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Lots of Pixel resellers have had their Google accounts suspended (UPDATE: “genuine accounts” getting access back)
August 08, 2025
Update (11/21/16):It didn’t take long for the Google Pixel fiasco to spread all over the internet. It is true the terms of service were violated, but Google’s response seemed proportionally catastrophic. This is why Google has decided to change its position and return access to the affected users’ accounts, so long as these are genuine.
Original post (11/17/16):If you were thinking about buying aGoogle Pixel or Pixel XLsmartphone with the sole idea of reselling it for a profit, you need to beware. Such actions are actually against Google’s terms of service and now many of those people have had their Google account suspended.
This activity was first reported on the deal monitoring siteDan’s Deals.It stated it started receiving emails from people who found that they had been locked out of their Google account. All of these reports came from folks who had bought a Pixel phone and then sent them over to a reseller in New Hampshire who paid them back with a small profit, before selling those phones again to other people. The report said that over 200 Google account holders were affected.
In response, a spokesperson for Google sent the site an official statement:
Obviously, the lesson here is that people should read the long and boring terms and service agreement when they buy any smartphone, and not just the Pixel. Will this incident make you think twice about reselling your phone for a profit?
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