Can I buy another iPhone 4 and resell it?

[Flyfunner5]

Okay, this is the full scenario.
My dad switched our family to at&t recently because he wanted the iPhone 4 and our Verizon contract was done. He bought an iPhone 4 about 2 weeks ago. I also ordered mine which should be coming in a few days. My mom and sister haven't bought lines because they are on vacation out of the country.
My thought is this:
We add another line to our family plan and buy an iPhone 4 for it. (Should we buy online or from store? In the store they make you activate it, online they send it to your house, it comes with a sim card. What do you do with the sim card?) Then after 30 days after the purchase of the extra line with an iPhone 4, we sell it on eBay.
Some questions:
Is it legal?
Should we buy from online or in store?
What happens to the simcard and number that comes with the iPhone 4?
What happens to that extra line after we sell the phone? Do we still have to pay a data plan? Do we still have to pay the 9.99 a month for that line? Can we buy another original iphone for cheap and put the simcard in that? What's the best way to go?

 

[DannyBoy]

If you purchase a iPhone4 from the apple online store and never activate it. You don't ever pay data on the line. But here is the breakdown $200/phone+$10x24months $240=$440 If you sell on ebay you might sell for $800 thats going to be atleast $100 in paypal/ebay fees. Investment $540.....Profit $260 thats not counting all the scams that might put you at a $440 loss. In my opinion its not worth the trouble and then your stuck paying on a line...unless you have another phone your going to use on it.

As far as the sim card just toss the one that comes with the iPhone. If you want to activate a different phone just take it in to the store they will give you a new card and activate.

 

[Flyfunner5]

So I won't get in trouble with at&t? If I went through with this, I would use the line that I used to buy an extra iPhone 4 for a regular phone for my mom. And what are the scams that "put you at a $440 loss"? And I could get 800$ for a carrier locked 16gb iphone 4?

 

[DannyBoy]

I have no idea what you might could sell it on ebay for depends on many factors.... I don't think ATT cares you are paying the contract you can do whatever you like with the phone..... (don't quote me on this I don't know what is in the fine print just what i have heard over the years of being with ATT) Yes, there are MANY scams on ebay! Big ticket items attract them very quickly. If you are not used to selling items on ebay......your asking for trouble. Just my 2c

 

[1badsup]

Why would people buy an iPhone from you or anyone on E-bay when they can just go to an Apple store and buy an unactivated phone for the full price of $599? I think that's the full price, without a contract, from the Apple store.

By the way your cost is $200 for the phone, $240 for 2 years of voice, & $360 for 2 years of data for a total of $800.

Like DannyBoy said, if you get scammed, your out $800.

If you have to ask people about it, you shouldn't do it. Save yourself the headache.

 

[DannyBoy]

Your data is not on a 2 year contract. It's just like text you can add and remove it whenever you want. Only thing with the iPhone is if you remove it you must change to another phone since AT&T doesn't support iPhones with no data.

 

[1badsup]

Your data is not on a 2 year contract. It's just like text you can add and remove it whenever you want. Only thing with the iPhone is if you remove it you must change to another phone since AT&T doesn't support iPhones with no data.

That's what I thought but I have a friend who lost his 3gs only after having it for 2 months. He was told by AT&T that he would have to pay for voice and data for 2 years.

 

[DannyBoy]

Your data is not on a 2 year contract. It's just like text you can add and remove it whenever you want. Only thing with the iPhone is if you remove it you must change to another phone since AT&T doesn't support iPhones with no data.

That's what I thought but I have a friend who lost his 3gs only after having it for 2 months. He was told by AT&T that he would have to pay for voice and data for 2 years.

I would guess it comes down to the salesman.... I know they WANT you to pay 2 years of data but i haven't ever had anyone make a big fuss over taking it off any of my lines.