What is a unlocked cell phone?

[k102binhven]

i want to buy a phone on ebay and my plan is verizon. Tons of them say they are unlocked. What does that mean??

[evilattorney]

It means that they are GSM phones that can be used on any GSM network. Verizon is a CDMA network and those phones cannot be used on it.

[QuestionsPleasem]

simply put:
you can put in any sim card and your phone will work on that network.

[Corey]

Unlocked phones mean the barrier that allows the phone to only be used on one network has been removed. Phones that use SIM cards can be unlocked then used on any network that uses SIM cards. Unfortunately for you Verizon does not use SIM cards. This means you will need to get a phone that is made specifically for Verizon. Hope this helps!