tell me if I am wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Droid 2 Global and Droid Pro DO have GSM capabilities, however as far as I know and from video reviews, if you put the phone in GSM ("Global" mode)with an domestic (American) SIM card, it'll shut of the GSM radio. Stupid, I know. But they know people will just take the phone to T-Mobile and AT&T. This is even after they give you the unlock code. It's part of the software itself.
Now in regards to Sprint, they are SUPPOSED to put other carriers' phones on their networks, however you will not find any employee who will do it for you. Unless you edit the ESN number, which, as someone stated, is illegal, they won't activate it. Other carriers, such as MetroPCS will flash any CDMA phone to their network (although data might not work, usually). Local Boost Mobile stores MIGHT be nice enough to activate a Sprint phone for you. Virgin Mobile, although they run on Sprint, won't.
Yes they would be spoofing the esn from another device so the carrier will see it as a compatible for their system.
Sent from my LS670 using Tapatalk
I thought it was funny business but like I said, I just wanted to make sure. Thanks guys

[Q] Trying to use Verizon Droid Ultra on T-mobile

Could someone please please pm me and help the imei is bad on verizon but i desperately want to use this phone its on 4.2.2
If the ESN/IMEI is blacklisted or marked as "bad" or stolen by Verizon, there's not much you can do about it. You can put a T-Mobile SIM card in the Droid Ultra and see what happens but more than likely it's not going to work - I'm not 100% certain that the "blacklist" that Verizon maintains is connected with the one that T-Mobile (and other carriers) are now utilizing to track/keep stolen or reportedly lost devices, as well as those where customers just don't pay their bills so the device gets on a list too.
If you put a T-Mobile SIM in the device and it doesn't connect to their network immediately (because T-Mobile SIM cards allow that, you can access the T-Mobile website but nothing else using their 4G HSPA+ or LTE networks) then more than likely you're completely out of luck in most all respects.
All you could do at that point is contact Verizon in some manner and ask if the device was reported lost or stolen or something else. There's a good chance they may not help you at all if you're not a customer, and if you go into a Verizon store directly to check it they may just confiscate the phone completely.
How do you know for sure it's a bad ESN on Verizon? Have you checked it against something like Swappa's online checker (not 100% accurate but at least it's something):
http://swappa.com/esn
Can't hurt to at least give it a once over and see what results you get.
Verizon bad imei no longer works on tmobile tmobile
About a month ago I bought Verizon lg g2 from eBay. It turned out the device had bad imei. It wouldn't connect to tmobile network. I returned the phone back to the seller. Verizon bad imei phones no longer works on tmobile.

[Q] fake g3

Looking to buy used unlocked att or factory unlocked g3 on swappa to activate on straight talk ( I've also heard Verizon might work too?). I do not want to buy a fake! (A good camera and IR blaster are a must for me) I feel if I had the phone in hand I could tell but what can I ask from the seller to confirm its real? What if I ask for pic of page with sn,software version ,kernel etc What would I even be looking for ? Or can that page be spoofed as well?
Please help this newbie
wildmansgirl said:
Looking to buy used unlocked att or factory unlocked g3 on swappa to activate on straight talk ( I've also heard Verizon might work too?). I do not want to buy a fake! (A good camera and IR blaster are a must for me) I feel if I had the phone in hand I could tell but what can I ask from the seller to confirm its real? What if I ask for pic of page with sn,software version ,kernel etc What would I even be looking for ? Or can that page be spoofed as well?
Please help this newbie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot buy them for use on Verizon. Straight talk is several different resellers. But verizon no. Verizon is a cdma carrier. AT&T and factory unlocked phones are GSM. For Verizon you'd need a Verizon phone or sprint phone.
People DONT sell fakes on Swappa as its not allowed.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
hyelton said:
You cannot buy them for use on Verizon. Straight talk is several different resellers. But verizon no. Verizon is a cdma carrier. AT&T and factory unlocked phones are GSM. For Verizon you'd need a Verizon phone or sprint phone.
People DONT sell fakes on Swappa as its not allowed.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes ill stick with att I know they work with st. As far as fakes not allowed we know people lie and cheat and not follow rules so is there some type of guarantee swappa makes that every phone is genuine? They wouldnt even answer my question about what happens when some one sells me thier in contract phone (wich at that point would have a clean imei) and then stops paying thier bill 3 months later and they block the phone? Wich is why I'm only looking at phones saying unlocked there again Noway to prove I guess. there's gotta be one thing to check or get pic of that proves its real
wildmansgirl said:
Yes ill stick with att I know they work with st. As far as fakes not allowed we know people lie and cheat and not follow rules so is there some type of guarantee swappa makes that every phone is genuine? They wouldnt even answer my question about what happens when some one sells me thier in contract phone (wich at that point would have a clean imei) and then stops paying thier bill 3 months later and they block the phone? Wich is why I'm only looking at phones saying unlocked there again Noway to prove I guess. there's gotta be one thing to check or get pic of that proves its real
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First off as I said above AT&T phones WONT work on Verizon, which is what you asked. Yes they will work on ST AT&T, ST T-Mobile, but will not work on ST Verizon. If you buy it expecting to be on Verizon's network you'll be disappointed. Straight talk is sold across several different networks.
Well if you'd read about Swappa when someone sells there phones they HAVE to enter an IMEI for one and in which will tell Swappa if it's on a paid account EDGE, NEXT, etc. and which is not allowed there.
The only thing that could possibly happen is if someone reports it stolen after selling and In which there's no way to find that out.
I have sold a ton of things on Swappa as well as buying on Swappa.
Also if you would look at a phone listing you would see they have Feedback, which I'm sure someone that has sold a few + phones with no issues I'm sure Your not going to buy a fake or junk phone.
There's no real thing or pic to prove anything. I could sell you a note 1 and make it say it's a note 4 in the software but just a screenshot you might not ever know lol.
Also a bit of a hint unlocked phones cannot save you from that unless your in another country. If you have a dead IMEI on say a T-Mobile phone even if it's unlocked you still cannot use it on AT&T
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks
Thanks for the info! I may not be explaining well I'm not going to verizon I'm wanting to use straight talk who advertises you can bring any GSM phone when I called was told att brand works best. I thought the other was verizon but like u said that's CDMA maybe t-mobile was the other compatible? Idk anyway I'm happy to hear about the contract phone not being issue I had read that could happen maybe it wasn't a payment issue after all. Maybe it had been reported stolen after he bought.
hyelton said:
.. Well if you'd read about Swappa when someone sells there phones they HAVE to enter an IMEI for one and in which will tell Swappa if it's on a paid account EDGE, NEXT, etc. and which is not allowed there. ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure IMEI checks for ATT phones tell you nothing about the contract status of a phone, only if it's been blacklisted (lost or stolen)--
TMO phones OTOH will receive the additional information on EIP status, in-contract status, etc.
ATT should be forced to provide the same AFAIC.
You can use CDMA phones on Straight Talk. The kit you buy gives you the network info for CDMA phones and the SIM card for GSM.

[Q] Unlock BAD IMEI Z3 Tmobile USA for international use or other carrier in USA?

Hi all,
I bought a BAD IMEI Z3 Tmobile on craigslist. Is there any way to get it unlocked and use it on ATT or use it internationally?
Thanks for your help!
You mean it's blacklisted? Changing the imei is illegal and hard to do dependable if there is tools for it.
Most likely u bought a stolen device.
There are tools for some devices for IMEI but it's illegal.
Always check IMEI or buy from a reputed seller, I believe T-Mobile has an IMEI check tool online. In most cases a payment despute, early contract termination or a stolen device is what you are dealing with. You better return the device.
Yes the phone is blacklisted due to early termination, I just checked on t-mobile's website. Can I still get an Unlock Code, unlock it and use it in europe and outside USA?
Yes you probably could, just not in the US, but unlocking may be hard as it's done over the air by T-Mobile which they won't for a blocked/non customer device. I don't think the regular unlock services online will work but feel free to try....
Quite a few people actually do insurance fraud by claiming lost device and sell on eBay internationally, kind of sad thing though.....
Also just an FYI, the T-mobile variant only has 3 LTE bands and that 700Mhz band differs from the one on AT&T. Basically the phone will be crippled LTE wise on AT&T and certainly abroad as well.

Best prepaid carrier suggestions for unlocked Tmo Note5

I have here a Tmo Note5 that recently got blocked by Tmo, but my friend said the phone was permanently unlocked with the app before it got blocked. I may get a prepaid sim and use it with that sometimes, assuming it will work. I'm leaning towards something that runs on AT&T's network, since I already have unlimited data with Tmo. I'm thinking about Cricket but am open to suggestions. Thx
Side note: my friend was perplexed that the unlock worked, because once the IMEI got blocked, that maybe indicated that the phone was not paid off. But, maybe the original owner reported it stolen? T-Mobile would not give specifics. Gonna get some kind of sim today and see if the unlock has stuck, my friend did say that it worked with his AT&T sim..
YrrchSebor said:
I have here a Tmo Note5 that recently got blocked by Tmo, but my friend said the phone was permanently unlocked with the app before it got blocked. I may get a prepaid sim and use it with that sometimes, assuming it will work. I'm leaning towards something that runs on AT&T's network, since I already have unlimited data with Tmo. I'm thinking about Cricket but am open to suggestions. Thx
Side note: my friend was perplexed that the unlock worked, because once the IMEI got blocked, that maybe indicated that the phone was not paid off. But, maybe the original owner reported it stolen? T-Mobile would not give specifics. Gonna get some kind of sim today and see if the unlock has stuck, my friend did say that it worked with his AT&T sim..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sideways people suck badly!!!
I'm not 100 on this, but I remember reading a few times that t-mobile and AT&T share blacklisted databases. Not sure of the legitimacy of that claim but that's what I have read.
There are also apparently imei switchers that you can use thatapparently use to unblacklist your device.
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
Yeah, I heard that about the blacklist sharing too, but Cricket says the device is clean as far as they're concerned, and a Cricket sim had full service on the phone. Same with my friend's AT&T sim. Tmo says that the device was on an installment plan but that the account is now closed, so that person needs to pay the balance for the phone to be unblocked...... I'm not holding my breath for that!
I see remote IMEI repair on eBay for as low as $39, and even an xposed module that doesn't change but spoofs your IMEI. Were you alluding to any specific switcher that might be good?
YrrchSebor said:
Yeah, I heard that about the blacklist sharing too, but Cricket says the device is clean as far as they're concerned, and a Cricket sim had full service on the phone. Same with my friend's AT&T sim. Tmo says that the device was on an installment plan but that the account is now closed, so that person needs to pay the balance for the phone to be unblocked...... I'm not holding my breath for that!
I see remote IMEI repair on eBay for as low as $39, and even an xposed module that doesn't change but spoofs your IMEI. Were you alluding to any specific switcher that might be good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never had to do any of that so I don't know of it being legit. I've only seen it on Craigslist and swappa bone yard.
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
YrrchSebor said:
I see remote IMEI repair on eBay for as low as $39, and even an xposed module that doesn't change but spoofs your IMEI. Were you alluding to any specific switcher that might be good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Changing or altering your IMEI is illegal, but I don't know if that applies to spoofing it (probably since it's essentially the same thing). I'd be careful using any of those options.
MadJoe said:
Changing or altering your IMEI is illegal, but I don't know if that applies to spoofing it (probably since it's essentially the same thing). I'd be careful using any of those options.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, thanks. I ended up selling the phone on eBay as a bad IMEI/unlocked phone, so it all worked out ok. Crazy tho, I used to think Swappa's IMEI check was fool-proof, but i guess nothing's completely guaranteed, and things can slip thru the cracks.

Categories

Resources