Why do people steal cell phones?

So last night I was at a Superbowl party. Fun right? Yes, it was fun. Until at one point during the night my phone left my pocket without my consent. So here's the story. My friend (lets call her Sally) and I ran out to the car to grab something really quick. On the way back into the house I trip (over my own feet. I'm a klutz, but that's a whole other blog). My friend in front of me heard me trip and starts to laugh, I of course laugh too and reach my hand towards my pocket to check and make sure my phone was still there. Keep in mind that I had just gotten this phone not more than 3 weeks ago. I fell in love with it immediately. It was a Samsung Eternity, basically a newer and better version of the iPod (in my opinion). So I am very protective over this new phone and am trying really hard to take care of it and not drop it, so instinctively I reached for my pocket to check on it. It was still there. YAY! We walk into the house and go to the fridge, then to our other friend's (she'll be Cathy) room to put Sally's keys away. Sally must have left the room quicker than me and made it across the main room where the game was being watched. I tried to catch up to her but I had to get through a group of people first. Once I do I take a glance at the TV and notice that the Cardinals are up by 3 (yea we all know the outcome of the game, so no need to respond back to that). So I get really excited and decide I want to text my friend, the Steelers fan, and gloat about the score. So for the second time in not more than 5 minutes I reach for my phone. Only something's different this time. My phone isn't there. So something happened between the time I checked for my phone right outside the door, and then again in the TV room. I never bent over or was in an angle where the phone could have slipped out. The only explanation is when I went through a group of people to get to my other friends. A bunch of us searched the house up and down to find my phone (thanks guys for the help). So I know had it fallen out of my pocket that we would have found it. Again unless someone else found it first and decided it was theirs now, which I still call stealing, not finding. Now here's my question. Why would someone steal a phone? What is the purpose? Can you really resell it? I have AT&T and they do not allow other peoples SIM cards to be placed in a new phone. AT&T would know if someone has my phone, or tries to put it in use. Plus it's only a $200 phone, that you couldn't even resell for that much. Do you really need that $200? Worst of all I really need that SIM card. You want my phone? Have it! Just give me my SIM card back. I need my phone numbers! I spent the rest of the evening crying and pissed off. Thanks whoever you are for ruining an otherwise awesome and fun night. I hope my phone makes you happy. It made me happy, and you obviously need it more than I do if you're willing to steal.

I found this Blog about second hand cell phones. It answered some of my questions. John Milligan wrote "I bought a Nokia N95 and two months later it wouldn’t function because as I discovered later, it was a stolen phone. Did I get help or my money back? Never. You see, when things go wrong on a second hand sale for a mobile phone, the seller hides behind emails until eventually he just hides - you won’t hear a peep from him. Plus you ain’t covered for nothing for that phone, no warranty, no nothing." Well I guess that's why phones get stolen, to be sold as "second-hand" and other people have to deal with the after effects. NOT COOL!