Phones that come pre-installed with TikTok have started appearing for sale on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and other online platforms for prices reaching into the tens of thousands of dollars. However, it’s uncertain how many buyers are actually willing to pay these high prices.
Over the weekend, TikTok experienced a temporary outage for U.S. users, but by Sunday, anyone who had already downloaded the app was able to access it again. Despite this, TikTok is still not available for new downloads from Apple’s and Google’s app stores, leaving those who did not download it before the outage without access.
In light of this situation, some resourceful sellers are offering phones and tablets that include TikTok as well as other applications from its parent company, ByteDance, like Lemon8 and the video editing app CapCut. Listings on eBay varied greatly, with some priced as high as $50,000, while others were listed for as low as $340 as of Friday. Though it is difficult to determine the actual number of sales, devices sold for hundreds of dollars appear to be attracting more bids.
A New York resident named Nicholas Matthews decided to sell his iPhone 14 Plus, which comes equipped with TikTok, after noticing the rising demand. He set the asking price at $10,000, and his highest current bid was reported to be $4,550 on Friday. “I’m just expecting to sell this one phone,” he noted.
TikTok currently boasts around 170 million users in the United States. The ongoing ban in question does not specifically target individual users, who are allowed to continue using the app as long as they had it prior to the outage.
eBay has not responded to inquiries regarding these listings as of Friday. Earlier this week, former President Donald Trump instructed his Justice Department to delay the enforcement of the ban until early April. Nevertheless, several crucial questions linger, such as whether Trump has the legal power to issue such a directive and if TikTok’s parent company, based in China, would agree to sell the widely-used social media service.
