IMEI cheat sheet
Bookmark this. Every IMEI status that shows up on a buyback intake, what it actually means, and what to do — in one table.
Every IMEI status, ranked by severity
| Status | What it means | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Clean | Not on GSMA blacklist, no active carrier block, IMEI checksum valid. | Proceed with the rest of the inspection. |
| Blacklisted (GSMA) | Reported lost or stolen. Will not activate on any major US carrier. | Walk away. Resale value is effectively zero in the US. |
| Financing-blocked (carrier DPP) | Verizon / AT&T / T-Mobile blocked the IMEI for unpaid device-payment-plan balance. | Walk away unless the seller can produce the carrier's release email confirming payoff. |
| Carrier-locked (no DPP) | Tied to one carrier; DPP is paid off but the SIM lock is still active. | Discount 10–15% from your buy price. Resells lower than unlocked. |
| iCloud Activation Lock active | Bound to previous owner's Apple ID. Separate from IMEI status. | Have seller sign out before payment. See our guide. |
| Google FRP active | Bound to previous owner's Google account. Survives factory reset. | Have seller remove Google account before reset. See our guide. |
| Samsung Reactivation Lock active | Galaxy-specific second account lock, in addition to FRP. | Have seller unregister via findmymobile.samsung.com. |
| Knox warranty void (Galaxy) | Device was rooted or bootloader unlocked. Permanent. | Discount 15%. Disclose at resale. |
| IMEI mismatch (screen vs SIM tray) | Logic board has been swapped at some point. | Walk away. Rebuilds have unpredictable warranty status. |
| Invalid IMEI (Luhn checksum fail) | The IMEI is malformed — typo or spoofed. | Re-check the entry. If it still fails, the IMEI may be software-modified. |
How to find an IMEI
- Universal: dial
*#06#on the dial pad. Works on any GSM phone, even one you can't unlock. - iPhone: Settings → General → About → IMEI. Or laser-etched on the SIM tray (iPhone 13+).
- Android: Settings → About phone → Status → IMEI.
- Box / receipt: the original packaging prints IMEI on the barcode label.
The 30-second decision rules
- Blacklist red → walk away.
- Financing block → walk away unless the seller proves payoff.
- Account lock (iCloud / FRP / Samsung Reactivation) → seller signs out in front of you, period.
- IMEI mismatch → walk away.
- Carrier lock confirmed unlocked → no penalty.
- Carrier lock active → discount and disclose.
- Knox tripped → discount and disclose.
The two-system rule
The IMEI check tells you about the device's relationship to carriers. The account-lock check tells you about the device's relationship to previous-owner accounts. They're separate systems and you have to verify both. The most common reseller mistake is running an IMEI check, getting "clean," and skipping the account check — then discovering at resale that the device is locked.