RSSWith most stores sold out, iPhones selling for $1,000 on eBay
By Jacqueline Emigh | Published July 23, 2008, 1:50 AM
In the evolving manner of online ticket scalpers, people are snapping up dozens of Apple 3G iPhones -- now sold out in most states -- and selling them on the Web for prices hovering in the low four-figure range.
While some eBay auctions had reached pricetags above $1,000, most iPhone 3Gs listed early Wednesday were going for between $800 and $900 -- far above the $200 and $300 retail price for the 8GB and 16GB model, respectively.
Bidding on one auction for a seller's 17 black, AT&T-enabled iPhones had started at just one cent apiece yesterday.
Most of the people hawking iPhones are based in various parts of the United States, judging from the listings on eBay. A lot of them appear to be first-time eBay sellers, possibly trying to make a quick buck from the short supply and high demand for the device. A similar tack was taken by many individuals last year after the first iPhone launched.
A few of the sellers only have a couple of iPhones on hand. Many, however, are selling at least two dozen of Apple's 3G handsets today, and some as many as 50 units or more.
It's unclear how these sellers picked up all that iPhone loot. With the previous generation, anyone could purchase the device. But sales of the iPhone 3G require registering the handset with an active AT&T Wireless account during the purchase. That change drastically slowed down the sales process at Apple and AT&T stores during the first days after launch, and led to lines over 6 hours long in some locations.
If you really want an iPhone 3G, and you can't find one elsewhere, the abundance of iPhones currently for sale on eBay might hold a solution. On the other hand, you could easily wind up paying four or five times as much on the auction site right now than you would otherwise.
It has to be an all too familiar feeling for anyone who's ever surfed around various online ticket sites, in a frustrating last minute search for reasonably priced tickets to just about any music concert.
After reading the following comment, the article should be re-written to incorporate the newfound wisdom in my words:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25478296/
"The contract-free versions will cost $599 and $699 and will be sold sometime "in the future," AT&T said."
Obviously eBayed iPhone 3Gs are contract-free...
"you could easily wind up paying four or five times as much on the auction site right now"... From $700 to $800 or $900 (or even $1000) it's not even 2x... Get your reporting facts straight Jacqueline Emigh...
Score: 0
Its a phone that is missing the most basic of features on a typical phone...
I have a ipod touch but I dont need to put my face on it ever, and the onscreen keyboard sucks so I really don't see whats so great about the iphone because as a phone it fails.
But use whatever makes you happy but you are a moron to pay 5 times the amount when in a month or so they'll be available again...its not a wii :D
Plus lets say you dont want to use the iphone as a phone anymore can you continue to still use it as a multimedia device or not?
Score: 0
Personally I think the iPhone is worth $100,000 at least so $1,000 is a steal.
Score: 0
I'll sell you an iPhone on ebay for $100,000.
Score: 0
Alas, those of us writing here are not well off. Some folks are. To someone from, say, Zimbabwe, what we spend on most anything is inane. To us what a well off person who bills like, say, A-Rod, spends on an iPhone rather than wait in line seems inane. It is all relative, and happens with so many products these days. The rest of us will write comments on their mental health, while they might snicker at our financial health. All relative.
Score: 0
People are stupid.
Score: 0
Perfectly said.
Score: 0
No, people recognize the superiority of Apple hardware and are willing to pay a premium price. Simple. End of story. Goodbye.
Score: 0
Thank you.
Score: 0
It's called hype, nothing more, nothing less. Superior or not, intelligent people will not spend ridiculous amounts of money on something that they can get cheaper a short time down the line (something that they've lived without all along until just a short time ago).
Score: 0
You just proved the point... he wasn't replying to you. :)
Score: 0
LOL that was just hilarious...he got so excited at the very rare occasion that somebody agreed with his stupidity that he couldn't hold himself back from replying...only to realize, nobody was actually agreeing with him...kinda sad, actually. :(
Score: 0
Hahaha. You were joking right?
Score: 0
The funny part is, the people who spend $1000 on a iPhone will have to explain to people they are trying to impress that it's a 3G as you can't tell it apart from the regular ones by looking at them.
I bought a set of special edition Pixar Cars set a couple months ago for $299. People are more tham willing to go $1400-$1600 on eBay for the set.
People are insane. The Apple car (thats included with that set) is going for $150-$200 by itself. My point is Apple fanboys are a strange bunch, they'll pay $150+ for a Hot Wheel because it has an Apple logo on it.
Score: 0
"as you can't tell it apart from the regular ones by looking at them."
The back is a different colour...
/may contain traces of sarcasm
Score: 0
Apple cars / Pixar cars? What trip are you on!?
Score: 0
It's a US product (well, prob made in China) and thus has no colour.
Score: 0
LOL!
Here is someone who falls for the same novelty racket except he has he audacity to find fault with a particular label instead of the wacko mentality that underlies it all!
You utterly miss the point. It has nothing to do with Apple! It has to do with the need of some folks to distinguish themselves with things.
Whatever the brand!!!,Pixarboy.
LOL!
Score: 0
I presumed he must be drunk.
Score: 0
You dumb ****s.
In the Pixar movie "Cars", there is an Apple car on screen for all but 2 seconds. Mattel recently released a set of all 36 of the Piston Cup Racers from the movie for $299 on thier website. I bought a set for my kids to play with. They only made 1000 sets and they sold out in an hour or two.
Following me so far ...........
Included in that set was a Apple car with #84 on it. Apple fanboys are falling over themselves to pay upwards of $200 for that single car being the losers that they are.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Appl...DVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Does that explain it better to those of you who live in caves and can't read? You a bunch of ****ing stupid chimps.
Score: 0
Fall for a racket? Sorry, I never pay retail or inflated eBay prices for anything.
I bought them simply because I felt like it. I know $300 is a lot of money to some people. Who gives a s***? The point is people will pay five times what they cost originally to have the priviledge of saying they own them on eBay, just like the iPhone.
Here's a link for all you retards:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Appl...DVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Score: 0
Since YOU posted a link for retards I guess that makes you the chief retard since it's YOUR link! O_o
But nice try at trolling an Apple thread, Pixar fanboy. :)
Score: 0
"You a bunch of ****ing stupid chimps."
I think you meant "You're"... stupid chimp. LOL
Score: 0
Only things from North Korea have no color. :)
Score: 0
ok?? whats your point, Pixar is a branch of ****ing apple retard
Score: 0
no no no, he means that you are a stupid little chimp just as your other apple fan boys and hoes
Score: 0
Oh look! Foxfyre is on the forums calling someone stupid...what a surprise!!
Score: 0
Thank you incest child, I would have never figured that out.
Score: 0
Thanks incest child for pointing that out. You inbred types are so helpful.
Score: 0
I wouldn't be surprised to hear it's Apple themselves selling them on eBay.
It's ridiculous that people buy them off eBay. I really have no idea what they're thinking.
Score: 0
I wouldn't be surprised if it's Apple bidding on them.
Anything to make headlines.
Score: 0
iPhone Seller = $Genius$
iPhone Buyer = !~Mentally Retarded~!
Score: 0
I'd have to say, that was pretty good.
Score: 0
Haha I fully expected this.
Score: 0
oh man, whats the world comming too
Score: 0
There's a sucker born every second...
Score: 0
yeah like internetworld7
Score: 0
A concert is once upon a time event, the iPhone will be available on the market for at least six/twelve months so the comparison is inappropriate.
Besides whoever is going to spend $1000 for a SIM-LOCKED phone is dumb. You want the iPhone righ now? Do you have enough money? Open your Atlas, realize that the USA are part of the World and not the World itself and buy it in one of thr Countries where it is sold SIM-FREE!!!
Score: 0
I agree totally with the first sentence of your comment.
Score: 0
Anyone who would pay that much for one is an idiot.
Score: 0
a fool and his money....
Score: 0
That's just absolutely friggin' ridiculous! lmao
Score: 0