Database Info

Purchasing HTC Tilt on EBAY

What are some things to look for?
are there many fakes selling out there?
I've seen a few that say "new" but no original box....or some are new in original box but with no UPC barcode!
what does this mean?
are they stolen or refurbished? Some come from highly "legitimate" power sellers...
thanks guys!

you might want to buy the ones with ALL packaging details (new or used, for some reason i dont trust refurbished items), and buying from power users with 95+% rating or normal users with at least 98% would definitely help

New with no Barcode means they bought the phone as a upgrade/new contract type of thing and did the rebate but never used the phone.

signs
what are some signs that it is actually refurbished?
i also dont know how some "powerseller" gets a hold of so many HTC tilts that are all new in box but with no UPC?
did he literally get that many phone upgrades and rebates?

or what about ones with no box at all?
do you buy this story?: "The phone is an insurance replacement which is why it is new, but without all original accessories."

One thing to be aware of is (in the UK at least-but probably other countries as well) is that you will not be able to insure it on a 'gadget' policy (so no breakdown/loss cover) as the small print normally requires an original receipt (not from an auction eg:ebay)-your house contents policy may cover it but only in certain circumstances.
So if it goes faulty you coould be in trouble.
Hope this puts a different slant on it.
Ashley

My eBay experience (techno.trading.house)

Hi everyone,
I want to share my journey with the Z3, and the experience with buying from eBay, specifically from a seller, techno.trading.house (Steph, Ed). I bought two brand new Z3 (D6603)--a black one for myself, and a white one for my girlfriend. The order was smooth, and the phones came in pretty much brand new (open box though) with their plastic peel-screens on the glass, untouched. After using the two for a few hours, I noticed that my black one had a defective sensor (photo). The seller advertised "hassle-free" exchanges/refunds, so I reported the defect and had the black one exchanged right away.
After a week, the new one came, the same brand new (open box) condition as the previous phones. However, there was a slight manufacturing defect with the USB flap--it closes completely at a slant (photo). I spelled out the issue with the seller, and here was how it went:
SELLER: I'm sorry to hear that! We will certainly replace it for you, I believe that your phone would be damaged underwater if that or any other flap was not closed properly. (I also do strongly suggest to avoid wetting the phone just in case). Please return the phone to...
ME (after 2 days delivered to them): Hi, have you receive the package yet, and have you ship out the new phone?
SELLER: Your return has been received. If you had chosen to receive a replacement, it will be sent within 2 days. If you have opted for a refund, it will be issued within 24 hours minus applicable restocking fee.
ME: Do you have tracking info? Thanks!
SELLER: Our records indicate that we have already sent a replacement. You have reached out to us to let us know that the replacement has the same issue. In order to avoid another occurrence, we recommend that we proceed with a refund for this item. Please let us know if this is okay.
ME: Sorry, I am not sure what you are saying. Are you talking about the previous replacement or the 2nd replacement being shipped out? I am currently waiting for the 2nd replacement. You said "sure" on the second replacement last week.
SELLER: We are talking about the previous replacement. We believe since both- the original phone and the replacement phone- has had the same issue, that a refund might be best. Let us know if this is ok.
ME: That is not correct. First phone had a defective camera. Second one had a manufacturer defect on the flap. You agreed for the second exchange, so I am not sure why you are backing out now? I need the phone as I have been using an old dumb phone for work for a week already.
SELLER: I'm very sorry for the confusion. I just read back through the emails and you are indeed correct. We will have your replacement unit shipped today. Here is your tracking number. Again, I am sorry for the confusion. Have a great day!
ME: Thanks. I just hope the new one does not have any defect--I will be checking it. If it's not shipped out yet, anyway you can inspect these? Thank you.
SELLER: Hello, Not a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the 2nd replacement came (third phone), and the phone came in a used/open condition. There were no plastic peel-screens on either side of the glass and the USB wire was laying in there without its plastic wrappers. I knew immediately this was used, so I began close inspection of the phone. I found that the power button had a noticeable dent on one side, as if it was dropped on a table before. At this point, I don't know what to do with the phone. I have summoned the seller to see what they plan to do with this situation.
It appears that the seller recycles their returned phones and try to sell them as new, or whatever it is. I am extremely disappointed with this seller, and I want others to know so they may not fall into the same trap.
I checked the current feedback, and it appears someone had the same situation (photo). Go figure!

To me this sounds like a fair seller and a picky buyer. 832 positive reviews and 6 negative ones in a month is a ratio I would buy at if I wanted to save a hundred bucks by buying without factory warranty.

It could have been an honest mistake. I doubt he purposely gave you an opened one, just work with him to solve the problem. eBay is much harder on sellers than buyers and he would ruin his reputation if he did it on purpose. Looking at his rating I would say it was an honest mistake.
I understand if he wants to refund you, he is just trying to cut his losses. At the same time it was your misfortune to get a bad device/s. Since this phone is known for cosmetic/other issues as its in early production you are better of buying from Sony/carrier making replacement easier.

abhinav.tella said:
It could have been an honest mistake. I doubt he purposely gave you an opened one, just work with him to solve the problem. eBay is much harder on sellers than buyers and he would ruin his reputation if he did it on purpose. Looking at his rating I would say it was an honest mistake.
I understand if he wants to refund you, he is just trying to cut his losses. At the same time it was your misfortune to get a bad device/s. Since this phone is known for cosmetic/other issues as its in early production you are better of buying from Sony/carrier making replacement easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
remember me?
I'm sorry to hear that. It was really a frustrating moment you went through. If I were you I would probably be really angry.
If you want, just buy it from Sony store. I got mine and it's perfect so far (except some cosmetic minor faults).

I bought two phones directly from the same seller. The price was cheaper on their own site vs eBay or Amazon. Both phones are perfect. They came in non sealed boxes. I've got no complaints.

android404 said:
To me this sounds like a fair seller and a picky buyer. 832 positive reviews and 6 negative ones in a month is a ratio I would buy at if I wanted to save a hundred bucks by buying without factory warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may be a picky buyer, but who wouldn't be when you receive a defective product, and even worse when you get a used one on your third one. Feedbacks mean jack when you are on the short end. They are only good for initial decision about the seller, hence I trust them like you would too.
abhinav.tella said:
It could have been an honest mistake. I doubt he purposely gave you an opened one, just work with him to solve the problem. eBay is much harder on sellers than buyers and he would ruin his reputation if he did it on purpose. Looking at his rating I would say it was an honest mistake.
I understand if he wants to refund you, he is just trying to cut his losses. At the same time it was your misfortune to get a bad device/s. Since this phone is known for cosmetic/other issues as its in early production you are better of buying from Sony/carrier making replacement easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you are right on the honest mistake.
bluesky2111 said:
remember me?
I'm sorry to hear that. It was really a frustrating moment you went through. If I were you I would probably be really angry.
If you want, just buy it from Sony store. I got mine and it's perfect so far (except some cosmetic minor faults).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I really regret not buying from Sony store, or even T-Mobile here. At this point, I might just say screw it, keep the phone, and move on with my life. Maybe the Z4 will entice me in few months. :good:

I purchased 3 different Z3 D6603 from Techno Trading, Never-MSRP, and Sony Direct all off ebay.
Techno Trading shipping a Central America version of the D6603 (White) to me and it had no seals whatsoever on the box (US Charger). This model would not show LTE indicator until I flashed a generic TFT. Booting with Encryption shows the Pin Entry text in Spanish but quickly changes to English. Seller Feedack: Shipped very quickly but using subpar shipping materials. Shipped from Miami.
Never-MSRP shipped a Central Europe version of the D6603 (Copper) to me and it HAD seals on the box but also included a Sony Screen Protector (Non-US Charger). This model had the LTE indicator from start. Booting with Encryption shows the Pin Entry text in English. Seller Feedback: Shipped same day and was packaged very well. Unfortunately, they are located in Houston so I had to pay tax.
Sony Direct shipped a Generic North American model of the D6603 (Green) to me. This one had seals on the box but didn't include the Screen Protector. LTE shows from start and includes a US Charger. Plastic on the front and back of phone is totally different than the other two. Its hard to describe but the other phones came with a very very thin plastic protector. This model shipped with much thicker protectors on front and back (still meant to be removed because they have tabs on the side). Additionally, the other two phones were inside a cellophane bag but the this model was not in cellophane. Shipped from Sony in Romeoville IL. Shipped within two hours of purchase using FedEx for free. Unfortunately, Sony charges tax everywhere. Packaged well but not great.
My point...
Sony packages models different based on their intended destination. It might not be that you ever got "open box" devices but rather they were intended for an area which Sony (for whatever reason) chose not to use seals.

mwep said:
My point...
Sony packages models different based on their intended destination. It might not be that you ever got "open box" devices but rather they were intended for an area which Sony (for whatever reason) chose not to use seals.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is interesting. Before buying from techno, I bought a white one from tropical_mobile (in which I sold quickly due to being D6653), who stated they were located in Tennessee, but shipped from Singapore. However, the phone was sealed with two white rounded "sealed" stickers on the box. The phone also was sealed in a clear plastic slip and had protective screens on both sides.
This whole Z3 deal has been pretty bad luck for me. Maybe it is not meant to be. But good news--the seller techno.trading.house got back to me, and is willing to refund me $20 for the dented power button, or do another replacement. I'm planning to take the refund, and live with it as I am sick of all the exchanges. Who knows, the replacement might have even weirder issues.

If you spend $500 plus on an item, you the buyer, have every right on this planet to be as picky as you like.
Nobody has to settle for anything less than perfection.
So no, you don't have to accept a defective camera, or flap or indeed a previously returned phone.
As I mentioned before but was lambasted in another thread, Sony may be using premium materials, but they are certainly not using premium construction. Not when some people have to go through six boxes in store to find a unit without light bleed and gaps.
I myself had two exchanges within the first two weeks. My first unit was simply not waterproof and had a leaky flap and my second one didn't charge on the magnetic dock and now I have light bleed but no energy to fight it anymore.
It's almost as bad as an iPhone. All my iPhone friends have had multiple exchanges... Some as many as 5 in a year.
Sent from my D6603 using XDA Free mobile app

More recent feedbacks to prove my point.

stop accepting being called a picky buyer.... ur paying top dollar for the phone, that said u should receive a product good for the purpose, if the camera doesn't work its not good
if the phone isnt water proof it isnt good
if there is a dent in the design it should state it before being bought. so it's not the buyer nor seller (purposely) its a unlucky sale.

I purchased mine at t-mobile. I paid 100% upfront despite being with t-mobile and they unlock it on the spot. When I registered with Xperia Care (sonymobiles product registration) I entered my IMEI and it has till Oct 2016 on warranty.
However on the 2nd day of owning the device The bottom speaker stopped working and was making a static noise. I went to my t-mo store I purchased it and they swapped it out. I didn't even pay a restocking fee. The manager said as long as I get the same phone and since I bought it back so promptly that he would just swap a new one. This one has been perfect since. Sometimes the convenience of having a store near by is better than having to deal with shipping my phone back and forth!
Alot of people dont want the tmobile Bloatwear but like I said, 32 GB + Local customer support outweight > No bloatwear & 16 Gig with mail in issues. (since i have no sony store near by, id still have to mail in for repairs and exchanges)

Me too, I'm glad I bought it from TMO with an EIP, exchanged mine 3 times on my 4th now, no hassles or fees.

[EU]Buying an S7 on Amazon?

Hi,
I want to buy my mother a new phone for her birthday, and have decided on an S7 because (a) I'll probably never have to buy her another phone again and (b) she'll be able to stay on the Sammy-train, where she's very firmly set *sigh*
However, I don't want to buy from a local store because the prices, (it's like the S8 line doesn't exist) and I'd also prefer an unlocked model in case she switches carriers. I've been looking at amazon.de, and their prices are more reasonable. But I have my doubts, mainly about if the phone I buy will turn out to be fully genuine (and brand-new), or will turn out to be somehow SIM-locked or have the wrong firmware like in this thread. [EDIT]Also, what about warranties & repair and stuff like that?[/EDIT] I'm aware that it will be region-locked to the EU, which every seller says it should be (and it better be the right region, too). I've come here with this query as it's likely to be the most knowledgable environment for S7 stuff. So, yeah, if there are horror stories out there, I'd love to hear them.
Finally, yes, I have searched, but all the relevant threads I found were about amazon in the US/Canada/RSA. I'm in the EU, and need more info on buying Samsung phones here, as I haven't done so for four years now. TIA for answers

Spotting new LG G5 using IMEI SV ?

Hi all,
I would really appreciate your help with a question I have.
I just got my supposedly brand new H830 LG G5 which I bought through e-Bay (top seller of course)
I bought in the recent past an LG G5 from Best Buy but I had to return it because it was the RS988 version, they claimed it will have full support of T-Mobile but it didn't (****ty signal)
Anyway, I just got my new H830 and I noticed something weird, it came without a sticker on the screen.
This made me quite suspicious so I checked some guides and my phone current IMEI SV is 09, from what I understand this means that the phone was reset/had his software updated at least 9 times. Usually a new phone comes with an IMEI SV of 00.
Before I start complaining, I wanted to make sure that I'm not missing anything, do you think the device is refurbished?
Thanks!

Check the manufacturing date...sv is the software revision ... the phone would have been manufactured recently ... so since the original date of manu the device would have already got 9 revs...

I did the same thing the OP did. Bought the phone brand new on eBay a couple weeks ago. Mine came preloaded with Android 7.
How does one check the manufacturing date of the phone?

Skipjacks said:
I did the same thing the OP did. Bought the phone brand new on eBay a couple weeks ago. Mine came preloaded with Android 7.
How does one check the manufacturing date of the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's written on the box, or you could contact LG's customer service, send them your IMEI and they'll tell you the phone details.

Thanks!
Mine says manufactured in February 2017 with software version 20c on the label
But the phone has the April 2017 security patch installed and is running 20i (I don't think I did an OTA when I first set the phone up).
Should this be sending up major red flags to me?
I mean the phone I got is working fine and it's a great price. I'm super happy with the phone. But I'll be mildly steamed if I bought it as new and it's not.

Skipjacks said:
Thanks!
Mine says manufactured in February 2017 with software version 20c on the label
But the phone has the April 2017 security patch installed and is running 20i (I don't think I did an OTA when I first set the phone up).
Should this be sending up major red flags to me?
I mean the phone I got is working fine and it's a great price. I'm super happy with the phone. But I'll be mildly steamed if I bought it as new and it's not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're in the same boat, bought the same one.
From eBay, right?
It seems to be legit because the manufacturing date is supposedly February 22nd, but I'm still waiting to hear from the seller and from LG.

fabiansc said:
We're in the same boat, bought the same one.
From eBay, right?
It seems to be legit because the manufacturing date is supposedly February 22nd, but I'm still waiting to hear from the seller and from LG.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I just talked to LG (mainly because you freaked me out and made me question the authenticity here)
I used this number 800 243-0000
Took about a minute to get to a real person. He tried to give me lots of superficial info until I said I wanted him to look up the IMEI then he was glad to do that. And he ended up being really helpful.
The LG rep confirmed the February manufacture date for my IMEI. And he confirmed that LG had never refurbished the phone. (That doesn't mean it wasn't refurbished by someone other than LG, but if it was they did a hell of a good job as there isn't a scratch on it and it runs perfectly fine.) The LG rep also said that it wasn't concerning to him that the phone first booted with software version 20i even though the box says 20c because that small security patch probably updated on first boot without me noticing. All in all the LG rep sounded like he reasonably knew what he was talking about and he said my device looked fine on his end and nothing I said gave him any cause for alarm.
The phone had all the stickers on it. The clear anti scratch stickers on the sides and on the screen and on the little part at the bottom that holds the battery, and it came wrapped in the extra layer of clear plastic that wraps all the way around it. Third party refurbishers don't do all that. Only LG does, and per LG this has never been sent back to LG.
I mean I guess it could have been locally refurbished into brand new perfect working condition and repacked into the box and the security seal diligently pealed off and replaced....but that seems unlikely when it could just be sold as 'new other' or 'open box like new' for $10 cheaper.
I also asked the seller about it before I bought it and they said (this is cut and pasted from their response) "This is a brand new sealed model and is the T-mobile model of the phone which is also GSM unlocked. "
So the seller and LG have both told me it's new. and thus the warranty is still in tact.
If your seller was "buyspry" then we bought the same deal.
Also it's VERY worth mentioning that this eBay seller has dozens of phone auctions. Most of them are for used and refurbished phones. So the seller does a lot of refurbished sales. It seems odd that a seller would be truthful about some listings but lie about others.
---------- Post added at 02:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:27 PM ----------
So this is interesting...
https://slickdeals.net/f/10327428-p...tphone-silver-200-fs-ebay?page=10#commentsBox
This is a discussion about a deal this same seller was offering on eBay. But this page of the discussion is about the authenticity of the phones. Some people are saying theirs came with the 20i software (without doing an update) and the security seal on the box cut and repaired with a clear circle sticker over the original security seal.
Mine definitely had that circular sticker over the security seal, but I checked it up pretty closely before cutting it and it looked like the original seal was intact. I guess I could have just not seen a slice in that.
People on Slickdeals seem to think that that might have been done to unlock the phone since it was sold as unlocked. But if the box was opened, it's illegal to sell the phone as 'brand new' and massively against eBay's rules.
I'm gonna reach back out to the seller.
---------- Post added at 03:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:44 PM ----------
And now that I looked diligently at the seller's feedback I see this (dated after my purchase)
LG G5 was not new. Be careful. The T-mobile seal was broken and resealed! Used!
BRAND NEW LG G5 H830T 32GB T-Mobile + GSM Unlocked 4G LTE Smartphone (#352049253484)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what everyone on the Slickdeals site was saying too. I found photos of the G5 t mobile box with the seal intact and none of them have that extra circular sticker.
So I've changed my mind. I think this phone was NOT new and sealed from LG but was sold as such anyway.
---------- Post added at 04:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:38 PM ----------
And this got worse.
I called eBay to ask about my options here, since if it is fraud I would not trust the seller to refund properly or not play an additional scam like claim they didn't get the phone back.
The eBay rep slipped up and told me that they have multiple reports about the exact problems listed above about this seller. She's not supposed to say that. That's supposed to be proprietary eBay information. But she did.
So this phone does NOT appear to be brand new in a sealed box.

I got my G5 recently from buyspry/ebay too. I also have the clear circle sticker over the T-Mobile sticker. My phone matched everything shown on this unboxing video of T-Mobile G5 from March 2016. I'm not worried about this being used, refurbished, or stolen. Maybe the seller (or their supplier) got a bunch from T-Mobile. T-Mobile stores will purposely cut the seal so people can't return them for fraudulent reasons. So maybe that's what happened here so people won't try to return to T-Mobile for higher value.
Given the Feb 2017 manufacture date, LG and T-Mobile may have decided to clear them out (i.e., sell to wholesaler) in preparation of the G6. Who would've bought a G5 in Feb 2017 given all the negative press of the prior 6 months? It think it was LG's mistake to continue making the G5 that long.

I already became more relaxed and now I'm suspicious again, the fact that he got many complaints are interesting, he just answered me a few hours ago, I'll get back to him.
Here's the thing, we both bought the phone from the same seller, I was BTW on the Slickdeals post as well.
The phone didn't really come sealed, but if you'll look at LG G5 unboxing guides (and more specifically the T-Mobile model) you'll notice that it arrived well.
I'll tell the seller that it didn't come sealed and we'll see how he answers.
Eventually, the biggest evidence for me that it seems to be real is that we all have as manufacturing date the 02/22/2017 and it seems to be the real one according to LG after giving them my IMEI.
Looking forward to hear what you've did to decide what to do

@fabiansc, your original post mentioned "it came without a sticker on the screen". Mine had a clear film, like a screen protector. I didn't notice it until I accidently peeled it while cleaning in preparation for a glass screen protector. The video below of an AT&T unboxing shows the AT&T version has something printed on the screen film. Plus the bar code sticker on back is larger. I think we're lucky the T-Mobile version is unprinted. I wish I was still using it since glass screen protectors don't lay flat on the G5.
Buyspry sold over 1600 of these units and they've been a Ebay daily deal seller many times before. Apparently Ebay has a heavy vetting process of sellers for daily deals. Buyspry was part of the limited list of sellers who qualified for the 20% coupon (now expired) that dropped the price to $191.19. I don't work for Buyspry nor am I affiliated with them. I feel like I got an amazing deal ($200) for a legit device. You can't expect to pay so little (especially on Ebay) without some sort of concession (cut sticker in this case).

HKSpeed said:
I got my G5 recently from buyspry/ebay too. I also have the clear circle sticker over the T-Mobile sticker. My phone matched everything shown on this unboxing video of T-Mobile G5 from March 2016. I'm not worried about this being used, refurbished, or stolen. Maybe the seller (or their supplier) got a bunch from T-Mobile. T-Mobile stores will purposely cut the seal so people can't return them for fraudulent reasons. So maybe that's what happened here so people won't try to return to T-Mobile for higher value.
Given the Feb 2017 manufacture date, LG and T-Mobile may have decided to clear them out (i.e., sell to wholesaler) in preparation of the G6. Who would've bought a G5 in Feb 2017 given all the negative press of the prior 6 months? It think it was LG's mistake to continue making the G5 that long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you're saying t mobile has extra inventory when the new model comes out. So they sell that inventory cheap. And to keep me from buying it on ebay for $200 and returning it to t mobile still unopened and sealed in the box for full retail they cut the seals so they are officially open boxes (meaning no store would take one back without a receipt).
That makes sense.
Do you know this is T Mobile policy fro a fact? Or are you speculating?
I'm not questioning your logic. This does make sense and makes me feel better even if you're speculating that's what happened. But if you know for a fact T Mobile does that, I'll feel even better.
---------- Post added at 05:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:24 PM ----------
HKSpeed said:
Buyspry sold over 1600 of these units and they've been a Ebay daily deal seller many times before. Apparently Ebay has a heavy vetting process of sellers for daily deals. Buyspry was part of the limited list of sellers who qualified for the 20% coupon (now expired) that dropped the price to $191.19. I don't work for Buyspry nor am I affiliated with them. I feel like I got an amazing deal ($200) for a legit device. You can't expect to pay so little (especially on Ebay) without some sort of concession (cut sticker in this case).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phone is working fantastically. Even if it was opened and updated, I'm totally cool with that. I'd just like to know that up front and not be told it's never been opened. It should be listed as "new other" with an explanation of why the box was open but the phone was new. and 100% unused.
My concern was that the IMEI would suddenly turn up bad 3 months down the road. If it's just a cut seal because they opened it to unlock it or update the software...fine. Just tell me that's what you did before I buy it.
I also didn't realize ebay had a heavy vetting process for certain deals. (Or that there even was a daily deal on this phone). Thanks for sharing that.

Buyspry should've mentioned the boxes were opened to unlock. That's their mistake. Maybe they knew and purposely tried to hide it with the clear sticker. Or maybe a wholesaler opened them to unlock and resealed them, without informing Buyspry. Someone had to open these phones to unlocked them. I've unlocked many LG phones using codes I purchased on Ebay. I had to input the code using the phone dialer app. Who knows if Buyspry actually did the unlocking.
If you read the Slickdeals thread for the BOGO T-Mobile LG G6 deal ($500 rebate direct from LG) that lasted one day, people wrote how store associates cut the seals on purpose. Store managers were afraid this was some kind of scam, because T-Mobile didn't know about LG's rebate offer. People on Slickdeals were pissed because they planned to sell the second phone on Craigslist/ebay/swappa, and cutting the seal hurt the value.

When I use the T Mobile unlock app that comes preinstalled it says the phone is locked. Then it has errors.
I didn't think much of that before because I don't care. I have no intention of leaving T Mobile in the next year.
Would that app error out if the phone was unlocked manually?
You are GREATLY improving my mood, by the way. So I appreciate you adding this additional info about how T Mobile deals with overstock. (I knew it was overstock from the beginning. I asked the seller specifically is that's what it was before purchase and they confirmed)

Skipjacks said:
When I use the T Mobile unlock app that comes preinstalled it says the phone is locked. Then it has errors.
I didn't think much of that before because I don't care. I have no intention of leaving T Mobile in the next year.
Would that app error out if the phone was unlocked manually?
You are GREATLY improving my mood, by the way. So I appreciate you adding this additional info about how T Mobile deals with overstock. (I knew it was overstock from the beginning. I asked the seller specifically is that's what it was before purchase and they confirmed)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get an error too when I try the unlock app. It maybe because I disabled so many apps, include all of T-Mobile's. I don't plan on leaving T-Mobile for a very long time. I'll try an AT&T SIM when I get home later.
Many retailers (any type) get rid of excess merchandise via wholesalers/liquidators. One company buys all of the leftover G5 at once, so T-Mobile doesn't have to worry about having a few dozen or hundred leftovers. Retailers are contractually obligated to sell at prices approved by the manufacturer, so I doubt T-Mobile could sell these phone for $1 each without upsetting LG. A wholesaler/liquidator doesn't follow the same rules. LG (not T-Mobile) could've sold these phones directly to a wholesaler/liquidator for the same reasons.

This morning I popped an old disconnected AT&T SIM into the G5. No error message. The status bar showed showed "searching" for the network name. I then put that AT&T sim in my locked T-Mobile G6. I instantly got an error message saying the phone is network locked and I need to contact T-Mobile. The status bar showed "network locked" for the network name.

Anyone try running Android Pay with this t-mobile unlocked phone? I got an error message saying Android Pay can't be used when trying to add a card.
Does that mean this phone has unlocked bootloader?

So Buyspry emailed me back and said
Dear Buyer,
Please be advised these phones are brand new and have been sealed by the manufacture.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So they are full of malarkey, unless they know how to update and unlock a phone that's powered off in the box.
But I do feel better after reading this thread that despite it being an open box it's probably not a huge deal. I still don't like being misled though.
To everyone else who bought from this eBay listing, did yours come with a new T Mobile SIM card? T Mobile usually includes a new SIM card in the box with every phone they sell, even if you already have a SIM. The G5 I got didn't have the card. I wonder if T Mobile opened them to remove the SIM cards when they sold them wholesale so they could be used for other customers.
On that matter, I needed a new SIM because the one I had was a mini SIM, not a micro SIM. So I needed a new one to make my G5 work. I went to the T Mobile store, told them what happened and why I needed a new SIM. They activated a new one for me and sent me on my way at no cost in 5 minutes. This kind of thing is why I'm not leaving T Mobile for the foreseable future. Customer service is outstanding.
I also wondered if T Mobile has to unlock them themselves to sell them wholesale. There are some weird laws around unlocking phones.

What's the story with new "old" phones from China?

I'm looking for an older phone, likely a Pixel 3a or 4a - we are currently on Verizon but want a phone with an unlockable bootloader and a headphone jack, so the list of choices isn't very long.
In looking on the big auction site I see some phones listed as new in box, generally from China. Ditto on ali. What's the story on these? It seems odd that new ones would still be available in large quantities - I can see an individual one here or there that got misplaced at a store and never sold, or whatever, but large numbers? Are they actually new? Or refurbs with new packaging?

If it looks too good to be true...
Buy from known good venders only.
That site is US based and buys unsold lots stateside and resells them. Got my new factory sealed N10+ from them.
If it's not new make sure you know which OS version is loaded, if that matters to you.
Avoid cash purchases, cover your six...