People are hawking TikTok-loaded phones for thousands on eBay, Facebook

By: Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press Posted: Last Modified:

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People are listing phones preloaded with TikTok for tens of thousands of dollars on eBay, Facebook marketplace and other online storefronts — though it is not clear if there are many buyers at those prices.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/01/2025 (630 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

People are listing phones preloaded with TikTok for tens of thousands of dollars on eBay, Facebook marketplace and other online storefronts — though it is not clear if there are many buyers at those prices.

TikTok was briefly unavailable to U.S. users over the weekend, but as of Sunday anyone who had previously downloaded it has been able to use it. The app is still not available for download on Apple and Google’s app stores, so anyone who didn’t think to get TikTok before Sunday is out of luck.

As a result, some entrepreneurial spirits are selling phones and tablets that have TikTok — and other apps from its parent company ByteDance, such as Lemon8 and video editor CapCut. On eBay, listings could be found for as much as $50,000 (or as little as $340) on Friday. While it’s not clear how many such phones have sold, the ones selling for hundreds have received the most bids.

A TikTok logo is shown on a phone in San Francisco, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
A TikTok logo is shown on a phone in San Francisco, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

One seller, Nicholas Matthews, who lives in New York, said he decided to sell the phone when he saw that TikTok was in high demand. He listed an iPhone 14 Plus with TikTok for $10,000. As of Friday, Matthews said his highest bid was for $4,550.

“I’m just expecting to sell this one phone,” he said.

TikTok has about 170 million users in the U.S. The ban does not target individual users, who are technically free to use it as long as they could.

Ebay did not immediately respond to a message for comment on the listings on Friday.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump directed his Justice Department to pause enforcement of the ban until early April. But a host of questions remain — including whether Trump has the authority to issue such an order and if TikTok’s China-based parent would be amenable to selling the popular social media platform.

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A TikTok logo is shown on a phone in San Francisco, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

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People are listing phones preloaded with TikTok for tens of thousands of dollars on eBay, Facebook marketplace and other online storefronts — though it is not clear if there are many buyers at those prices.

TikTok was briefly unavailable to U.S. users over the weekend, but as of Sunday anyone who had previously downloaded it has been able to use it. The app is still not available for download on Apple and Google's app stores, so anyone who didn't think to get TikTok before Sunday is out of luck.

As a result, some entrepreneurial spirits are selling phones and tablets that have TikTok — and other apps from its parent company ByteDance, such as Lemon8 and video editor CapCut. On eBay, listings could be found for as much as $50,000 (or as little as $340) on Friday. While it's not clear how many such phones have sold, the ones selling for hundreds have received the most bids.

One seller, Nicholas Matthews, who lives in New York, said he decided to sell the phone when he saw that TikTok was in high demand. He listed an iPhone 14 Plus with TikTok for $10,000. As of Friday, Matthews said his highest bid was for $4,550.

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