Buying a BB off ebay?

Hey guys, first post on BB an a complete newbie to all this stuff.

I have to buy a smart phone for school next year and decided that I want a BB. I really want the Tour/Bold 2 but won't go there!:mad:

I am thinking about buying a Tour 9630 off ebay so I don't have to pay the $500 from verizon since I'm not eligible for an upgrade.

If I buy a phone off ebay, how do I get it activated? If I just take it to a verizon store will they do it?

What should I be looking at when buying a BB (used or new) off ebay? Are there things that I should be looking for that would steer new away from a certain phone and point new to another?

Any info on buying off ebay and getting phones activated would be great! Thanks guys!

If you buy anything from ebay, make sure the seller has a high positive rating. Also, use Paypal so you can get a refund if there is any problem with the phone.

One more thing, you can get a warranty from SquareTrade to have some protection if your phone breaks.

Yes you can take it to Verizon to get it activated

I've bought a BB off ebay in the past and it was a great experience.

My first advice is not to rush! Make sure the listing has up close pictures. So you can see any physical defects up close. If the seller doesn't have many pictures, ask for more. If not, or they do not want to provide more pictures, move on to the next listing (trust me, there will be plenty more).

And always follow your gut instincts. If the deal is too good to be true, it probably is. Of course, we all want the cheapest BB we can find, but sometimes too cheap is a red flag. Especially if there are no other bidders.

As far as activating it on Verizon, I can only guess you can call and have it activated. Make sure you have the ESN or Imei number, or whatever they use to activate phones. And since they do not use sim cards on the Verizon network, maybe see if you can get the ESN/IMEI number from the seller before you buy, so you can check with Verizon to make sure the device hasn't been reported as stolen.

"maybe see if you can get the ESN/IMEI number from the seller before you buy, so you can check with Verizon to make sure the device hasn't been reported as stolen"

thats a great idea, I never would have thought about that!

Buying a BlackBerry off eBay - BlackBerryFAQ

make sure the phone is unlocked first
so you can buy service from any company besides ATT
i got mine off ebay too so :)

Originally Posted by TequilaAddict

If you buy anything from ebay, make sure the seller has a high positive rating. Also, use Paypal so you can get a refund if there is any problem with the phone.

I say the same....

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

good advice from everyone. Ive bought a lot phones off Ebay, and as its been said, take your time, make sure the seller is reputable-actually read his feedback, see what his return/refund policy is. you can contact PayPal before you buy and ask them will this particular item qualify for buyers protection-most will but some wont. good luck

correct me if im wrong but im using a blackberry tour on the verizon network and i do use a sim card. Granted the esn is still in the same place as all phones on the back behind the battery, But i do have a sim card in that i need to have in, in order to make the phone operable.

Be cautious and trust only sellers who are willing to share more information when asked. There is also the possibility that someone sells a device with blacklisted PIN (or IMEI/ESN).

As an alterative, you could check the marketplace here in the CB forums. Again, go for the sellers with good background.

Originally Posted by crackkberrry9630

correct me if im wrong but im using a blackberry tour on the verizon network and i do use a sim card. Granted the esn is still in the same place as all phones on the back behind the battery, But i do have a sim card in that i need to have in, in order to make the phone operable.

You don't need a Sim card for the phone to work on vz. The Sim card is there for international roaming.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Originally Posted by diegonei

As an alterative, you could check the marketplace here in the CB forums. Again, go for the sellers with good background.

I don't see a classified forum, could you point me in the right direction?

Originally Posted by aupharmd2011

I don't see a classified forum, could you point me in the right direction?

Sure: http://forums.crackberry.com/f14/

don't have enough posts to start a WTB thread! oh well, time to post ***** for a couple weeks! haha, jk

I bought my first BB off ebay a few weeks ago. It was a good experience. I agree with everyone else, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

Originally Posted by shinkodachi

Be cautious and trust only sellers who are willing to share more information when asked.(or IMEI/ESN).

+1) In a nutshell...if someone selling an item on e-Bay has something to hide...they will.

I would check the Marketplace here first too. Look for sellers with a good post count and even check their rep with other forum members. I haven't bought anything here, but I have sold a few things with good results. Will have an unlocked Storm 9530 on there soon if you decide against the Tour...lol...

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

My current phone, a Tour 9630, came from Ebay, the price was right, the phone was perfect! It came from someone who, not knowing any better, downgraded to a Droid. ;-) All the extras in the box were unopened except for the charger.

You can activate the phone over the air by calling *228 from the phone and selecting option 3 (Change my phone) or from the VZW website, there's no need to go anywhere.

try to get one that the seller have a receipt of purchase, so that your blackberry qualifies for manufacturer's warranty, and thus you dont need to spend money to get the square trade warranty. I got a storm 2 off ebay, happy with it, but doesnt have a manufacturer's warranty, so i have to get a square trade warranty.

p.s. please tell me if i am wrong on this

Not all BlackBerry smartphones may come with warranty. Different countries work these things out in a different manner. For example, here you get "warranty" for the subscription and any phone tied to your account less than a year old is eligible for full exchange in case something happens. The phone itself however, does not come with warranty and thus even if I sold a one day old phone I got from my carrier, it won't help much for the buyer to receive a copy of the receipt as they have a different subscription than I do.

Also, best warranty / insurance in these cases is yourself. Put aside $5 each month in a box or something, it will fill up nicely and when the time comes you do something stupid, you know where to get some cash instantly.

I got my Storm 2 off craigslist. I just went to my local Verizon store and they said they needed the ESN and activated it right there. Didn't take more than a few minutes.

Originally Posted by TequilaAddict

If you buy anything from ebay, make sure the seller has a high positive rating. Also, use Paypal so you can get a refund if there is any problem with the phone.

this is what you should look for.