im in this dilemma too, as im about to post a phone on ebay.  what stops someone
from calling sprint and being like yah i just found a phone lying on the floor
here's teh ESN.  would whoever gets the phone next be able to use it if it is
reported lost or wahtever?

I'm about to sell a phone there, and this thought crossed my mind. Main
issue I see is that the person could put the phone on their account.
Most of the time during activations, if you just stay on the end of the
line and agree with everything, you'll finish the activation with no red
flags. If you've activated a handset before, I guarantee you can
complete the process without making a CSR ask uncomfortable questions.
Once it's there, they are in control, and could report the phone lost.
Sprint wouldn't reactivate the phone until the con artist took the phone
into a Sprint store with two forms of their id. That would probably
never happen, but that person could render the phone unusable. I would
suggest, as an alternative, using other means to prove the phone works.
If it's still active on the account, have them send a photo to you. Put
the photo on the display and take a picture of the phone. Have them call
the phone and then take a picture of the caller ID. Email that to the
buyer. If the phone isn't active, your options are more limited. Just
assume there are other fish in the sea, if you don't wish to give out
the ESN, don't.
-mike

<<I'm engaged in a dispute with an idiot - He claims that,when bidding
on a phone on ebay,one should never expect the seller to provide you
with the ESN,as there are things a scam artist can do with it. I say
BS,and I wouldn't bid on a phone if the seller refused to provide the
ESN before the auction closed.
So is there any good reason for a seller not to disclose a phones ESN ?

Absolutely not.  Unless the sellar has something to hide, it harms no
one or anything to give out the ESN upon request.  Although one could
use the ESN to activate the phone without physically having it in one's
possession... it would be stupid to do so and he/she would have to add
an additional line on his/her account to do so, or pay a monthly charge
for a phone he/she doesn't even have.  If someone wanted to report it
lost and be an a.s about it, that could happen, but then Customer
Service would probably log who called in and reported it, so it would be
traced back if it was a prank.  

<<I've sold a few phones on ebay,and listed the ESN right in the
auction. >>

That is the best, honest and most upfront way to do it.  :)

Eric

I had exactly this situation: some of the eBay auctioneers selling the P300
we were looking for provided ESNs in their auction listings, but the guy we
bought from didn't for that reason (we bid on it anyhow because we decided to
trust him). I called Sprint. The only way I'm told you can activate a used
Sprint phone on your account is if the previous owner de-activated it, either
by terminating service with Sprint or by replacing the phone with a new one.

So your friend is wrong... UNLESS the phone is already de-activated (for
example, if he already bought a new one).

When I sold a phone on Ebay I didn't list the ESN or have anyone ask for
it. I did guarantee that the buyer could activate it.

Hmm, posting the ESN in the auction itself may not be a good idea, but
any good and honest seller would supply you with the ESN upon request.

If I was bidding on a phone and the seller refused to give me the ESN,
then I'd be very suspicious.

But then again, if it's stolen, what's to stop them form supplying you
with a good esn and ship you the bad esn?

Unfortunately, you're both right.  A scammer *can* do things with the
ESN.  Then again, I wouldn't buy without having the ESN, either.

I choose not to argue about it.  If the seller won't provide, I won't
buy.