TikTok turned its service back on for U.S. users after a 12-hour shutdown earlier this month, but the popular video-sharing platform is still blocked from American app stores while it faces legal uncertainty. That means people can’t download or restore the app if it gets deleted. As a result, unlocked cell phones that come preloaded with the popular social media video-sharing app have become a hot commodity on resale sites like Ebay and Facebook Marketplace. In many cases, sellers are charging thousands for phones that would otherwise sell for under $900.
Some people are hoping to take advantage of the surge in demand by selling their own phone — as long as it already has TikTok downloaded. “I heard there’s a high value market on them,” said Eden Miller, who is selling their iPhone 15 with TikTok on Facebook Market for $9,000. “Hopefully it’s worth my asking price.” Another seller, Nicholas Matthews of New York, listed his iPhone 14 Plus with TikTok for $10,000, and the highest bid was $4,550. So far, the most expensive listing on eBay is selling a brand-new Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max with TikTok for $50,000.
TikTok’s future in the U.S. is still uncertain. Last year Congress passed a ban on the platform over data security concerns related to its parent company, the Chinese technology developer ByteDance. The Supreme Court upheld the ban, which was supposed to start this month unless ByteDance sold part of its ownership to a U.S. company. Then last week, President Trump signed an executive order to delay the ban to give the company time to find an American buyer, but it’s unclear whether that will happen. Until then, the only Americans who have access to TikTok are those who already had it downloaded before January 18.
Questions:
- Why are smartphones preloaded with TikTok selling for thousands of dollars on online resale markets?
- Do you think the U.S. should uphold the ban on TikTok? Why or why not?
Sources: Stuart Dyos, “Used iPhones Preloaded With TikTok Are On Sale For Up To $50,000,” Fortune, Jan. 26, 2025. Barbara Ortutay, “People Are Hawking TikTok-Loaded Phones For Thousands On eBay, Facebook,” Associated Press, Jan. 24, 2025.