Can you buy a phone from eBay and get activated from US Cellular?

Answer 1

I'm not sure of the context of your question, so I will assume you are asking if you can activate a cellular phone in the US, as opposed to activating a US Cellular phone (which is a wireless network in the US). Here are the different scenarios on activating a cellular phone in the US:

• Activating a carrier-based phone with the same carrier--you can activate a carrier-based phone with the same carrier, even if the phone has been inactive for a long period of time. It is functional provided it can connect to the current bands in that network.
• Activating a carrier-based phone with another carrier--if the phone is locked (tied to a particular carrier), it will not function if you attempt to activate it with another carrier. If you are able to get the phone unlocked (either thru the carrier, manufacturer, or on your own), it might work with another carrier provided the phone can run on that other carrier's network bands.
• Activating an unlocked phone with any carrier (traditional and pre-paid)--most unlocked phones, and this is assuming they are designed to be used in multiple bands in the US and/or elsewhere, can be activated on most carriers.
• Activating a carrier-based phone with a pre-paid carrier--it is possible to activate a carrier-based phone with a pre-paid wireless carrier, assuming that carrier has bands that match what the carrier-based phone had previously. An example is the pre-paid carrier Straight Talk, which utilizes bands from the four major wireless carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint).