The temporary removal of TikTok from US app stores has created a surge in eBay listings, with sellers offering phones pre-installed with the app at inflated prices. As reported by Maria Sole Campinoti for CNN, TikTok was pulled from app stores on Saturday, following a federal law requiring the app to be sold to a US-based or allied company. Although existing users regained access after President Donald Trump delayed the ban through an executive order, new downloads remain unavailable.
In response, thousands of eBay sellers are attempting to profit from the app’s unavailability. Listings for phones with TikTok pre-installed range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, with some sellers ambitiously pricing them at over a million. Notably, one phone was marked sold for $21,000, though the actual sale price was likely lower, as sellers can accept offers below the listed amount.
By midday Thursday, searches for “TikTok phone” on eBay had surpassed 27,000 results, reflecting the high demand amid the app’s uncertain return.
TikTok, eBay, Apple, and Google have not responded to CNN’s requests for comment, leaving the market for pre-installed phones as a unique side effect of the app’s brief disappearance.
