Develop Bugs

Buying a note 2 have some ?'s

Ok so im planning to buy a new T-Mobile galaxy note 2 from craigslist for $500 everything is in the box sealed. I'm worried about the situation were T-Mobile blocks your phone from their network if they just bought it with contract and didn't pay the cancelation fee. I was going to meet him up at T-Mobile but he has things to do so we are going to do the deal after T-Mobile store closes. Here's what he told me when I told him about this.
Him : The note 2 was purchased under my account, I have sold 3 other note 2s without any issues or complaints and I bought it for 750.
Also he said
Well my account is active and im using a tmobile phone so I dont know what to tell you, you can buy the phone or not its ur choice
What's your guys input on this ? I would wait but I need a phone today asap and his is the only one I could find
Thanks

Jaimesco12 said:
Ok so im planning to buy a new T-Mobile galaxy note 2 from craigslist for $500 everything is in the box sealed. I'm worried about the situation were T-Mobile blocks your phone from their network if they just bought it with contract and didn't pay the cancelation fee. I was going to meet him up at T-Mobile but he has things to do so we are going to do the deal after T-Mobile store closes. Here's what he told me when I told him about this.
Him : The note 2 was purchased under my account, I have sold 3 other note 2s without any issues or complaints and I bought it for 750.
Also he said
Well my account is active and im using a tmobile phone so I dont know what to tell you, you can buy the phone or not its ur choice
What's your guys input on this ? I would wait but I need a phone today asap and his is the only one I could find
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if he bought it for $750 why would he sell it for $500? the only way it makes sense is if he got a deal on the phone or got it as a gift and is flipping it for a profit
i live in NY and on CL the Tmo version is going from $600-650....$500 is quite cheap
if you ABSOLUTELY NEED a phone today as you claim you do...you're better off buying one that is closer to the average asking price
advise for anyone using CL...if it sounds to good to be true..it probably is

jdiddy_ub said:
if he bought it for $750 why would he sell it for $500? the only way it makes sense is if he got a deal on the phone or got it as a gift and is flipping it for a profit
i live in NY and on CL the Tmo version is going from $600-650....$500 is quite cheap
if you ABSOLUTELY NEED a phone today as you claim you do...you're better off buying one that is closer to the average asking price
advise for anyone using CL...if it sounds to good to be true..it probably is
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Click to collapse
Really ? Most notes on craigslist are 500-600 in Vegas
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And is there a way to check the imei myself?
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Jaimesco12 said:
Really ? Most notes on craigslist are 500-600 in Vegas
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Click to collapse
considering the current retail price is $699.99...i dont see the logic of selling it for $500 when you can easily get $100 more
but yeah..i just re-checked CL and they are going for at least $600 with only 1 post that is $550 but the phone is not mint thats why
if they are all going for 500-600 in your area then it shouldnt be hard to find another person that sounds more legit that is also selling it for 500
---------- Post added at 09:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------
Jaimesco12 said:
And is there a way to check the imei myself?
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are a bunch of sites that claim to check it..idk how legit they are..just google "imei checker"
or maybe even call tmobile directly and ask..although i feel like i did that once and they didnt offer any help
tmobile phones are rarely blacklisted if ever..are you concerned that it has already been blacklisted or that it WILL be blacklisted sometime down the line...if your speaking in the present just pop your sim in there..if it works, your ok..for now..
if you are gonna buy from this guy, ask him if hes driving to meet you...if he is just copy down or memorize his license plate without him knowing

jdiddy_ub said:
considering the current retail price is $699.99...i dont see the logic of selling it for $500 when you can easily get $100 more
but yeah..i just re-checked CL and they are going for at least $600 with only 1 post that is $550 but the phone is not mint thats why
if they are all going for 500-600 in your area then it shouldnt be hard to find another person that sounds more legit that is also selling it for 500
---------- Post added at 09:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------
there are a bunch of sites that claim to check it..idk how legit they are..just google "imei checker"
or maybe even call tmobile directly and ask..although i feel like i did that once and they didnt offer any help
tmobile phones are rarely blacklisted..are you concerned that it has already been blacklisted or that it WILL be blacklisted sometime down the line...if your speaking in the present just pop your sim in there..if it works, your ok..for now..
if you are gonna buy from this guy, ask him if hes driving to meet you...if he is just copy down or memorize his license plate without him knowing
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I was planning to call T-Mobile since he will give me the imei number but T-Mobile can't check it ??? And I'm concerned of it being blacklisted down the road because I can just pop my sim in and if it works its good but what if next month it doesn't?
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Jaimesco12 said:
I was planning to call T-Mobile since he will give me the imei number but T-Mobile can't check it ??? And I'm concerned of it being blacklisted down the road because I can just pop my sim in and if it works its good but what if next month it doesn't?
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to be honest with you i dont think tmobile cares about blacklisting stolen phones...my guess is that employees dont even have that info to look up
if you are just looking to pop your sim in and use it you are most likely gonna be fine..if you are planning on unlocking it or using it internationally then you might encounter an issue if that phone was indeed stolen and reported
the only way to protect yourself is to look for deals that you truly believe are legit...trust your gut..sounds like your gut is telling you no...if you really believed that this guy was legit you wouldnt have posted this question
also..i have been on both ends of selling a phone on CL...ive sold and bought..whenever i buy a new phone my old phone immediately goes on CL..as a legit seller i have no issues answering people's questions...the guy you mentioned sounded very blunt and quick...if you are making a legit sale you would understand that people dont just hand over $500 no questions asked...ive also dealt with sellers that are like that and i just look for someone else

jdiddy_ub said:
to be honest with you i dont think tmobile cares about blacklisting stolen phones...my guess is that employees dont even have that info to look up
if you are just looking to pop your sim in and use it you are most likely gonna be fine..if you are planning on unlocking it or using it internationally then you might encounter an issue if that phone was indeed stolen and reported
the only way to protect yourself is to look for deals that you truly believe are legit...trust your gut..sounds like your gut is telling you no...if you really believed that this guy was legit you wouldnt have posted this question
also..i have been on both ends of selling a phone on CL...ive sold and bought..whenever i buy a new phone my old phone immediately goes on CL..as a legit seller i have no issues answering people's questions...the guy you mentioned sounded very blunt and quick...if you are making a legit sale you would understand that people dont just hand over $500 no questions asked...ive also dealt with sellers that are like that and i just look for someone else
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He says he couldn't go because he has a boxing event lol? My gut tells me no at any price because I'm uncompletly sure it wouldn't matter if it was 600 I ask myself what if lol
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Jaimesco12 said:
He says he couldn't go because he has a boxing event lol? My gut tells me no at any price because I'm uncompletly sure it wouldn't matter if it was 600 I ask myself what if lol
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why did you mention the thing about someone buying the phone and not paying the cancellation fee? is that what you believe he is doing or did you just make that up out of paranoia?
i believe you can tell if a CL posting is real based on the way they write...also always ask the seller if he has a receipt
like i mentioned..most guys that are legit will answer questions
1. where did they get it from?
2. why are they selling?
do you have a link to the posting?

jdiddy_ub said:
why did you mention the thing about someone buying the phone and not paying the cancellation fee? is that what you believe he is doing or did you just make that up out of paranoia?
i believe you can tell if a CL posting is real based on the way they write...also always ask the seller if he has a receipt
like i mentioned..most guys that are legit will answer questions
1. where did they get it from?
2. why are they selling?
do you have a link to the posting?
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Click to collapse
He got it from tmobile http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/for/3390448521.html and Im just asking what if lol
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I know there have been issues over in the gs3 forum where someone buys a s3 off craigslist and a couple months later the phone no longer works. What ppl are doing is buying the phone with a value plan pay the upfront of 129.99 or 199 or whatever it is and then the rest of the cost is broken up over the course of 20 months. Well they sell the phone and stop paying the installment payments and that causes the phone to get blacklisted.
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Jaimesco12 said:
He got it from tmobile http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/for/3390448521.html and Im just asking what if lol
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id just ask him if he has a receipt...open the box in front of him and pop your sim in to test it
like i said..tmobile rarely if ever blacklists a phone..at the end of the day its your choice..no one can tell you whether or not its safe...no one knows..good luck

Are you still on contract and that is why you need to buy the device "full" price? Are you wanting to use the device for the prepaid plan? Are you trying to keep your old plan?
Why not just go for a contract? This way you don't have to pay so much for this device. And you will know that the device is legit.

Just call t-mobile and give them the IMEI and see if the phone is blacklisted. Worked for our second Note 2, and it's running on solavei with zero problems.

Figured I'd post here, but does anyone know if phones outside of the Equipment Installment Plan get blacklisted? I'm shopping for a Note 2 right now and want to make sure phones purchased off-contract or on-contract but not in EIP won't get blacklisted.
The 2-months-to-blacklist thing is outside of PayPal/eBay buyer protection but just within normal credit card protections but I want to be as safe as possible.

There is no clear cut answer as of yet. Supposedly they should have already start blacklisting the phones that are reported stolen. AT&T have already started the program.
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Jaimesco12 said:
Ok so im planning to buy a new T-Mobile galaxy note 2 from craigslist for $500 everything is in the box sealed. I'm worried about the situation were T-Mobile blocks your phone from their network if they just bought it with contract and didn't pay the cancelation fee. I was going to meet him up at T-Mobile but he has things to do so we are going to do the deal after T-Mobile store closes. Here's what he told me when I told him about this.
Him : The note 2 was purchased under my account, I have sold 3 other note 2s without any issues or complaints and I bought it for 750.
Also he said
Well my account is active and im using a tmobile phone so I dont know what to tell you, you can buy the phone or not its ur choice
What's your guys input on this ? I would wait but I need a phone today asap and his is the only one I could find
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The condition is whether the previous user paid off the phone or not. I had to pay S3 in full (remaining balance) at once before selling it.

[Q] Lesson learned when buying on craigslist

So yeah, I have learned today to always be wary of where things come from, especially on Craigslist.
The story of how I got my Note 2. Normally I buy my phones full price and I found an incredible deal on a white iPhone 5 16GB for a mere $500 at launch date. Fast forward to a few months a so, I found someone selling a brand new wrapped T-mobile Note II. Offered the guy a direct trade, he agrees. Fast forward again to Dec. 26,
BAM!
Found out my phone has been blacklisted. Asked T-mobile about it, they says the owner defaulted on their bill so it was claimed lost or stolen.
Yeah, It was depressing. I though only CDMA carriers enforced the whole IMEI blacklisting thing, but I guess now GSM carriers in the US started blacklisting as well back in November. I never suspected the phone to be stolen or anything, and I was under the assumption that being a GSM phone I'd be ok. Guess not...
Moral of story: When buying phones even if its GSM, make sure its legit and you wont get screwed over somehow. Maybe ask for a receipt so you can track him down and beat his... I mean, have records to be safe and do business near a carrier store.
And now I come to the XDA gods, being that its been 18 hours without my beloved Note II, is it worth me dishing out money to buy full price (again, sorta) and buy another one at the T-Mo store? Or maybe look into newer and better options, if any? I'm leaning towards getting another one but yeah, I need the approval of the internet. :good:
FWIW I sold the Note on Craigslist for 300 ducks, clearly stating that it was blacklisted. Hate being scammed and I wont stoop down to that level.

Yeah, best thing is to call the carrier before purchase, or better yet have them meet you at a tmo store. Sorry ya lost out dude.

KillaHurtz said:
Yeah, best thing is to call the carrier before purchase, or better yet have them meet you at a tmo store. Sorry ya lost out dude.
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Click to collapse
Doesnt matter, sure the phone might be good that date but the original owner can stop paying their bill then default on it later, days/weeks/months whenever...
The best thing you can do is get a signed bill of sale with the IMEI number written on there, most craiglist sellers wont do it. actually here... just listen to my story.
So I sold my asus padfone last thursday 12/20/12. And immediately after that I started surfing craigslist for a new note 2 for tmobile, they were running from 550-570 brand new. I contacted MANY MANY people. Maybe 20 or so, everyone first asking if the phone was brand new then telling them I have cash in hand ready and ready to pay if they will sign a simple bill of sale with the IMEI of the phone written on there. Every single one of those 20 declined to sign anything. Now after using a phone I found in my closet (nokia 6800 from 2005) I was getting ancy because I felt like my life was crumbling around me since I didnt have internet on my phone. I went into a small korean owned tmobile store and asked if I could buy a note 2 straight out and how much it would be. They said 700 + tax and I asked if they had any used ones or if they could give me a better price cash. It just so happens that the owner bought a note 2 to test it out like he does all the phones and would sell one for 650 cash with a actual printed bill of sale. So thats how I got mine... got an extra battery, 32 gb samsung micro sd, case and screen protector thrown in for free. So it really wasnt a bad deal...

Damn dude. I would have called the cops & gotten your original phone back.

It's not that they defaulted on the their bill, it's if they defaulted on their eip (financing over 12 or 20 months.) still a bummer!
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I also bought GS3 from craigslist that got blacklisted a week later. Luckily I tracked down the guy who sold it to me and got my money back.
If you could live without a sd slot and removable memory you might want to give Oppo Find 5 a try. If I didn't bought the Note 2 I would have probably gone with that phone.
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That's the risk you take when buying off craiglist or even ebay.
I've had good experience so far on craiglist but my expense never exceeded $300

I would for sure track the guy down with the phone number or email. Also I would file charges with the police. I would go after him with every means possible including small claims court. Sometimes it's not just about the money, but the principle of the matter. Make sure he NEVER does it to anyone else!
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I would try to take this up with Tmobile. If the phone was blacklisted then they know the address of the person that got it blacklisted. If it was stolen it would have been blacklisted when you originally got the phone. Not sure how you would legally go after TMobile but without a doubt if you had TMobile service with the phone and then they blacklisted it they are full of ****. Also you said the phone was "brand new wrapped" did it have the original sticker on the screen? too many times people allow big companies to rip them off thinking they have no recourse. sprint tried that **** with me and with a quick call from my lawyer my contract was ended and i didn't have to pay an etf. BTW i always get the plate number of teh person I buy a phone from. and recently started to take a photo of their DL.

Its a shame that you cant trust anybody these days. Ruins it for the few of us honest people left.
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bad4life07 said:
So yeah, I have learned today to always be wary of where things come from, especially on Craigslist.
The story of how I got my Note 2. Normally I buy my phones full price and I found an incredible deal on a white iPhone 5 16GB for a mere $500 at launch date. Fast forward to a few months a so, I found someone selling a brand new wrapped T-mobile Note II. Offered the guy a direct trade, he agrees. Fast forward again to Dec. 26,
BAM!
Found out my phone has been blacklisted. Asked T-mobile about it, they says the owner defaulted on their bill so it was claimed lost or stolen.
Yeah, It was depressing. I though only CDMA carriers enforced the whole IMEI blacklisting thing, but I guess now GSM carriers in the US started blacklisting as well back in November. I never suspected the phone to be stolen or anything, and I was under the assumption that being a GSM phone I'd be ok. Guess not...
Moral of story: When buying phones even if its GSM, make sure its legit and you wont get screwed over somehow. Maybe ask for a receipt so you can track him down and beat his... I mean, have records to be safe and do business near a carrier store.
And now I come to the XDA gods, being that its been 18 hours without my beloved Note II, is it worth me dishing out money to buy full price (again, sorta) and buy another one at the T-Mo store? Or maybe look into newer and better options, if any? I'm leaning towards getting another one but yeah, I need the approval of the internet. :good:
FWIW I sold the Note on Craigslist for 300 ducks, clearly stating that it was blacklisted. Hate being scammed and I wont stoop down to that level.
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Click to collapse
Man, you sold it WAYYY too cheap. If you would've put it on ebay you would've gotten at least 450 AFTER final value fees and shipping cost.

Hmm, now I'm worried. I did a trade from a guy who got it from a guy. Its unlocked. Been working fine for a month and a half...now I'm afraid it will eventually be reported as stolen or some other financial default due to it's shady past.
Great.

Sorry to hear that :/ Would it work on simple mobile if it's black listed on T-mobile? You could also try to unlock it and sell it to someone who uses AT&T...

bad4life07 said:
So yeah, I have learned today to always be wary of where things come from, especially on Craigslist.
The story of how I got my Note 2. Normally I buy my phones full price and I found an incredible deal on a white iPhone 5 16GB for a mere $500 at launch date. Fast forward to a few months a so, I found someone selling a brand new wrapped T-mobile Note II. Offered the guy a direct trade, he agrees. Fast forward again to Dec. 26,
BAM!
Found out my phone has been blacklisted. Asked T-mobile about it, they says the owner defaulted on their bill so it was claimed lost or stolen.
Yeah, It was depressing. I though only CDMA carriers enforced the whole IMEI blacklisting thing, but I guess now GSM carriers in the US started blacklisting as well back in November. I never suspected the phone to be stolen or anything, and I was under the assumption that being a GSM phone I'd be ok. Guess not...
Moral of story: When buying phones even if its GSM, make sure its legit and you wont get screwed over somehow. Maybe ask for a receipt so you can track him down and beat his... I mean, have records to be safe and do business near a carrier store.
And now I come to the XDA gods, being that its been 18 hours without my beloved Note II, is it worth me dishing out money to buy full price (again, sorta) and buy another one at the T-Mo store? Or maybe look into newer and better options, if any? I'm leaning towards getting another one but yeah, I need the approval of the internet. :good:
FWIW I sold the Note on Craigslist for 300 ducks, clearly stating that it was blacklisted. Hate being scammed and I wont stoop down to that level.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I would of done is contacted t mobile and told em you want to run the imei number before u bought it. And if they blacklist it still contact the better business Bureau and tell em your story and u will see how fast they change their tone. When someone breaks contract t mobile needs to go after them for all of it.they cant black list it if they gonna collect the retail price for it.
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tbukkos said:
Sorry to hear that :/ Would it work on simple mobile if it's black listed on T-mobile? You could also try to unlock it and sell it to someone who uses AT&T...
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Click to collapse
I believe tmo and att are gonna start cross checking their imei database. So if its blacklisted with either company, lets att, tmo's system will be able to see that its blacklisted for att or vice versa. Now im not sure when thatll take effect but I read it on one of the more popular tech blogs I.e engadget, verge..
When I deal with CL now, I request the person meet me at the store just like I did with sprint phones. No other way to do it. Then at that time maybe you can get the rep to document the his/her acciunt stating they sold the phone to you. Idk something...
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Man, now you're scaring me. I've always been super honest on all my Craigslist and eBay posts and done my best to offer tip top service even if I only meet them once. So far I've only been annoyed once by a buyer who negliged on wanting to buy some video cards and wasted my time, but other than that I've been pretty successful in selling things.

To all that are worried about buying phones off of Craigslist:
They only blacklist the phones that are purchased under the EIP. You can call T-mobile with the IMEI to verify that the phone was not purchased under EIP before you buy it. If the phone was purchased subsidized with a classic plan, they can't blacklist the phone for an unpaid bill, because you own the phone. If it was purchased under EIP, you would have to go with the seller to a T-mobile store to pay off the balance to guarantee it won't be blacklisted.

That's nothing I got a warranty replacement device from mdpa insurance which I got when I bought it through wire fly. Worked fine for about a month then It suddenly dropped from tmobile network went to store got three new simcards etc etc. Called customer support then they told me it was blacklisted from it being associated with somebody else's account and the didnt pay there bill so I got screwed. But wait I got if from my insurance company ? So I called them and they sent me out a new one after stating my case. Any ways I got screwed with one through my insurance company so really your not safe a times unless I you buy new straight from a source I.e. bestbuy, tmobile, walmart get me. Cool then buy buy.
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lowandbehold said:
To all that are worried about buying phones off of Craigslist:
They only blacklist the phones that are purchased under the EIP. You can call T-mobile with the IMEI to verify that the phone was not purchased under EIP before you buy it. If the phone was purchased subsidized with a classic plan, they can't blacklist the phone for an unpaid bill, because you own the phone. If it was purchased under EIP, you would have to go with the seller to a T-mobile store to pay off the balance to guarantee it won't be blacklisted.
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Click to collapse
You can have a phone blocked for many reasons. Not just lack of EIP payoff. It can be black listed even if the person got the 2 yr contract discount. And more importantly, people can sell a phone that works just fine the day of sale(passing all IMEI checks) then have it blacklisted days later. Buying on CL is a gamble. Also, there is no legal action you can take if someone sells you a phone and then does not pay the EIP. You bought a used phone. It's not stolen because you don't return the phone if you end your service. They just bill you for it. That's the cost of doing business.
Also, ATT and Tmobile are already using the cross check system on our phones. You would have to unlock it and use it on verizon or some network not att tmobile related.

Note 2 only working with AT&T sim...weird. help

bought a T-Mobile Note 2 off craigslist. The guy had it unlocked, using it on AT&T.
I tried putting it in my TMo sim and got no data. It would just search for signal. It was rooted, so I restored the newest firmware via ODIN. Didn't help at all. I then rooted it again, flashed newest kernel and modem using CWM. Still my t-mo sim gets zero signal. It is stuck at searching. Yet when I put that same SIM into any other phone, works great.
I then put my AT&T sim into that Note 2 and it works great. Even data.
I checked the APN and everything. What am I doing wrong?

It probably was reported lost or stolen. When that happens they turn out off via IMEI.
So if you're caught with a stolen item then it could mean jail time or fines. Good luck.

Sorta unrelated, how much do GNII's be going for on CL these days
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I've been searching and I've seen them (probably stolen) go for a little as $320. No battery, no S-Pen and no battery door. My coworker wants one and I told him I'll go with him to see if it works so I can pop my battery in and check the IMEI. He was a bit weary.
Another one, popped up yesterday for $350 I asked if he can prove if it worked and no reply. Lol

I can guarantee that a good 90% of Note 2 and probably other phones on CL are stolen or unpaid for with the carrier or will be reported stolen after the sale in order to get insurance benefit. If you can't provide the buyer with your original receipt, you're running a scam, simple as that.
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Double0EK said:
It probably was reported lost or stolen. When that happens they turn out off via IMEI.
So if you're caught with a stolen item then it could mean jail time or fines. Good luck.
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Yeah, my roommate ended up buying it for himself. I was able to get ahold of Tmo this morning. It was stolen, so we called the guy and *****ed him out. Got our money back. phew.
thanks for your help!
PhxDroid86 said:
Sorta unrelated, how much do GNII's be going for on CL these days
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Here in Boston, AT&T ones command top dollar because they're much rarer. Sprint, Tmo, VZW are going for about $375-400. AT&T: $400 for one without box, etc and up to $550 for a BNIB.
Double0EK said:
I've been searching and I've seen them (probably stolen) go for a little as $320. No battery, no S-Pen and no battery door. My coworker wants one and I told him I'll go with him to see if it works so I can pop my battery in and check the IMEI. He was a bit weary.
Another one, popped up yesterday for $350 I asked if he can prove if it worked and no reply. Lol
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yeah man. I searched for over a month to get myself one. Most had no boxes, etc/bad IMEI. Going for closer to $400. I lucked out. Found an older gentleman who had a BNIB Grey one, which I was able to pick up for $450 because he wanted an iPhone. Met him at his home. Gave me the original receipt. Totally legit.
e-motion said:
I can guarantee that a good 90% of Note 2 and probably other phones on CL are stolen or unpaid for with the carrier or will be reported stolen after the sale in order to get insurance benefit. If you can't provide the buyer with your original receipt, you're running a scam, simple as that.
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Yup, it's as simple as that. I spent a month finding the correct one. Two of my friends got screwed (one yesterday as above), but were able to contact the guy and get their money back.
gotta be careful these days. My advice is to check the IMEI these days.
Skip ones without charger, box, s-pen, etc. Because they're probably the most sketchy ones.

Looking to buy a blocked imei note 2, can anyone help me get one ??
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I just bought one off ebay from a individual that sells new phones for $620 and no tax free shipping. In the past you could buy off a phone off Craigslist and have no problem. That's what I was about to do til I heard how easy someone can sell a phone and then in a day or two, file claim that it was stolen to get another phone. That phone will work, till they blacklist the imei. I talked to a sales rep about that situation and one option is to get the imei number from the seller before u buy it, and call Tmobile to check it.Then as soon as you buy the phone register the phone in your name. The rep said it take less than 5min if they're not busy and can be done on the phone. If a seller can't give you the imei number to check don't buy it. I had a seller off Craigslist not finished the sale cause I wanted to check the imei number.
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If your going to buy a t-mobile note 2, meet the seller at a t-mobile store and have it checked and activate it, then let the store register it also to your account. Best and safest way. I got mine when i added a free line, paid $450, with a $50 rebate. I think That's the safest way you can get a note 2.
POWERED by FROSTY!

The only reason I ask is considering I only paid 365 out the door, 20 bucks added to my bill for 2 months while waiting for my 200 rebate and to "save" the additional 160, my phone in less than 3 months is paid off and my bill for unlimited everything is like 70 a month...
So essentially I don't see why anyone would even waste their time on CL for this phone
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app

Protection against bad IMEI with t-mobile phones?

Hey all I am about to buy a new sealed note II off swappa or ebay, and I am wondering what is the best way to protect against bad imei issues.
I know retail is the only sure fire way, but I'd like to save a few $100, off what t-mobile charges if possible.
I've heard horror stories of phones getting blocked 30days after a sale, even when the imei was confirmed clean on the phone upon initial sale. And then having to deal with PayPal protection
Any better way to make sure this doesn't happen, or is it just luck of the draw?

Amd4life said:
Hey all I am about to buy a new sealed note II off swappa or ebay, and I am wondering what is the best way to protect against bad imei issues.
I know retail is the only sure fire way, but I'd like to save a few $100, off what t-mobile charges if possible.
I've heard horror stories of phones getting blocked 30days after a sale, even when the imei was confirmed clean on the phone upon initial sale. And then having to deal with PayPal protection
Any better way to make sure this doesn't happen, or is it just luck of the draw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tell the seller to read the imei off the sticker or receipt. should be a label or something on the outside of the box. call the carrier to see if the imei is clean.

Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
Some don't go bad until months. The original owner decides 2 or 3 months down the road he or she doesn't want to make any more payments on the phone (EIP). Better make sure the phone is not on any payment plans.
Or they could still report phone lost or stolen 45 days later.
There really isn't much protection for buyers.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
I bought from a seller off ebay cellstoreusa for $620 free shipping. Also check my other reply on xda about how to check imei numbers, the info came from a tmobile rep.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 08:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 PM ----------
I found my reply for you.
I just bought one off ebay from a individual that sells new phones for $620 and no tax free shipping. In the past you could buy off a phone off Craigslist and have no problem. That's what I was about to do til I heard how easy someone can sell a phone and then in a day or two, file claim that it was stolen to get another phone. That phone will work, till they blacklist the imei. I talked to a sales rep about that situation and one option is to get the imei number from the seller before u buy it, and call Tmobile to check it.Then as soon as you buy the phone register the phone in your name. The rep said it take less than 5min if they're not busy and can be done on the phone. If a seller can't give you the imei number to check don't buy it. I had a seller off Craigslist not finished the sale cause I wanted to check the imei number.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
If you're on a monthly plan keep calling 611 and telling then you don't want to pay full price. I ended up getting mine for $300 and I wasn't even due for an early upgrade I was only with T-Mobile for 10 months.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

I must have bought 10 phones off Craigslist and 2 or 3 from Ebay. Never had an issue with a bad esn/meid/imei. I hear horror stories but never had a bad experience.
Now selling on Craigslist a different story, it's always an adventure. You post pictures and people text/call/email asking for pics. Tell them the price is firm and the first response will be will you accept half. Don't put firm in the price and only come down $25 and they ***** saying I should have put firm in the ad. My favorite, do you want to trade for anything on this list, it's a huge list of all old and worthless crap. Not to mention the no shows and the priests that want to make payments.

Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
Lol, that's funny as hell, I sell a lot on Craigslist, I'm running into the same problems. I told one buyer the price, he wanted it cheaper, so I lowered it more. When we met up he said he was short $20. Lol, i politely told him to take out his sim card out the phone and I left. Now I'm selling on ebay and getting more then I expect, I just sold my note n7000 for $371, I thought the most would be $250.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

Jack143 said:
I bought from a seller off ebay cellstoreusa for $620 free shipping. Also check my other reply on xda about how to check imei numbers, the info came from a tmobile rep.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 08:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 PM ----------
I found my reply for you.
I just bought one off ebay from a individual that sells new phones for $620 and no tax free shipping. In the past you could buy off a phone off Craigslist and have no problem. That's what I was about to do til I heard how easy someone can sell a phone and then in a day or two, file claim that it was stolen to get another phone. That phone will work, till they blacklist the imei. I talked to a sales rep about that situation and one option is to get the imei number from the seller before u buy it, and call Tmobile to check it.Then as soon as you buy the phone register the phone in your name. The rep said it take less than 5min if they're not busy and can be done on the phone. If a seller can't give you the imei number to check don't buy it. I had a seller off Craigslist not finished the sale cause I wanted to check the imei number.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great advice on the timing of changing the imei ownership, never thought of that, I will do just that, thanks everyone

Re: Protection against bad in either with t-mobile phones?
T mobile rep here. The sad thing about this IMEI thing is buyers have no control over this. A customer can call T - Mobile years from now just to block an IMEI they have on file just because. It sucks, I know. Best interest these days to buy from people you know or with good ratings. Nothing less than.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

XCrazedxPyroX said:
T mobile rep here. The sad thing about this IMEI thing is buyers have no control over this. A customer can call T - Mobile years from now just to block an IMEI they have on file just because. It sucks, I know. Best interest these days to buy from people you know or with good ratings. Nothing less than.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't elaborate, you can't just can't and block a phone cause you can. Phone has to be reported stolen/lost and had to be a phone that was used within the past 30 days. Also if the phone was set up on a payment plan, and the customer cancels the account, if the phone isn't paid off, the IMEI will be blocked and only the original customer who bought it can unblock it once they submit proof that they fully paid the phone off to T-Mobile.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

gedster314 said:
I must have bought 10 phones off Craigslist and 2 or 3 from Ebay. Never had an issue with a bad esn/meid/imei. I hear horror stories but never had a bad experience.
Now selling on Craigslist a different story, it's always an adventure. You post pictures and people text/call/email asking for pics. Tell them the price is firm and the first response will be will you accept half. Don't put firm in the price and only come down $25 and they ***** saying I should have put firm in the ad. My favorite, do you want to trade for anything on this list, it's a huge list of all old and worthless crap. Not to mention the no shows and the priests that want to make payments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
now this was rich! Lol so true and funny
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

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My My question is, I bought mine off craigslist a couple months ago, no problems at all. Did crack my screen so got a new phone through insurance. Obviously a different imei now so I shouldn't have any problems right? Say, if someone tried to blacklist the old phone, would that come back to me still?

deviusdragger said:
You didn't elaborate, you can't just can't and block a phone cause you can. Phone has to be reported stolen/lost and had to be a phone that was used within the past 30 days. Also if the phone was set up on a payment plan, and the customer cancels the account, if the phone isn't paid off, the IMEI will be blocked and only the original customer who bought it can unblock it once they submit proof that they fully paid the phone off to T-Mobile.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, he's technically right.
You are listing the procedures, but not every worker knows or follows them. Used to be you needed a police report. Now everything is all willy nilly.

I actually bought from Craigslist and according to a recent call to Tmo, this phone was reported stolen. I've got it on Straight Talk with an AT&T sim and its working fine for now. I have no way to get back to the seller...
Is there anything I might be able to do to get Tmo to un-blacklist the IMEI? Maybe activate it with them? Or do I just live with it and never know if its going to quit working?
Sent from my phablet.

LanceDiamond said:
I actually bought from Craigslist and according to a recent call to Tmo, this phone was reported stolen. I've got it on Straight Talk with an AT&T sim and its working fine for now. I have no way to get back to the seller...
Is there anything I might be able to do to get Tmo to un-blacklist the IMEI? Maybe activate it with them? Or do I just live with it and never know if its going to quit working?
Sent from my phablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read what I posted. With the nationwide program that tmo is now using to check imeis, the market for stolen phones will drop and the list of blocked Imeis will rise. There are no ways around to unblock a phone, NO MATTER WHAT! Only the original purchaser can unlock it once proof is submitted to T-Mobile that the debt for the phone was paid off. If the phone was lost and the original purchaser found it, he has to send it back to the insurance company. Imeis will not be unblocked for lost or stolen phones if an insurance claim was done on it.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

Thanks for the clarification or rather reiteration...
Why would the phone still be working? Is it that tmo & att aren't (yet) sharing blacklists? Or could it be that going through Straight Talk is whats saving me?
I hate that there is nothing to do about it but I guess I took my chances buying off craigslist without knowing to check the imei.
Sent from my phablet.

Last time i tried to see if there was anything a t-mobile rep could do for me i ended coming up short. As i was in the transaction of purchasing the phone, the t-mobile rep I called didn't mention ANYTHING about registering the IMEI under my account, all she said she could do was verify it wasn't blocked at the time and couldn't guarantee **** about the future. I got screwed for almost $500 the day after i bought the phone. It's up to you if you want to take the risk. =/
Jack143 said:
I bought from a seller off ebay cellstoreusa for $620 free shipping. Also check my other reply on xda about how to check imei numbers, the info came from a tmobile rep.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 08:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:40 PM ----------
I found my reply for you.
I just bought one off ebay from a individual that sells new phones for $620 and no tax free shipping. In the past you could buy off a phone off Craigslist and have no problem. That's what I was about to do til I heard how easy someone can sell a phone and then in a day or two, file claim that it was stolen to get another phone. That phone will work, till they blacklist the imei. I talked to a sales rep about that situation and one option is to get the imei number from the seller before u buy it, and call Tmobile to check it.Then as soon as you buy the phone register the phone in your name. The rep said it take less than 5min if they're not busy and can be done on the phone. If a seller can't give you the imei number to check don't buy it. I had a seller off Craigslist not finished the sale cause I wanted to check the imei number.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

arctic84 said:
Last time i tried to see if there was anything a t-mobile rep could do for me i ended coming up short. As i was in the transaction of purchasing the phone, the t-mobile rep I called didn't mention ANYTHING about registering the IMEI under my account, all she said she could do was verify it wasn't blocked at the time and couldn't guarantee **** about the future. I got screwed for almost $500 the day after i bought the phone. It's up to you if you want to take the risk. =/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only relatively safe way is to have the person sign over the phone to you At tmobile. That way they can instantly switch the IMEI to you, and the other person can't go home and report it stolen.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk HD

mrbkkt1 said:
Only relatively safe way is to have the person sign over the phone to you At tmobile. That way they can instantly switch the IMEI to you, and the other person can't go home and report it stolen.
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess i'll give that a shot for next time, thanks.

Tips buying a T-Mobile note 3 on Craigslist?

Any tips or suggestions on how I can buy a tmobile note 3? How can I be sure it's a good esn/imei without it being reported stolen from tmobile?
Sent from my C6602

snoopycr said:
Any tips or suggestions on how I can buy a tmobile note 3? How can I be sure it's a good esn/imei without it being reported stolen from tmobile?
Sent from my C6602
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My best advice would be to ask the seller if he/ she would be willing to meet at a T-mobile location to make sure the handset is legitimate. Tell the seller a friend or relative of yours was ripped off in the past and you just want to make sure. Best of luck to you friend.
sent from my note 3

Meet in a Tmobile store and have the seller have the tmobile rep look at their account and verify the phone is not on an equipment installment plan and the imei is not reported as lost or stolen. Also get a signed recepiet (with both parties printed name and the description of the item sold)from the seller stating they sold you the phone. There are many stories where a phone is reported lost or stolen after the sale and after the imei was checked to be in good standing.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

If meeting at a store isn't possible you can call T-Mobile and have them switch it over to you over the phone while standing there with the guy before any money exchanges hands.

Shouldnt there be less problems with this now? I mean, even if someone cancels, they are charged the remaining value on the phone, right? So none of these phones should be blacklisted at all, ever. I mean, they cant make you pay if you leave and still blacklist the phone. Even if u never pay the final bill, if its even on your credit report, you're responsible for it. Is my train of thought here wrong?

tony yayo said:
Shouldnt there be less problems with this now? I mean, even if someone cancels, they are charged the remaining value on the phone, right? So none of these phones should be blacklisted at all, ever. I mean, they cant make you pay if you leave and still blacklist the phone. Even if u never pay the final bill, if its even on your credit report, you're responsible for it. Is my train of thought here wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tmo will block the phone until the bill is paid in full. So if they never pay the bill with the phone balance due the phone bought will not work. And now tmo and att share a blcklist so cant use it on att network either. Also as stated even after the sale some people report the phone as lost or stolen and claim a warranty on it making the phone sold useless.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

blakkheartt12 said:
Tmo will block the phone until the bill is paid in full. So if they never pay the bill with the phone balance due the phone bought will not work. And now tmo and att share a blcklist so cant use it on att network either. Also as stated even after the sale some people report the phone as lost or stolen and claim a warranty on it making the phone sold useless.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What happens when the bill goes to collections? Tmo gets paid by the collection agency but when the collectors get paid will they unblock the phone?
Besides, if they were to report it stolen 2 months later, who would believe you would wait 2 months to report a stolen $700 phone?

tony yayo said:
What happens when the bill goes to collections? Tmo gets paid by the collection agency but when the collectors get paid will they unblock the phone?
Besides, if they were to report it stolen 2 months later, who would believe you would wait 2 months to report a stolen $700 phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently people do. Just search on xda for phone stop working or phone doesnt get service after working for a few months (there were a lot of threads like that in the tmo note 2 forum). Many said tmo wont unblock it until the original owner pays it off. They wont even allow you to pay it off if you wanted to. So its better to have all the evidence as possible that the phone was sold to you.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I personally wouldn't buy new T-Mo phone on craigslist nowa days, and I would be super careful and do due diligence when purchasing on eBay. Even eBay is subject to these issues, just look at how many people are selling Note 3(s) on eBay that are listed as having bad IMEI(s). Why do you think that is? People are are doing multiple different scams and such that involve the IMEI getting blacklisted after a while.
One involves people selling the phones and then not paying their bill after it was purchased on a payment plan. Once they don't pay their bill they blacklist the IMEI. The ONLY way to unblacklist the IMEI is for the original purchaser to pay their payment plan bill. Even if you legitimately purchased the phone they will not unblock it for you. I know of more then one person that has tried to resolve this with ZERO success. Going to a T-Mobile store to do the transaction will not help in this situation because often the account is not in a negative standing yet and doesn't happen till a later date. The only thing a T-Mobile store can help with is identifying if the phone is stolen or not, which doesn't help with these latest scams.
The only way to avoid this is to 100% make sure that the phone you purchased was paid for in full at full price and not on a payment plan. Even then I have heard of sellers providing photoshopped receipts to buyers only to get their phones blacklisted months or weeks later because the phones were not really paid off. One might think that eBay is safer from a seller that has feedback but no not really. Often by the time you get blacklisted you cannot leave bad feedback or file a dispute. However with that said, most card companies (VISA, MC, ETC) allow you to do a chargeback within six months of a purchase if its some type of fraud that happened as a result.
The other way involves a more scammy way that I will not explain, with again the outcome being a blacklisted phone that the 2nd purchaser cannot resolve. However these are happening all over the place and there's not a sure fire way to avoid it. The best way to avoid this is to simply buy a phone directly from a authorized seller like T-Mo, or to trust your buyer 100%.
Just saying.

There is no way to be 100% sure that a T-Mobile phone is a safe bet, unless it is coming from someone you trust.
Even if you go to a store with the seller and verify that the phone is fully paid for, they still have 30 days from the incident date to report it stolen or lost if they have insurance or JUMP! Yes it is fraud, but it is almost impossible to combat. Police will record your incident and file it, but will not actively pursue a situation such as this in most cases. T-Mobile will suggest that you contact your local police and will not do anything to help you.
Another note: If you call or go into a store and ask them to check the IMEI number, they can't give you information regarding financing unless the phone is being financed under your name or a authorized account manager. You will need the phone seller to go in to the store to verify this information for you.
I'm sure there are plenty of people out there trying to sell their TMO phones honestly, but do you want to take a high percentage chance that you are being ripped off? That percentage rises if the phone is brand new selling at a huge discount. EX. Craigslist in my city shows a guy selling 4 TMO Note 3's brand new for 550.00 each. I can almost guarantee that those phones will be blacklisted sooner or later.

buy it on swappa

There is a certain amount of risk involved. It all depends on how good of a deal you get. I've bought quite a few phones from CL then sold later on Ebay. Right now I'm using a Note 3 bought on CL for $400. I could sell it with a bad IMEI on Ebay and still make a good profit. I always disclose in my auction that the phone has been verified as clean at the time of sale but that could change in the future since I don't know the history of the phone. it doesn't seem to stop people from buying the phones.
Just last weekend I found a great deal on a S4 international version, or so I thought. After getting home and messing with it I found out it was a fake! The owner never answered my calls or texts, go figure. I was able to sell it on Ebay fully disclosed as a fake and only take about a $40 hit. If you're going to use CL you better be willing to take some risk.
Also my research leads me to belive that Tmo and att do not SHARE blacklist info for phones that the bill is not paid on, only units reported lost or stolen. Nobody had been able to prove to me they do. Since I use Straight Talk with att sim card that eliminates some risk of my phone becoming blacklisted. In my mind anyhow it makes me feel better!
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app

snoopycr said:
Any tips or suggestions on how I can buy a tmobile note 3? How can I be sure it's a good esn/imei without it being reported stolen from tmobile?
Sent from my C6602
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best way to buy it is to PRESUME the phone you are buying is ALREADY blacklisted. Next is to buy it at the lowest price you think it fair. For example, I bought a Note 3 T-Mobile from craighstlist for 525. The guy said it had a clean IMEI but I was skeptical of it but since it was at 525, I could not have cared less since I was planning on using it with AT&T. I later unlocked it using RegionLock Away and everything is SMOOTH. Love the phone.

i wouldnt trust craigslist.. i had bought a phone on it that i thought worked. when i came home it bricked.

Just thought I'd share my craigslist experience this morning. I wanted to post a screenshot but cannot for some reason so copy and pastiing.
Me: you still got the note 4 for sale?
Him: yes
Me: Can you provide a reciept to show that its fulky paid for and a bill of sale with your name and id number? I'm just trying to avoid insurance scammers.
Him: It's not fully paid off. I just got the phone because it came with the line which is all i needed at no additional cost to me.
Him: But I'm not eligible for insurance because I've used my two for the year up already.
Me: Well if you're selling a phone that isn't fully paid off tmobile will block it when you stop making payments. Which makes the phine useless and you're trying to sell it is fraud.
Me: lol good luck man
Him: Umm your wrong
Him: but ok
Funny how his insurance is already used up, i wonder what became of those phones hmmm. So I would encourage anybody buying off craigslist to ask the same questions i did. They're are some genuine sellers i buy and sell from Craigslist all the time.

Make sure the box is a genuine t-mobile box the phone will set in a recessed form fitted area and not just on top of flat paper.