If an iphone is unlocked, does it matter if it has a clean esn or not?

I found an ad on craigslist for an unlocked iphone. It said nothing about it having a clean esn or not, but does it matter if its unlocked already? Oh and if i meet up with the person, how can i prove on the spot if its unlocked? I want to make sure they weren't lying.

Unlocked just means it will work with any GSM cell provider: AT&T, T-Mobile.
The ESN is different and it needs to be 'clean' on the network the phone is from: Verizon, Sprint.
If you call the cell provider they can lookup the phone and let you know if the ESN is clean or not.

Take a T-Mobile micro SIM or any other micro SIM that's not AT&T. Put it in and see if you're able to make calls and text.

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