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Just Got Screwed By Scalpers...

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Y

Y2JDMBFAN

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 18, 2007
224
19
I have been waiting for a 6+ 128GB Space Grey Verizon to come in stock locally, finally an Apple Store about 30 mins away shows them in stock. I leave work in the middle of the day and take a personal hour. I get there in about 25 mins no traffic. The Apple Store app is still showing them available. I see a small line formed out front with about 4 Middle Eastern guys and 2 Mom's with kids. The Middle Eastern guys each had 2 shopping bags each full of phones. Apparently the Apple Store was selling them each 2 at a time of whatever they wanted, and letting them keep going back in line and buying more and more. Of course the guys in front of me that could barely speak English says "2 more Verizon 128 Plus Black" which happened to have been the last 2 they had. I said, wait a minute, how many per person, the apple store rep said there is a 2 per person limit. I said then how do they have shopping bags full of phones? She said "we let them get back in line when they are done." I was pissed, but not about to start a fight in the middle of the mall. The thing that really pissed me off is the guy was smirking at me and said something in Arabic under his breath that made the 3 of his friends laugh. This really sucks for normal users that want to buy the phone full price so they don't have to sign a new contract...

Thanks for listening,

Y2J
 
N

newone757

macrumors 6502
Apr 5, 2011
316
4
At my local store an employee was explaining the 2 per limit to a scalper, which I imagine is hard due to the language barrier, and then said "but I'll make the exception so you don't have to keep coming in and out."...amazing
 
C

chiawen.yang

macrumors member
Feb 19, 2012
68
6
Austin, Texas
Capitalism with limited supply and a large demand.

If you can purchase an item for a set price and resell for a higher price, this will always create a shortage.

If Apple didn't set the 2 limit, capitalist would be the first in line with an American Express gold card to buy the entire stock and turn around and sell them back at a profit to the people in line.

Imagine when the limited supply start to become other item you need in your daily life, like energy resources or food instead of cellphones...

Early bird gets the worm, latecomers starve and die.
 
M

mjb59463

macrumors 6502
Jan 10, 2012
411
168
Scalpers are complete **********. Every time I've gone to the apple store for a launch/to wait for a phone, Arab/Asian scalpers galore. One did the same "get back in line" tactic yesterday when I was there picking up a case and headphones.

Being brown myself (Indian, but born and raised in the US), some of the Arab people in line see me and assume I'm Arabic, try to talk to me and a good portion of them have generally assumed I'm sending phones back to every Tom, Dick and Harry in the motherland like they are. I clearly tell them otherwise.

It's funny to see.
 
Last edited:
mtneer

mtneer

macrumors 68040
Sep 15, 2012
3,179
2,714
PsstGreek said:
There's a limit for a reason. I'm surprised that they let them back in line after that. Sucks.
Click to expand...

Not taking the side of scalpers.. but the limit is 2 per person per order, not 2 per person per day. It will work fine on launch day when there are 500 people lined up.
 
V

vgamedude

macrumors 6502a
Dec 10, 2013
798
6
That's disgusting, I would definitely confront them if they smirked and spoke at me with Arabic, if things escalated so be it.

It's not their place to do such things. Let them know that. Teach them some respect.
 
12vElectronics

12vElectronics

macrumors 68040
Jul 19, 2013
3,947
1,246
California
Scalpers suck!

But, the fact that they have to do that, shows alot about their life. It's a pretty bad one if they have to make money by reselling iPhones.
 
U

uwdude

macrumors 6502a
Jul 16, 2014
920
469
That policy worked the first few days when there were long long lines, but now that there aren't much in the way of lines, the policy should be 2 per person per day. If there's really no line or just a few people, then the policy of letting them get back in "line" and buying 2 more doesn't make sense. What if there's nobody else there at the moment? Then they're just allowed to keep selling them every phone in the store?
 
S

sleepyking

macrumors 6502
Oct 5, 2012
468
63
Mac7 said:
Should have ordered for pick up
Click to expand...

Yeah why didn't you reserve once you saw it in stock on the app? I thought their inventory was always divvied up by those for online reservations and for walk-ins. Either way if you reserved you would've got one
 
12vElectronics

12vElectronics

macrumors 68040
Jul 19, 2013
3,947
1,246
California
uwdude said:
That policy worked the first few days when there were long long lines, but now that there aren't much in the way of lines, the policy should be 2 per person per day. If there's really no line or just a few people, then the policy of letting them get back in "line" and buying 2 more doesn't make sense. What if there's nobody else there at the moment? Then they're just allowed to keep selling them every phone in the store?
Click to expand...

Well if there's no line for a product and you have supply of it, why wouldn't you sell it to a person asking for it.

I think Apple needs to enforce a 2 per customer limit for the first 30 days for this to be effective.
 
aliensporebomb

aliensporebomb

macrumors 68000
Jun 19, 2005
1,907
332
Minneapolis, MN, USA, Urth
Ah...

You can indirectly blame Apple for this one but it's unavoidable:

They can't release the 6 and 6+ in every country simultaneously.

Some of these individuals are doing this to sell to their friends and family back home.

It's annoying but it's not illegal.

Maybe do a pre-order for pickup so you don't run into this.
 
Y

Y2JDMBFAN

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 18, 2007
224
19
sleepyking said:
Yeah why didn't you reserve once you saw it in stock on the app? I thought their inventory was always divvied up by those for online reservations and for walk-ins. Either way if you reserved you would've got one
Click to expand...

You can't without signing a contract....And actually while I was in store, they were still showing stock, I did ask someone to go in the back and check but they were all gone.

----------
cymolia said:
Looks are deceiving, that could very well be an indian or a hispanic guy. How did you know he was Middle eastern ?
Click to expand...

I've got a bunch of good friends that are Arabic / Middle Eastern, various ethnicities...and these guys had accents...
 
zorinlynx

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
May 31, 2007
8,170
17,690
Florida, USA
I think Apple could solve a lot of the scalping issues with a simple policy:

For the first two months a new model is on sale, a purchased iPhone must be registered with an Apple ID at purchase. It must be used with this Apple ID for at least those two months. No other Apple IDs will work on that phone. The Apple ID holder must be physically present at purchase time.

This would eliminate scalpers until two months have passed, when the supply issues are alleviated and the phone is on sale worldwide.
 
3

3pp

macrumors member
Sep 30, 2014
70
102
Y2JDMBFAN said:
I have been waiting for a 6+ 128GB Space Grey Verizon to come in stock locally, finally an Apple Store about 30 mins away shows them in stock. I leave work in the middle of the day and take a personal hour. I get there in about 25 mins no traffic. The Apple Store app is still showing them available. I see a small line formed out front with about 4 Middle Eastern guys and 2 Mom's with kids. The Middle Eastern guys each had 2 shopping bags each full of phones. Apparently the Apple Store was selling them each 2 at a time of whatever they wanted, and letting them keep going back in line and buying more and more. Of course the guys in front of me that could barely speak English says "2 more Verizon 128 Plus Black" which happened to have been the last 2 they had. I said, wait a minute, how many per person, the apple store rep said there is a 2 per person limit. I said then how do they have shopping bags full of phones? She said "we let them get back in line when they are done." I was pissed, but not about to start a fight in the middle of the mall. The thing that really pissed me off is the guy was smirking at me and said something in Arabic under his breath that made the 3 of his friends laugh. This really sucks for normal users that want to buy the phone full price so they don't have to sign a new contract...

Thanks for listening,

Y2J
Click to expand...

I'd be interested to hear which Apple Store this was. For the record, the limit is 2 per person per day with a lifetime limit of 10.

The lifetime limit is rarely enforced however as it is difficult to track if they use alternative payment methods or work the system (purchasing gift cards then immediately buying iPhone's with the gift cards afterwards). The 2 per day is more commonly enforced as it is easy to do so, I know my local Apple Store is particularly vigilant when it comes to scalpers.
 
zorinlynx

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
May 31, 2007
8,170
17,690
Florida, USA
jpeg42 said:
The xenophobia is strong in this thread.
Click to expand...

I'm curious, why is merely pointing out that a specific group or ethnic group is scalping considered xenophobic?

Pointing out facts isn't xenophobic. I dislike scalpers, not any specific ethnicities. Because of what they DO, not what they are.
 
V

vgamedude

macrumors 6502a
Dec 10, 2013
798
6
jpeg42 said:
The xenophobia is strong in this thread.
Click to expand...

Why because he mentioned they are middle eastern? Get over yourself, merely stating facts isn't xenophobic, I'm so tired of these boogeyman words being slung around everywhere.
 
Y

Y2JDMBFAN

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 18, 2007
224
19
3pp said:
I'd be interested to hear which Apple Store this was. For the record, the limit is 2 per person per day with a lifetime limit of 10.

The lifetime limit is rarely enforced however as it is difficult to track if they use alternative payment methods or work the system (purchasing gift cards then immediately buying iPhone's with the gift cards afterwards). The 2 per day is more commonly enforced as it is easy to do so, I know my local Apple Store is particularly vigilant when it comes to scalpers.
Click to expand...

Northbrook, IL
 
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