TikTok fans in the US can’t know if they’re coming or going right now. First, the app was banned, and stopped working for a few hours thanks to President Biden. Then, President Trump was sworn in, and the app sprang back to life.
However, Trump has only given TikTok a stay of execution, with the app’s future still hanging in the balance. And anyone who hasn’t already downloaded it is currently unable to do so. But not to fret, as some eBay sellers have your back…
In the US and Missing TikTok? eBay Sellers Have Your Back
As first spotted by Wired, some people have realized that TikTok’s on/off ban in the US is a potential money spinner. Because all the while TikTok is unavailable to download from the App Store or Play Store, phones which already have it installed on them are worth a premium.
Don’t believe me? Then just head to eBay and search “iPhone TikTok” or “Android phone TikTok” and see for yourself. Unless eBay has acted to remove the listings, you’ll find dozens of phones being sold with a TikTok install listed as a selling point.
Some of these listings are quite reasonable, with phones being listed as around their asking price. But, as you can see from the screenshot above, other sellers are asking ridiculous amounts of money for bog-standard phones that just happen to come with TikTok installed on them.
Is anyone actually buying these? It’s hard to tell. Plenty of listings have ended, but that’s no guarantee that the buyers are actually going to pay the asking price. And, let’s face it, they would be mad to do so.
Anyone Buying One of These Has More Money Than Sense
It should go without saying that you would be a fool to buy one of these phones. Even one that’s priced at close to the usual price you would pay for a second-hand phone.
Not only is it dumb to pay for a phone just because TikTok is installed on it, it means buying a phone that hasn’t been restored to factory settings. Hell, the seller may even remain logged into their TikTok account.
The TikTok saga in the US is far from over. Maybe it will survive unhindered, maybe ByteDance will be forced to sell TikTok to Elon Musk, or maybe the next deadline will pass without either side backing down. But either way, it’s an app, and one that you won’t miss half as much as you think you will.
