You can change your phone on line with no charge. If you buy a phone on ebay
get the esn first and check with verizon to be sure it is not blocked. And
yes this question has been answered numerious times. You should check more
to find if you question has been answered in the last week in here.

MM

VZW charges to activate it-- but you can do it yourself for free from your
account page on the website.

If you buy from a reliable seller on Ebay, you'll be fine. Check the
seller's feedback ratings. Look for at least 98% positive--  and most
importantly, how they respond edto any negative comments. Avoid adolescent
or emotional folks. I've done better with private sellers rather than cell
phone wholesalers. also, make sure the phone is GPS enabled and the ESN is
clear.

Doc

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If I buy a phone on e-Bay
will Verizon activate it (assuming it is aVerizon compatible phone).
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Yes, as long as the serial number (ESN) is not listed as stolen, nor blocked
due to non-payment or criminal activity.

__________________________________________________
If so, what do they charge?
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Shouldn't be more than about $15. Depending on your plan, if your old phone
was Get-It-Now capable, and the new one is also, you may get lucky and be
able to activate it online yourself for free.

__________________________________________________
Is e-Bay a reliable source?
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Sorry, but that's kind of like asking if you can get a good deal on
something at ANY auction. It's not eBay that occasionally rips people off
(usually), it's up to the conscience of the individual seller.
I, and most people I know, have had excellent luck with cellphones and
accessories purchased via eBay. The advice given elsewhere here in regard to
checking a seller's feedback is great advice, and fundamental to a positive
eBay experience.
__________________________________________________

One question you didn't ask, and perhaps should, is for a recommendation of
what phone to buy. I can pretty much guarantee some more good advice if you
post that question here.

I'll get my 2c in first. Since you aren't happy with the Kyocera, you may
want to avoid them, even though I had a KX-1 "Soho" for over a year and
never had a problem with it. OTOH, the display is tiny and the reception
wasn't quite up to par with my newer phones. Motorolas: the v60 series,
though dated, are now pretty cheap, pretty much bulletproof. Reception is
good, but I think the display is poor--small, dim, and not enough contrast.
Good battery life. v265's are relatively modern and work well. Again, the
display, though in color, isn't the best. If you find a v325 for a
reasonable price, grab it. Good phone. The v710's, 720's and e815, though
great phones with big bright displays, tend to suffer from flaky software.
Text messages can freeze the phone. The camera can freeze the phone.
Sometimes Bluetooth works, sometimes it doesn't. Everyone raved about the
e815, so I got one. Great reception, great display, great sound.  Due to the
chance of getting a bad one, I'd avoid buying a used one. My brand-new one,
never abused, crapped out at six months, and I had to take a refurb, which
was never quite right. Recent LG's, above the 4000 level, are decent phones,
reliable and stable, but again, they really didn't get the reception thing
quite right until the 8300 (possibly the 8000, don't know that phone). The
8300 is a super phone, if they made the display a hair bigger, the
speakerphone a hair louder, the phone a hair thinner, and added a missed
call beep, close to perfect! Actually, LG covered most of these points with
the 8600, with the exception of the missed call beep. It would have been my
next phone, except for the damn beep.

There are others, of course, (I'm not real familiar with the VZ Nokias), but
choose carefully. Unlike a new phone, no 15 day return policy....