


On iPhones, this number is engraved on the back and consists of 15 numbers. This information may leave you asking, “How do I know if my phone is paid off?” To check if a phone is paid off, you’ll need the IMEI number to check if the IMEI is financed or not. That’s why it’s critical, whether you sell or keep your phone, to complete your EIP payments according to your contract with the carrier. This blacklisted number is then accessible to other carriers, which means they may not activate your phone on their network if it carries a bad IMEI or ESN number. This is also known as giving it a bad ESN or IMEI number. If you do, your carrier will blacklist your phone. That doesn’t mean, however, that you should stop making your payments. That’s why EIPs are considered “unsecured credit.” If you browse through the fine print of your carrier’s EIP, you’ll likely find that they do not place a lien on your smartphone, which means the provider retracts its right to repossess your phone and grants you legal ownership of it. OK, so why can you sell a phone that isn’t paid off? It’s because of unsecured credit. While this is a confusing area for users, you can still sell your phone. This is especially true if you’re under contract or if you’re obligated to return it to your carrier, as is the case when you lease your phone from the carrier. This is a situation in which you should question whether or not you can safely sell your phone. (After all, it is yours.) It’s when you’ve purchased your phone or your device through an Equipment Installment Plan (EIP) program and are making payments on it that you can run into some problems. If you’ve purchased your phone in full or have paid it off, you can be confident that you can resell it. What Happens if You Sell a Phone That Isn’t Paid Off?

Before then, we’ll help you evaluate various selling and trading options and highlight what could happen if you don’t pay off your phone before you sell it. The answer generally is yes, although we’ll touch on some exceptions and what you can do when your phone is paid off. The questions we’re most often asked are, “Can you sell a phone that you still owe money on?” and “Can I sell a locked phone?”

If you’re past the return period, however, your only option is to downsize. And, with the prices of smartphones today (we’re looking at you, iPhone 13), it’s no surprise that many consumers are reconsidering their purchase. Everyone, from Steve Jobs to Bill Gates, has had some experience pinching pennies.
