TikTok Ban Sparks eBay Craze for Phones with Pre-Installed App

In response to TikTok’s brief removal from app stores in the U.S., eBay sellers have begun listing phones with the app pre-installed, hoping to capitalize on the uncertainty surrounding the app’s availability.

Following a federal law banning TikTok in the U.S. unless it was sold to a U.S.-based company, TikTok was briefly pulled from mobile app stores, leaving users unable to download it.

Although the app returned for existing users after a delay, those who had deleted it or never installed it cannot download it again.

This gap in availability has led to a surge of eBay listings for phones with TikTok pre-installed. Prices for these phones range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, with some listings reaching exorbitant amounts, such as a $21,000 phone (though it’s unclear if it sold for that price). As of Thursday, there were over 27,000 results for “TikTok phone” on eBay.

The future of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain. The law banning the app requires its technology partners, like Oracle, Apple, and Google, to stop making it available.

While TikTok returned to existing users after a delay, its long-term status in the U.S. is still up in the air. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, is currently in discussions about a potential sale, although a permanent solution to the app’s legal challenges has not yet emerged.