long story short, I bought an iPad Air 32GB WiFi + Cellular (ATT Unlocked) on eBay from a very reputable company. I’m an avid eBay seller as well. I was so excited to get it, as it’s my first iPad I’ve ever owned. Upon getting it, it worked great. But when I put in an ATT and Verizon SIM card, it said this:
So, immediately I did an IMEI report. It came back blacklisted. I called Verizon, they said it wasn’t blacklisted by them, although they share the same blacklist reports from every carrier. I called ATT, and bingo, they removed it from the blacklist. I popped in my SIM card, and it worked for like 10 seconds before going back on the blacklist. I called, chatted, and called again. They started asking for the original account holders SSN, address, account number, etc., which I obviously don’t have. But, what’s really weird, is before it was removed for those 10 seconds, ATT’s IMEI checker said the device was not able to be used, but after it was added to the blacklist again it now says I can buy a sim for it, but it’s saying it’s an iPad Air 16GB and not a 32GB. Seems weird to me. But, it’s back to being blacklisted. I don’t HAVE to have cellular, but it’s part of the reason I bought it for my business and traveling. The seller is being sympathetic and offering a refund or exchange, I on the other hand have already started using the iPad and don’t really want to wait 2 weeks for a replacement. I’ve considered buying an IMEI cleaning and blacklist removal on eBay for $55, but I’ve also wondered how they can do that unless if they have inside sources that do it for them at low volumes but yet it’s so difficult for us the consumer to get something removed from blacklist when we buy something in good faith. My question is, am I going to get it trouble for having this in my possession if I decide to not return it? I don’t mind just using it for WiFi. And it was blacklisted over a year ago, so I don’t think this guy is going to track it down, because I honestly think he probably abused the insurance claim industry, filed it as stolen to get a free replacement, and sold the “stolen” one to a pawn shop to make a quick buck.
So, immediately I did an IMEI report. It came back blacklisted. I called Verizon, they said it wasn’t blacklisted by them, although they share the same blacklist reports from every carrier. I called ATT, and bingo, they removed it from the blacklist. I popped in my SIM card, and it worked for like 10 seconds before going back on the blacklist. I called, chatted, and called again. They started asking for the original account holders SSN, address, account number, etc., which I obviously don’t have. But, what’s really weird, is before it was removed for those 10 seconds, ATT’s IMEI checker said the device was not able to be used, but after it was added to the blacklist again it now says I can buy a sim for it, but it’s saying it’s an iPad Air 16GB and not a 32GB. Seems weird to me. But, it’s back to being blacklisted. I don’t HAVE to have cellular, but it’s part of the reason I bought it for my business and traveling. The seller is being sympathetic and offering a refund or exchange, I on the other hand have already started using the iPad and don’t really want to wait 2 weeks for a replacement. I’ve considered buying an IMEI cleaning and blacklist removal on eBay for $55, but I’ve also wondered how they can do that unless if they have inside sources that do it for them at low volumes but yet it’s so difficult for us the consumer to get something removed from blacklist when we buy something in good faith. My question is, am I going to get it trouble for having this in my possession if I decide to not return it? I don’t mind just using it for WiFi. And it was blacklisted over a year ago, so I don’t think this guy is going to track it down, because I honestly think he probably abused the insurance claim industry, filed it as stolen to get a free replacement, and sold the “stolen” one to a pawn shop to make a quick buck.
