TikTok-Equipped Electronics Resold on Online Marketplaces Amid App Download Ban
Individuals are capitalizing on the temporary unavailability of TikTok in the U.S. by listing smartphones preloaded with the app for exorbitant prices on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and similar platforms.
Despite uncertainty surrounding demand at these inflated valuations, listings have been observed for as high as $50,000, with devices priced in the hundreds receiving the most bids.
Entrepreneurial sellers are offering devices pre-installed with TikTok and other ByteDance apps, such as Lemon8 and CapCut. One seller, Nicholas Matthews, has listed an iPhone 14 Plus with TikTok for $10,000, receiving a highest bid of $4,550.
TikTok boasts approximately 170 million users in the U.S., and while the ban primarily affects app downloads, existing users can continue to access the platform.
eBay has not yet commented on the listings, and unanswered questions remain regarding the legality and feasibility of Trump's order to pause enforcement of the ban and potential negotiations for a sale of TikTok by its Chinese parent company.