Used and Pre-Owned MiFi’s and Mobile Hotspots

MobileHotspot.com recommends eBay for used and pre-owned mobile hotspots.

Ebay has always been our favorite place for scoring a previously used mobile hotspot device at a great price. If you're buying a used hotspot for the first time, the two most important considerations are:

1. Do you know what mobile provider you will be using? For the most part, each mobile hotspot is branded to a specific carrier, and you will not be able to use it in other providers. Be sure the item listed for sale clearly states the provider. For example, the listing may say "Verizon MiFi 2200" - as you might imagine, that's not going to work with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint - simply due to the fact each uses their own technologies.

2. What type of Prepaid Account? Mobile hotspots that were originally sold by their provider were either "prepaid" or "contract" type when they were new.  You're probably figuring that since you own the mobile hotspot device outright, you would simply be a "prepaid" customer? Well, this is partially true. In most cases, contract  signed monthly data plans are less expensive then their "pay as you go" counterparts. So what does this mean? If you buy and activate a mobile hotspot that was previously used or sold as part of a "2 year agreement" (a nice word for "contract") make sure you tell the hotspot's provider you want the "contact price", but without the actual contract commitment.

3. 3G or 4G? Recently, 4G mobile hotspots have become as prevalent as their older 3G varieties. 4G based mobile hotspots are going to be significantly faster and more responsive, but are usually more expensive for their required data subscription. There are also generally less monthly data plan rate options for 4G hotspots. Since 2010, many mobile hotspot owners upgraded their 3G mobile hotspots to one of the newer 4G units, and are looking to recoup a few bucks out of the old unit. Devices like the MiFi 3G mobile hotspot are real workhorses, and with massively dense 3G all over Americas, they are great option for Cheap,

eBay is also a great option for current 3G or 4G mobile hotspot owners who are under contract and may have lost or damaged their original mobile hotspot device. Contract users of hotspots with Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint can purchase a new or previously owned mobile hotspot on eBay and contact their provider to swap the Sim card identifiers or IMEI unique device identifiers. Given the fact that a brand-new "replacement" hotspot from a provider can run $200-$350, eBay is a prime source for quickly replacing the lost unit at the most reasonable cost.

Tips on buying a previously owned mobile hotspot

Critically important is making sure the mobile hotspot device itself is able to be transferred to a new owner.

If the hotspot uses a SIM card, then this is usually not an issue, since the device registration is stored within the SIM, and you are replacing it with your own SIM. Hotspots without a SIM card are a different story. Since the registered device owner is stored in what is called the device ESN, there is no way to transfer ownership if the device is not "OK to transfer" , so to speak, within the mobile providers database. If the ebay listing says "Clean ESN", the seller is saying it's OK to transfer. If an ESN (No SIM) device was reported as lost or stolen by the most recent owner, you would be blocked from activating the mobile hotspot until the original owner request the "lost or stolen" account flag be removed. It's a huge hassle you don't need.. Look for words like "no contract", "contract free", or "prepaid" in the listing. It is VERY rare to see any illegitimate hotspots for sale on Ebay, plus the buyer has tons of protections in place should you get a bum deal.

Lastly, although it may sound obvious, but make sure the unit for sale is complete with working battery. Replacement batteries can sometimes get quite expensive, especially in light of the fact that you trying to save money with a pre-owned hotspot in the first place.

 

Tags: mifi ebay, mobile hotspot ebay, used mifi, used mobile hotspot

Category: Pre-Owned Mobile Hotspots