[mpoulin]

Walmart.com will ship the TracFone Motorola GSM C139-4 right to your door for $24.94

This story doesn't pass the smell test.

[ArmstedFragg]

"Walmart.com will ship the TracFone Motorola GSM C139-4 right to your door for $24.94"



...and an unlocked Motorola C139 sells for 69.99
http://www.worldelectronicsusa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WEU&Product_Code=MCDBUGCP591&Category_Code=M5

Starting to see the arbitrage potential here?

[conservative in nyc]

The men were allegedly reprogramming the phones so that they could work on more than just TracFone's network. An unlocked phone is worth more than a locked phone because you can switch networks by switching SIM cards, and aren't locked into a (somewhat crappy) pre-paid plan.

TracFone likely loses money on its phone sales and hopes to turn a profit by selling its service.

[JeffAtlanta]

Walmart.com will ship the TracFone Motorola GSM C139-4 right to your door for $24.94 This story doesn't pass the smell test.

Yet I can sell a hard drive on ebay at a higher price than a person could get shipped free to their door from Fry's Electonics.

Not everyone knows what things cost or where to get them. There's a reason why convienenence stores can sell a soft drink for $1.50 while you could buy it for $.20 at the Walmart across the street.