An old iPhone with TikTok installed was listed for nearly €8,000 by one seller.
The TikTok ban in the U.S. sparked widespread dissatisfaction. Although the app is currently available again, it still cannot be downloaded from the App Store. As a result, people have started selling smartphones with TikTok pre-installed on eBay for staggering prices.
Despite the app’s return, it remains unavailable for download in the App Store, leaving users uncertain about its future availability. This uncertainty has led some to speculate that devices with TikTok already installed could increase in value, with listings on eBay reaching thousands of dollars.
According to ITC, on the day TikTok was blocked, bizarre listings appeared on eBay and other American online marketplaces, with some sellers asking for as much as $1 million (around €919,000) for old iPhones—most likely as a joke.
However, there were numerous listings offering several-year-old iPhones for thousands of euros. It was discovered that older iOS versions did not have regional restrictions, making TikTok fully functional. One listing, for example, featured an iPhone 13 Pro Max with TikTok installed for a “modest” $8,000 (around €7,800).
