Help me resell used cell phones!

November 19, 2007 3:30 PM

Reselling cell phones?

I've just won a lot of used Nextel phones at a bargain price. Most of them have SIM cards with someone's contact information, etc. on them. (Actually, seemingly, the Navy's!)

I'm intending to resell them, but wonder a few things:

1.) What do I do with the SIM cards? It doesn't seem right to me to pass it on with peoples' contacts and all onboard.

2.) Given that I have no contract, is it possible to somehow complete a test call? I read about 111/123 as two common test numbers, but both just give errors. (Presumably since I have no contract.)

3.) How do I (or should I?) check if they're stolen? Do I just call Nextel and ask?

posted by fogster to technology (5 comments total)

You can usually use un-contracted phones to reach their original service providers to test them. On a lot of phones, it's *2.
posted by Item at 4:15 PM on November 19, 2007

Um, why is the U.S. Navy selling old cell phones with people's contacts still in them? Does that strike you as (minimum) bad stewardship of our tax money or (maximum) a security breach?
posted by mccxxiii at 4:40 PM on November 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

You should get a prepaid sim for that provider and test each one... I think boost sim's work in nextel phones, but I would doublecheck at howardforums.com
posted by thilmony at 6:12 PM on November 19, 2007

I should clarify: The phones came from a major used radio wholesaler who I've had good dealings with in the past. The numbers don't appear to be anything secret, as much as acronyms that appear to link back to Navy terminology.

I thought about the Boost SIM, but I was hoping that they'd permit a way to do some sort of test call over the network anyway.

Getting into the service menu, I do have a strength shown for both Tx and Rx... Is that a reliable indicator that it functions?
posted by fogster at 6:34 PM on November 19, 2007

When I was a Nextel customer, the number for customer service was 611. It could be reached on an un-activated phone, so that you could activate the phone in the absence of a landline.

Of course, you had to have already pulled the battery and written down all the pertinent numbers--like the EIN--or activation couldn't happen.

Also, 911 is supposed to work on an un-activated cell phone (I think that's law now?), but I wouldn't try it more than once or twice, and I sure as hell wouldn't just hang up on them.

I've been told by law-enforcement-types that it's ok to phone 911 just to make sure it (911, not your cell phone) works, as long as you tell them that's what you're doing.
posted by SlyBevel at 10:15 PM on November 19, 2007