FCC ID is a unique identifier the US Federal Communications Commission assigns to every wireless device legally sold or imported into the United States. The ID is typically printed on the device housing, inside the SIM tray, or in software (Settings > About > Regulatory). For wholesale buyers, the FCC ID is the cleanest single signal that a device is legitimately US-spec and was lawfully imported.
FCC IDs follow a structured format: a three-character grantee code identifying the manufacturer or importer, followed by an arbitrary product code. The grantee code for Apple is BCG; for Samsung it is A3LSM, ZCASM, or similar; for Xiaomi it is 2AFZZ. The product code identifies the specific model and spec variant.
Wholesale checks: verify FCC ID on a sample of received units against the FCC's public database at fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid. A missing or invalid FCC ID on supposedly US-spec stock is a clear signal of either grey-market routing or counterfeit. Some non-US-spec devices carry FCC IDs because the manufacturer registered the device globally; the presence of an FCC ID alone does not prove US-spec, but its absence on US-spec stock is disqualifying.