Question about selling an iPhone on eBay
Can someone please validate (or dis-prove) the following information I found online:
Does this mean that if in a year I want to upgrade to the newest and greatest that comes out down the line I can't resell it? That would totally blow. Is this the case?Question: Let's say I bought my iPhone last year and I want the iPhone 3G. Can I give my old iPhone to my sister or sell it on eBay?
Answer: No, once an existing iPhone user activates service for an iPhone 3G, their first-generation handset will be unusable as a phone. You won't be able to replace it with another AT&T SIM card and use it to make calls. This also means that you can't buy an old iPhone on eBay and expect to activate it on AT&T's network. However, you can use it as a media player and a Wi-Fi device for browsing the Web.
Comments
hth
Dan
e.g. if i get the v2iphone, then what about getting my wife a v1iphone, save some bucks if they go to a new form factor at Christmas or jan 09 then upgrade one, stagger them.
used iphones if the above is true price/ value would drop like stone. most consumers don't want to jailbreak, just be able to get a phone and a att contract. what will apple do with refurbs??
Who said this?
Mid-way down on this page: http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9717097-1.html
You CAN give/sell the phone to someone else and it CAN be re-activated with a new/different account. (ie: a different phone number from AT&T.) Apparently though, you can't just stick an existing active SIM into it and expect it to work.
The article was pretty clear about this.
Because, for US residents, think about it:
Option A: pay USD199. Delays/worries of activating with AT&T, and 2 year contract. Heck, I don't even *know* if I'll still have my job next month.
Option B: pay USD299 for iPhone from UK through eBay (on o2 prepaid, so it is "activated", without contract). Go nuts. Enjoy yourself. Unlock, dance, put in an AT&T prepay sim, whatever...