Buying a Used Phone in the United States

Where people buy used phones in United States

• Swappa: Listings are checked for a clean IMEI before they go live, and payment goes through PayPal, which gives buyer protection.
• eBay: Covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee if the phone doesn’t arrive or isn’t as described. Pay only through eBay.
• Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist: Usually local cash deals with no protection at all. Meet in person, test the phone, and check the IMEI before paying.
• Refurbished stores (Back Market, Amazon Renewed): More expensive, but they include a warranty and a return window, which private sellers never do.

Check it isn’t stolen or blocked

Enter the IMEI on the free CTIA Stolen Phone Checker, run by the US wireless industry. It shows whether major carriers have reported the phone lost or stolen. Do it while you are with the seller: dial *#06# on the phone itself, never trust a number sent by text or a screenshot. Our IMEI checker first confirms the number is valid.

Carrier locks and network compatibility

Ask whether the phone is unlocked and confirm it by putting your own SIM in and making a call. US carriers generally unlock a phone only once it is fully paid off and has been active for a set period, and each carrier sets its own waiting time. A phone sold as “locked to Verizon” or “T-Mobile only” is worth noticeably less. Also ask directly whether it is paid off: if the original owner stops paying an installment plan, the carrier can blacklist the IMEI months after you bought it.

Your rights

A private sale is “as is”: there is no warranty and no right to return it unless the seller agrees. Platforms add protection only when you pay through them (eBay, Swappa via PayPal). That is why the inspection before you pay matters more than anything you can do afterwards.

Common scams in United States

• The phone is still on a payment plan and gets blacklisted weeks later.
• Activation Lock is still on: the seller “forgot” to remove their Apple ID, so the iPhone is useless after a reset.
• Shipping-only sellers who ask for Zelle, Cash App, Venmo friends-and-family or gift cards. These payments can’t be reversed.
• A cheap aftermarket screen or battery that fails within weeks. iPhone shows replaced parts in Settings › General › About.
• Photos of a different phone, or a box with a brick inside, when buying by mail.

Paying safely

For local deals, meet in a public place (many police stations have a marked “safe exchange zone”), test everything, then pay. For phones you can’t see in person, pay only through a platform that offers buyer protection, and never with a method you can’t dispute.

Test the hardware before you pay

1. Open mxmob.com/check on the phone itself and tap Test all. It checks the screen, touch, speakers, microphone, cameras, sensors, buttons, charging and Wi-Fi in about 10 minutes, with no app.
2. Dial *#06# and compare the IMEI with the box and Settings, then run the check above.
3. Watch the seller sign out of iCloud or Google and reset the phone.
4. Check battery health (iPhone: Settings › Battery › Battery Health) and look for replaced parts.
5. Put your SIM in and make a call.

The full list is in the used phone checklist.