Buying a Used Droid?

[peteystreet]

hey guys,

I got a question before i do something stupid. I have verizon and i want to buy a motorola droid. Some guy is selling his on craigslist. My question is if i buy this phone and it was lost or stolen. Is there any way i can get it activated? because i dont want to buy a preown phone from someone who stoled it and not be able to activate it. Thanks for any help.

 

[gruve]

Ask the guy why he is selling it, also ask if he has original box and sales receipt. Tada.

 

[Million]

Get the ESN from him and check and verify to see if its working.

 

[peteystreet]

how do i check the esn to see if its ok?

 

[Martin030908]

Get the IMEI number from the phone and call VZW to check if it's stolen or not. If the seller won't provide, it's probably stolen

 

[the5rivers]

Yeah definitely get an ESN number from him and check it with VZW. Like the above poster said, if he is unwilling to give it then that raises suspicion.

Also, try ebay. Thats where I bought my Droid, brand new. PM me if have any questions.

 

[peteystreet]

ok, the guy isnt replying so im guessing its a scam. Thanks guys! i wanna buy it off ebay, but its too expensive $400-500

 

[NvrEnough]

Buy new, you wont regret it.

 

[knotbeerdan]

ok, the guy isnt replying so im guessing its a scam. Thanks guys! i wanna buy it off ebay, but its too expensive $400-500

If you find one cheaper than that it is probably a scam... And as it was said above, Buy a new one you wont regret it.

 

[Tracyap]

I'd really be careful about getting a used Droid. There are several manufacturing dates in which call quality was at issue. You might want to check out this thread before you go with a Craigslist phone. If it were me I'd avoid it ...

https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/16215?tstart=60

 

[jeremiahm]

I'm on my second original droid. The first one had some issues with the charging port loosening up to the point where a charger wouldn't fit anymore. So, they replaced that one with a new one, but it's a refurbed one. The first one had an issue just starting to happen right before they replaced it. This second one is now doing the same thing, but to the point where it's unusable. It's basically acting like a ghostman has his fingers on the screen and moving things around, pushing buttons, jumping the screen around, whatever. I can't get it to stop, and I'm thinking that the digitizer has went bad.

I need a new phone. I'm not one to want the latest and greatest, and this phone has served me well when it worked. I'd be happy with another one. Well, as you probably already know, original droids are going for almost nothing on the internet auction sites. I'll probably just pick up one there, but my question is, "What is the deal with 'locked' and 'unlocked' phones there?" Do I need an 'unlocked' phone, or what do I need to do to unlock an locked one? Is all this talk just selling jargon? Can't I just buy a phone there, and then take it to the verizon store and get my number put on it and my stuff switched over for a nominal fee? Please help.

 

[jntdroid]

You don't have to go into a store. As long as the ESN is clear, you can simply log into your account online, do "activate or switch device", put in the ESN of the new phone, activate it... then on the new phone, dial *228.

If it's a new 4G/LTE phone, you'll have to pick up a SIM card at Best Buy or VZW (free at VZW, but they require activation in store).

 

[jeremiahm]

What's a sim card? Is that the same as my SD card? If not, can't I take the SIM card out of my existing phone and place it into the new/used phone if I buy the same model phone?

 

[jntdroid]

The sim card is sort of your phone identifier and connects you to the 4G/LTE network on Verizon... before the LTE/4G phones, Verizon didn't use them - and still doesn't on the 3G only phones.

Your original Droid won't have a sim card in it... unless, you're overseas (which just hit me as a possibility?).

 

[BayouFlyFisher]

I always recommend you meet the seller at a store where the esn can be immediately verified. If it's good, let them activate the phone for you right then. You can then pay the previous owner. I've heard too many horror stories about esn's that were verified good at time of sale, but then failed when new owner tried to activate. I guess this happens when the old owner doesn't pay the bill or the phone is reported stolen or some such??

Good luck.