[FreedomCalls]

Okay, lets say they were selling parts. They bought the phones as complete packages in bulk at full retail. They break them up into various parts, i.e., batteries, SIM cards, etc. Then, resell the parts at retail. There is only one thing missing here: profit. You cannot loose money on every sale or break even on every sale and make it up in volume.

The calling card alone that Walmart was including in this sale was worth more than $20 -- and they got the entire package for $20: charger, cell phone, battery, and calling card. They (or you) could easily turn a tidy profit on each one purchased and resold.

[torchthemummy]

"The calling card alone that Walmart was including in this sale was worth more than $20 -- and they got the entire package for $20: charger, cell phone, battery, and calling card."

There is no calling card - the phone's initial minutes are included via the sim card (and activated at the register although you would still need to activate the phone afterwards.) That $20 worth of minutes is at the highest rate - around fifty cents a minute ie. 40 minutes worth of talk-time. The larger the package of minutes you buy the less per-minute cost. This is a package deal that is only attractive as a package deal.

There is no need to open the package unless you just want the sim cards with the minutes pre-programmed. Now those would be handy for drug dealers AND terrorists.

[Thermalseeker]

The calling card alone that Walmart was including in this sale was worth more than $20 -- and they got the entire package for $20: charger, cell phone, battery, and calling card. They (or you) could easily turn a tidy profit on each one purchased and resold.

Okay, so why would anyone buy it from these guys when they could just go to Wal-Mart and bypass the middle man and his mark up? I'm curious as to why they'd drive all the way from Texas to Michigan to buy these phones, too......