Flip Phones for Profit
Companion to "The Network Identity."
The money is made and lost in the fifteen minutes before cash changes hands. Get the IMEI by dialing star-pound-zero-six-pound or Settings, About. Run the checks in this order every time.
| Check | How | Walk-away rule | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Blacklist | Free checker (Swappa's or the CTIA stolen phone checker); queries the GSMA registry. Free and instant. | Blocked = walk away, no negotiation. A blacklisted phone is worth parts price only. No unlock, no fix, no guy who knows a guy. | ☐ |
| 2. Financing balance | Free checkers do not reliably show installment balances. Run the carrier's bring-your-own-device checker, or a paid IMEI report service (a dollar or two) that shows financed status. | A financed phone can pass every other check and get blacklisted a month later. Starting out: do not buy financed phones at all. Experienced operators price money-owed at 30 to 40% off clean value. | ☐ |
| 3. Activation lock | Seller signs out of iCloud/Google and erases the phone in front of you; watch it restart to the welcome screen. That is the only state you accept. | "I forgot the password" means the phone is probably not theirs to sell. Walk. | ☐ |
| 4. Carrier lock | Free checkers usually report lock status; or insert a SIM from a different carrier. | Not a walk-away: a price adjustment. Locked phones appraise lower and sit longer; when new, simply prefer unlocked. | ☐ |
Two walks are absolute: the blacklist and the activation lock. Financing is a walk until you are experienced enough to price risk deliberately. Carrier lock is arithmetic.
| Re-run the blacklist check the day you list the phone (status can change between purchase and sale) | ☐ |
| Check again if a buyer returns the device | ☐ |
| Bill of sale signed with IMEI, price, seller name, address, license number | ☐ |
| Photo of the seller's license next to the phone before cash changes hands | ☐ |