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Can I save some money if I buy a EVDO Data Card on Ebay?

Maybe yes, maybe no.

The price of buying an EVDO card along with a 1 or 2 year contract can be fairly inexpensive. But it may be hard to justify spending $250 - $300 on the cost of a new card when you're in the middle of your contract.

Buying a used data card can give you the option of upgrading your existing data card. If you are purchasing on ebay, you take one big risk. If the data card you purchase was lost or stolen, you will not be able to activate it on the Verizon or Sprint network. It is important that you purchase from a reputable company/individual.

Before purchasing, ask the seller for the ESN on the card. Once you have that number, call Verizon or Sprint Tech Support and explain to them you are buying a used data card and you want to confirm that the card can be activated. If it can be activated, you can safely buy it and then purchase service. If Verizon or Sprint say that the card CANNOT be activated, DO NOT PURCHASE it, since you will be buying something that you cannot get service for.

If you are going to need to purchase service, you can order Activation Only on Verizon directly from us. We will waive the activation fee. If you call Verizon for service, you will have to pay this activation fee.

If you are buying a used card and already have Sprint or Verizon service (perhaps you lost your card and you are just replacing it), you an easily switch your current EVDO service to your new card, by following the steps here .

Finally, you could be purchasing a card that was originally programmed for Verizon, Sprint or ALTELL, and may have difficulty getting it working on the other network (see this EVDO Forums Thread). Make sure to ask seller what network the card was provisioned on, so you can ensure it will work when you receive it.