Title: TikTok-Loaded Smartphones Sweeping Up eBay's Hot Commodities List
TikTok vanished from mobile app stores last Saturday, just hours before a federal law prohibiting its operation in the USA went into effect, unless it was acquired by a US-based firm or an ally's company. The app reemerged for existing users around 12 hours later, after President Trump authorized a delay in the ban via an executive order. However, the absence of TikTok persists in app stores, hence, new users or those who deleted the app cannot access it.
Exploiting this gap, crafty individuals have surfaced on eBay, listing mobile phones with TikTok installed, as Wired reported initially. Listing prices range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, with some sellers audaciously asking for a million or more. Despite some listings being marked sold, like the one for $21,000, it's highly unlikely this phone fetched that astronomical sum. By midday Thursday, searches for "TikTok phone" on eBay yielded over 27,000 results.
TikTok, eBay, Apple, and Google have yet to respond to CNN's request for comments.
When will TikTok return to app stores?
The elimination of TikTok from app stores was not entirely surprising, given predictions that this would take place once the ban hit. However, the near future remains uncertain.
The law that bans TikTok requires its technology partners to no longer offer the app, with fines of up to $5,000 imposed for anyone accessing the platform. This encompasses Oracle, who hosts TikTok's US content, as well as Apple and Google, who provide the app on their respective app stores.
The long-term fate of TikTok in the USA is equally unclear. Trump's executive order, signed on Monday evening, extended the TikTok ban enforcement by 75 days, but it does not offer a permanent solution.
For TikTok to continue operating in the USA, ByteDance must ultimately sell to a US buyer, or legislation must be passed to overturn the existing one. The former situation is currently under discussion, with ByteDance engaged in active deal negotiations, as a board member informed Axios.
Enrichment Insights:
- TikTok and other ByteDance Ltd. apps were banned from US app stores since January 19, 2025, due to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act but have not specified a return date.
- Sellers can accept offers below the listed price, so it's unlikely that the phoned listed for $21,000 was sold for that price on eBay.
Innate business opportunists have spotted the void of TikTok in app stores and are listing mobile phones with the app pre-installed on eBay, aiming to capitalize on the high demand. Prices for these allegedly rare devices range from modest hundreds to extravagant thousands, with some sellers audaciously asking for over a million dollars.
