Cannot unlock ipnone bought on eBay

The details when I bought it were that it was an unlocked iPhone 14. I received it and cannot anything with it. Of course the seller deleted their eBay account and eBay told me they will help sort things out in the timeframe of a month.

iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 17

Posted on Dec 2, 2023 4:36 PM

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Posted on Dec 2, 2023 6:46 PM

If eBay won't give you your money back, accept you've been scammed and recycle the phone responsibly. It's utterly useless to you. Apple won't help you. We can't help you. There is nothing you can do with it.


Buying a used iPhone from eBay, FaceBook, Offerup as examples are the worst places to buy used iOS devices. If you can't see the phone before you buy it and ensure it really was prepared appropriately for a new user is bound to lead to disappointment and lost money.

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Dec 2, 2023 6:46 PM in response to IrahsLladnar

If eBay won't give you your money back, accept you've been scammed and recycle the phone responsibly. It's utterly useless to you. Apple won't help you. We can't help you. There is nothing you can do with it.


Buying a used iPhone from eBay, FaceBook, Offerup as examples are the worst places to buy used iOS devices. If you can't see the phone before you buy it and ensure it really was prepared appropriately for a new user is bound to lead to disappointment and lost money.

Dec 2, 2023 4:58 PM in response to IrahsLladnar

Is the phone Activation Locked?


If so, it sounds like you were scammed. Activation Lock is an anti-theft device designed to make stolen and lost iPhones worthless to thieves, fences, and anyone they might sell a phone to. We can't help you remove it – and Apple won't.


If the seller disappeared immediately following the sale, that strongly suggests that the phone was stolen – that they knew it was stolen when they "sold" it to you. Perhaps the sellers were even the thieves themselves.


See also:

Apple Community – The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a Used iPad/iPhone

Dec 2, 2023 7:16 PM in response to IrahsLladnar

"Cannot unlock ipnone bought on eBay : The details when I bought it were that it was an unlocked iPhone 14. I received it and cannot anything with it. Of course the seller deleted their eBay account and eBay told me they will help sort things out in the timeframe of a month."

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Being Scammed on eBay:

Learn from this:

Take this as a learning experience, knowing to always purchase expensive items directly from Apple, and none other. This is the site the seller should have used prior to selling it to you: What to do Before you Sell, Give Away, or Trade in your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support. The seller should have known better (and perhaps they did?).


Cannot unlock ipnone bought on eBay

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