Smartphone users are selling their devices for thousands of dollars for having installed the TikTok app prior to the Jan. 19 ban. All apps owned by ByteDance, which include TikTok and CapCut, were removed from app stores in the United States after a ban went into effect with the approval of the Supreme Court.
On Ebay, iPhones and Android phones are being sold for prices up to $10,000, including an iPhone 13 Pro. On the platform, an iPhone 14 Pro Max is being listed for $3,500, a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 for $12,000 and a OnePlus 8 5G for $2,500, according to Fast Company.
After TikTok went dark on Jan. 19, service was restored in the following days for those who didn’t delete the app from their phone. It was restored after President Donald Trump paused the ban for 75 days. As the ban was voted by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court, it is unclear whether executive action is legal. It is also why Apple and Google did not restore the app’s availability.
It is unclear when or if TikTok will suspend service in the U.S. again. It could be banned prior to the 75 day pause or after that deadline expires in April 2025.
In July 2020, Trump advocated for a ban of TikTok after expressing concerns over the app’s national security risk. A ban was then approved by Congress and signed by former President Joe Biden in April 2024 for the same reasons.
The law ruled that ByteDance should either disinvest itself in TikTok or it would be banned. Since then, several entrepreneurs have placed bids over the app, including Elon Musk and popular YouTuber MrBeast.
