Expert: DebiN - 9/29/2010

Question
I am in the business of selling cellular service and devices,first time,just getting started.Do you have any idea how I would purchase phones not branded seems Verizon and Sprint have it on lock.Every cellphone company that I have contacted for devices for resell I am directed to call Verizon or Sprint.I am a authorized dealer for the CDMA network and sell the mini footprint plans of the Sprint and Verizon. Is it possible to purchase phones branded with my company logo or just unbranded?

Answer
Since you are an authorized reseller for the CDMA networks run by Sprint and Verizon and the manufacturers are pointing you to them for devices, that definitely means that they will not sell directly to you so you would need to purchase phones likely through a wholesale/reseller agreement with Verizon or Sprint. I can't tell you for certain whether they are branded or not or whether you can brand them yourself, but if I were to guess, I would say that they are branded. If you are large enough, you can have an arrangement to brand or co-brand by typically only the larger resellers brand (Tracfone being an example though they have their own arrangements with the manufacturers also). However, since your customers would not call Verizon or Sprint if they had issues, they may very well provide unbranded phones to you. Your best bet is to get in touch with Verizon and/or Sprint and see what the arrangements are. Sorry that I didn't have a definitive answer for you. Good luck to you, also.