There are several phones sold on eBay (new, refurbished, second hand, etc.), but it’s important to know the difference between
blocked or blacklisted handsets and those that are running as active. It is important because blocked or blacklisted phones may not be able to cover the return on your investment.
Before coming to terms as to avoiding
blacklisted or blocked phones, you need to understand what the terms mean. Here is a short brief that explains what these two states may refer to regardless of the brand or the model of the phone or the software it is running at the time of sale.
When the iPhone is stolen or lost and the owner who loses the device reports to the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identifier) to the carrier in charge, the carrier is going to broadcast that number throughout its network and then make it impossible for anyone using the stolen or lost phone to make a call. This is referred to as blacklisting the phone, and other used words for this state is ‘banned’ or ‘barred’ phone.
In some areas the carriers will be sharing the IMEI numbers of stolen or lost devices so that it becomes impossible for anyone to use the phone on a new carrier. And in some countries, it is mandatory by the law to do so.
Why avoid buying blacklisted phone
first of all you will be using a handset that may have belonged to a criminal, which may cause you problems. Secondly it is going to be useless. It should be returned to the owner and this can be done by giving it to the carrier written on the phone. Before purchasing any phone, check it’s IMEI with the carrier to make sure it is not
blacklisted on its network.
Blocked phones
If you buy from an eBay seller who has outstanding balance on the bill of his/her carrier, the carrier is going to block the phone until the bill has been paid. The balance may also be tied to the device by some carriers. This may not be common with
GSM carriers, with frequently used with TDMA and CDMA carriers.
So the person buying the locked device will be paying the balance to get the device running again, if the carrier lets you. However, the privacy policy of most carriers will prohibit third party carriers for due bills.
Why avoid buying blocked iPhone
Some carriers block the device for 6 months, so avoid buying it. A call to your carrier will let you
check whether the ESN is good and the IMEI is open; these two signs can give you guarantee that the iPhone is not blocked.
If however, you do end up buying a
blocked or blacklisted phone, you can unlock it using
Unlock IMEI service here:
www.jailbreakwizz.com