As TikTok faces uncertainty in the U.S., some clever sellers are seizing the moment by listing phones with the app pre-installed on eBay. The recent temporary ban on TikTok, which saw the app briefly vanish from mobile stores, has left many wondering when—if ever—it will return.
Last Saturday, TikTok was removed from app stores due to a looming federal law that demands the app be sold to a U.S.-based company—or face a full ban. Although TikTok reappeared for existing users within hours, those who had never downloaded it or accidentally deleted it were left in the lurch, with no way to get the app back.
With no clear timeline for when (or if) TikTok will be available again, enterprising sellers have flooded eBay with phones that already have TikTok installed. Some listings are going for hundreds—or even thousands—of dollars, with a few sellers daring to ask for prices well into the millions. For example, one phone was listed for a whopping $21,000, though it’s unclear if it actually sold for that price.
As of Thursday, over 27,000 eBay listings for “TikTok phones” were up, indicating a clear demand for phones that can still access the platform.
While TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains uncertain, its temporary disappearance from app stores is just the latest twist in an ongoing saga. The law requires technology giants like Oracle, Apple, and Google to stop making the app available, or face heavy fines. Meanwhile, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is now in talks about a potential sale, though it had initially resisted the idea.
For now, these phones with TikTok pre-installed are becoming an unexpected commodity—offering a way for users to hold on to the app while they wait for the legal drama to unfold.
Link: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/01/23/business/iphone-tiktok-ebay/index.html
