Phones with TikTok are selling for lakhs as desperate fans scramble post-ban

When life gives you lemons, sell a phone with TikTok pre-installed for Rs 41 lakh! That’s the vibe online resellers are going for after TikTok was banned in the U.S., leaving Gen Z and TikTok creators scrambling for solutions. The app, pulled from U.S. app stores in January, has now turned into digital gold for its 170 million users. And some “fast-acting entrepreneurs” are cashing in—big time.

Why was TikTok banned?

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, shut down U.S. operations on January 19 after failing to comply with a deadline to sell to a U.S.-based entity. While a temporary extension allowed existing users to regain access, the app remains unavailable for download. Cue chaos and some very “creative” resale listings.

One eBay seller, clearly living their best capitalist dream, listed a brand-new Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max preloaded with TikTok for a staggering $50,000 (Rs 41.5 lakh). The listing already has 80 watchers—because who doesn’t want TikTok that badly, right? Meanwhile, another seller on Poshmark is offering an iPhone 13 Pro Max with TikTok and Capcut for $3,500 (Rs 2.9 lakh).

Will you buy a cracked phone just because of TikTok?

But wait, the wildest listing of them all? A cracked iPhone on Facebook Marketplace with TikTok still installed. The price? A laughable $10,000 (Rs 8.3 lakh)—and it’s marked down from $30,000 (Rs 24.9 lakh). Who said bargains don’t exist?

For those who can’t afford these “luxury” gadgets, options still exist—barely. Some listings feature phones with accounts already logged in, while others sell devices with the app but no user data. However, considering that a brand-new, TikTok-free iPhone 16 starts at just $799 (Rs 66,000), this black-market gold rush feels extra dramatic.

Experts warn buyers to tread cautiously. Legalities surrounding app bans and account resales remain blurry, with laws like the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in place. Resellers could be banking on FOMO to drive up prices.

Lakhs for a TikTok installed phone? Hm okay!

For now, TikTok loyalists without the app are either going cold turkey or trying their luck with the desktop version. And if you’re one of the few who’ve dropped lakhs on a TikTok-loaded device, slide into our DMs. We’re dying to know if it was worth it.