eBay cellphone selling debacle.

Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
854
Location
Hill Country TX
Put up for sale on eBay a refurbished Google pixel 3XL. Google sent me the phone, it has never been used by me. Buyer was unhappy that it didn't include the charging adapter, it never stated that it came with one, or showed one in the pictures. The phone is unlocked, meaning you can put basically any SIM card in it and it will work. Buyer sent me this picture from the setting screen (I guess). Don't know what this setting is or why you would even go into it.

Sent him a credit and paid for his return shipping. What a hassle.
 

Attachments

  • download.jpg
    download.jpg
    71.4 KB · Views: 140
It's typically implied and things have to be explicitly stated. And sim compatibility has given me issue on my verizon samsung. verizon claimed it was unlocked but putting a different sim in it said it was locked but a phone call resolved that. And this pixel 3xl. is it a verizon model, what price did you sell it for anyway.
 
It's typically implied and things have to be explicitly stated. And sim compatibility has given me issue on my verizon samsung. verizon claimed it was unlocked but putting a different sim in it said it was locked but a phone call resolved that. And this pixel 3xl. is it a verizon model, what price did you sell it for anyway.
Its a Verizon model, but it's unlocked. I used the original one on AT&T and Cricket. Worked great. Got $71 bucks for it.
 
Yeah, selling and buying used phones is iffy. I buy and sell a lot on eBay, and have had issues with people buying stuff and not reading the description then wanting a refund.

I sold a laptop that worked but had an issue with the motherboard. I listed as “for parts not working”, put READ DESCRIPTION in the title, and used several paragraphs to explain the problem. I also highlighted a quick summary stating the motherboard was bad for people that didn’t read the whole thing.

And… the moron that bought it tried to return it because the motherboard was bad.

Haha. No. I had to get eBay involved and on the phone with them their outsourced support was like oh why not just return it?

Because it’s exactly as described, I’m not going to cover the return shipping on this plus it’s just a waste of my time.

They escalated it and the next person I spoke to who was clearly in the US and understood me had a great laugh with me after reviewing my listing and the buyer’s complaint. They sided with me and all is well.

People are dumb, or they are scammers. But eBay will side with the buyer most of the time, so be sure to document everything in the listing, photos, and description.
 
I use Swappa.com for phone sales/buying. Never had a problem that was not easily resolved as both a buyer and seller.
I gave up selling on e-bay a few years ago, just not worth it, and most stuff I can sell local on craigslist for just a little less and a lot less hassle.
 
I think he's alluding to the OEM unlocking setting (this is in developer settings).

Carrier unlocked is NOT related to this setting. It is for unlocking the bootloader so that things like custom ROMs can be installed and rooting.
 
I think he's alluding to the OEM unlocking setting (this is in developer settings).

Carrier unlocked is NOT related to this setting. It is for unlocking the bootloader so that things like custom ROMs can be installed and rooting.
Right. That's what I've been reading online. I really don't fool with the settings on phones. I'm just happy they make and receive calls!
 
My auctions always state
As-is untested no returns

Everything works but I don’t want hassles
As long as you're listing it for "parts" and not "used." "Used" means in working condition, and buyers will likely win in a dispute after filing a "not as described."

So many scammer buyers (and just plain ignorant people who can't read) that ebay sides with. Plus after shipping and fees and packing it up nice to ship it, selling it local and meeting a buyer in person isn't as awful.
 
OK, not trying to thread jack - but since you all know the answer .. sorry.

I am buying my daughter a pixel 7 - unlocked - from Best Buy likely. She currently has a iphone 8 on verizon. Will I just be able to swap the sims and go, or will I need a new sim from Verizon or something?

Or do I need to go a different route. Everything tells me it should work, but I can't find a definitive answer.
 
The switch to enable carrier unlocking is supposed to be grayed out after the phone has been unlocked. It's no longer relevant.
 
OK, not trying to thread jack - but since you all know the answer .. sorry.

I am buying my daughter a pixel 7 - unlocked - from Best Buy likely. She currently has a iphone 8 on verizon. Will I just be able to swap the sims and go, or will I need a new sim from Verizon or something?

Or do I need to go a different route. Everything tells me it should work, but I can't find a definitive answer.

The 4G Sim card in the iphone will work but you will want to get a 5G Sim Card in order to use the 5G network. Any Verizon store can help you with that.
 
Looks like the buyer made an assumption on what the "unlocked" meant. To me, that's an unreasonable assumption and he should have asked for clarification before buying.

But stuff happens. Before the government started tracking online sales I used to sell stuff on eBay. I have had only 1 return but it was because FedEx demolished the box while delivering. Cost me pretty penny because the item was more valuable than the defaul insurance.

Lesson learned.
 
Looks like, the buyer wanted to 'root' the phone. It is unlocked for the provider but not kernel unlocked. So won't be able to root.

This seems to be happening often. Now Swappa puts this info in the description.
 
Well the phone debacle turned out well. Another member bought it and is very happy with it. Can you believe the guy that bought it on eBay gave me neutral feedback? At least it wasn't negative.
 
Well the phone debacle turned out well. Another member bought it and is very happy with it. Can you believe the guy that bought it on eBay gave me neutral feedback? At least it wasn't negative.

That buyer was playing games, if he knew enough to get into the developer menu he knew enough to know what he was buying. Glad to hear it worked out in the end.
 
Back
Top