Buying phone off Ebay listed as new and has a phone number already.

The first problem is that it was listed as new and it’s not. That’s a red flag right there. It’s possible that whoever sold it didn’t properly prepare it for sale. It may even still be locked to someone else’s Apple ID.

I would return it if I were you.

If you keep it, of course you will need to get a new phone number as the old one belongs to someone else. And be sure you restore it to factory settings.

W4LF3 wrote:

Would it be safe, could I be hacked if they know the phone number, and could I change the phone number to be safe? Is there also a chance they added malware to the phone to steal information?

If you are perfectly willing and able to take the same money and set it afire, sure, buy used from any of the well-known websites, or from a private seller you don’t know.

It’s far too common to acquire a useless brick, Activation Locked and useless, or IMEI blocked immediately or after the sale, or otherwise fodder for recycling.

Getting a working iPhone with malware would arguably be preferable, as that can typically be cleared out.

Too many used-device buyers merely set fire to their cash, with little more than some recycling to show for it.

The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a used iPad/iPhone - Apple Community

Given usual experiences ported around here, I’d expect that this iPhone has Activation Lock set, too.

Here’s the factory reset:

Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support

Here’s the full procedure:

What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

If Activation Lock is not set, you’re ahead of many buyers.

And get rid of the SIM.

Stay away from it "As if it were a swarm of bees."

W4LF3 wrote:

They sent a picture showing about 14 unopened phones and I am looking up on google to see if the image is stolen. I am still going to be cautious. The boxes shown are white and have have a sticker on them I can see it says gold ( the color as was listed) it shows an IMEI which I will see its status, ICCID and SKU are shown, I will update on the IMEI statues, again thanks for the help with my problem.

Scamming is a business.

A big one.

Photoshopped images or images misrepresented, plastic-wrapping machinery is readily available, portals for spear-phishing credentials from unwary theft victims are in use, lost or stolen devices, etc.

All of what a seller can point to is either trivially faked, or not related to the iPhone that you might actually get.

If you have money available for speculation—money that you can afford to lose—have at.

You might well get a deal, and the seller might well be legitimate.

Hello ~ You can never be sure. That is the problem. If you do buy it…which I would not …you could possibly send it back through eBay’s protection policy. I would thoroughly check that out before buying.

~Katana-San~

W4LF3 wrote:

Thanks, would one that is listed new in box be safe? It is only 20 dollars more than the open.

My comment would be the same. IMHO you should buy directly from Apple, or an Authorized Retailer.

W4LF3 wrote:

I think I will not take the risk and buy unopened for 20$ more, thank you for your help as the phone could be used or locked.

You’re still taking a risk with a used purchase from an unknown seller, no matter the use of a plastic-wrapping machine and a nicely-wrapped box. And Apple was no longer using plastic wrap in recent iPhone models; on iPhone 13 and later.

That was very wise of you to check first. You may want to check out these articles:

The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying … - Apple Community

What to Do Before Purchasing a Second Han… - Apple Community

W4LF3 wrote:

I checked 3 of them and they all said iPhone 8, is it safe?

You may well get a working iPhone, or you might buy a brick.

Nobody here knows.

Or can know.

These sales are immensely risky for the buyer.

Nothing that any seller can show remotely will prove a usable iPhone will arrive.