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Are people still waiting for the 6/6+ when scalpers are buying tons of them daily?

F

frank33v

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 12, 2011
63
44
First off, to all those veterans who regularly stand in line to get an Apple product this may be nothing new...but it was a first for me and I was appalled.

I finally bit the bullet and decided to head to the apple store early in the morning and stand in line for the Verizon 6+ 64GB iPhone I have wanted. After many times seeing stock online via the usual websites (including Apple.com) and being told time after time by store employees that they did not have them in stock despite what the website said.

I could not order online for pickup as I wanted a phone full price and not on contract.

So I headed over to an Apple store in New Hampshire and arrived at 9am for a 10am store opening to find that I was last in a line over about 90 people. Despite this I was still able to get a reservation for the iPhone 6+ VZ 64GB Grey iPhone. Despite being encouraged by the apple employees that I could leave and come back anytime that day I figured I would hang around and see what this was all about. After all I drove an hour to get here and nothing was open in the mall yet anyway.

I expected that there would be some resellers in line trying to make a profit but didn't expect them all to be resellers! The cop was harassing/joking with the group in line. Joking about how he kicked some of them out a few days ago..These guys are lined up every day making about $10/hour to buy two devices each for one guy in charge. ALL OF THEM. After about 20-30 minutes the guy in charge comes over to me and clarify's that I am buying for myself, and only one device. Then he tells me I do not have to wait in the line..I told him the apple employee told me I did. He said she did not know the deal and he could take me to the front to get my phone right now. Since I had nothing to lose I went with him. We walked to the front. While we walked up front he told me all the guys in line worked for him and that demand was still high. When we got to the store he told the apple guy I was buying a phone for personal use and they could help me now. Which he did! I was shocked that this guy was in charge of the whole line and not Apple.

So 90 or so people buying two devices each for resale and just about everyone that walks into an apple store during the day to buy one for themselves are told they do not have any. Even though at times they do but they are reserved for online sales or morning sales for these guys.

The guy in charge of the line clearly knew the cops as well as the apple manager. Just seems like a situation ripe for corruption/kickbacks!

Luckily I had some time to kill otherwise I would still be waiting to get one as I was not going to pay more than I already did for a full priced phone !

Is it always this bad?
 
frank33v said:
First off, to all those veterans who regularly stand in line to get an Apple product this may be nothing new...but it was a first for me and I was appalled.

I finally bit the bullet and decided to head to the apple store early in the morning and stand in line for the Verizon 6+ 64GB iPhone I have wanted. After many times seeing stock online via the usual websites (including Apple.com) and being told time after time by store employees that they did not have them in stock despite what the website said.

I could not order online for pickup as I wanted a phone full price and not on contract.

So I headed over to an Apple store in New Hampshire and arrived at 9am for a 10am store opening to find that I was last in a line over about 90 people. Despite this I was still able to get a reservation for the iPhone 6+ VZ 64GB Grey iPhone. Despite being encouraged by the apple employees that I could leave and come back anytime that day I figured I would hang around and see what this was all about. After all I drove an hour to get here and nothing was open in the mall yet anyway.

I expected that there would be some resellers in line trying to make a profit but didn't expect them all to be resellers! The cop was harassing/joking with the group in line. Joking about how he kicked some of them out a few days ago..These guys are lined up every day making about $10/hour to buy two devices each for one guy in charge. ALL OF THEM. After about 20-30 minutes the guy in charge comes over to me and clarify's that I am buying for myself, and only one device. Then he tells me I do not have to wait in the line..I told him the apple employee told me I did. He said she did not know the deal and he could take me to the front to get my phone right now. Since I had nothing to lose I went with him. We walked to the front. While we walked up front he told me all the guys in line worked for him and that demand was still high. When we got to the store he told the apple guy I was buying a phone for personal use and they could help me now. Which he did! I was shocked that this guy was in charge of the whole line and not Apple.

So 90 or so people buying two devices each for resale and just about everyone that walks into an apple store during the day to buy one for themselves are told they do not have any. Even though at times they do but they are reserved for online sales or morning sales for these guys.

The guy in charge of the line clearly knew the cops as well as the apple manager. Just seems like a situation ripe for corruption/kickbacks!

Luckily I had some time to kill otherwise I would still be waiting to get one as I was not going to pay more than I already did for a full priced phone !

Is it always this bad?
Click to expand...

Wow that is bad....something should be done to better distribute supply. It can't be that hard
 
I guess I don't know why ordering online and waiting a month is so bad. Yes, I had dumb luck and pre-ordered from Verizon 5 minutes before they were suppose to go on sale, but I would have waited 4 to 6 weeks if I didn't get so lucky and ordered the following day. That's usually what happens to me when I order a new iPhone. 4 to 6 weeks later I would get it. I could understand if your current phone was failing and needing a new device as soon as you can get it, but chasing a phone all over the place in hopes of getting the phone, seems to be a lot of frustration for nothing.
 
wxman2003 said:
I guess I don't know why ordering online and waiting a month is so bad.
Click to expand...

You can't order a VZ phone from VZ without an account and can't order a VZ phone online from Apple without signing a new contract or having a VZ account.

Yet it seems many of them are withheld daily from walk-in customers only to be sold in the morning to scalpers two at a time!
 
I was suspecting that this was going on. In my area contract iPhone models are readily available but unlocked models are impossible to find. It's ridiculous and the only place you can find them now are on eBay or craigslist.

Unfortunately buying online or craigslist can be really risky because you never know if you are buying a clean phone or one that is blacklisted (or may become blacklisted in the future). I really hope the stock situation gets better soon. (especially because I need to get one this week for both development and as a personal phone).
 
frank33v said:
You can't order a VZ phone from VZ without an account and can't order a VZ phone online from Apple without signing a new contract or having a VZ account.

Yet it seems many of them are withheld daily from walk-in customers only to be sold in the morning to scalpers two at a time!
Click to expand...

I understand now.
 
rgarjr said:
How are scalpers buying the phones? Are they signing to a 2 year contract? Opening a first time account with carriers?
Click to expand...

They are allowed to buy a phone without a contract, un-activated at full price. They are using gift cards supplied by the boss.

Both Apple stores in my area told me they will only sell them full price without a contract first thing in the morning...you have to line up they told me.
 
To my surprise, I went to the Apple store to buy an iPhone 6 yesterday. I was told that the 6+ was available. Apparently it's not as rare as people think it was any more.
 
I'm in NYC and have bought a total of 3 iPhones.

6 for myself on launch day from at&t with zero headaches, waited in line for under an hour and got a silver 6 128 GB on the Next plan

Last week bought a silver 6 plus 64 GB on the at&t Next plan with absolutely zero hassles in an Apple store in Manhattan, didn't wait on a line whatsoever.

This week got my girl a regular 6 space gray 64 GB on the at&t Next plan in Long Island. Again didn't wait on a line.

Honestly it's all in how you speak to the Apple employees, be cool and they'll be cool back to you.
 
frank33v said:
They are allowed to buy a phone without a contract, un-activated at full price. They are using gift cards supplied by the boss.

Both Apple stores in my area told me they will only sell them full price without a contract first thing in the morning...you have to line up they told me.
Click to expand...

The Apple stores here are a joke when it comes to selling brand new launch product. I went to the one in Nashua on launch night. I was literally the first one there, but as soon as mall closed they had security patrolling sending people away. They were telling everyone 6am. Try as people might, security would make rounds the entire night and send people away.

We were told come back at 6. Tons started showing up by 4, at which point twho police officers were also patrolling threatening to arrest people for tresspassing. When 6 rolled around it was utter chaos and a mad dash. They ended up pushing everyone under the parking garage overhang and finally had some semblance of structure by maybe 6-30-6:45.

At that point they picked a random person from the crowd to be up front. Once the line was more or less formed by around 7:15 the "bosses" started walking the line telling people what to order; if said item was sold out they should order the next, and so on. Everyone in front of me and everyone behind me (minus one person I was actually blessed to be standing in line with who turned out to be a pretty good person to converse with -the rest were high school kids, asians, and crack heads chain smoking cigarettes because they had nothing stronger) that I could see (I was about 600 in line, how cool is that?!) was getting iPhones for one of about twelve "bosses".

I didn't end up getting a phone. It was the most poorly executed Apple launch I have ever beena part of, and I have been to all but the 5 (granted not in this region as we just moved here). Cops were rude (although they had a lot on their plates), Apple employees were rude, there was no rhyme or reason to who should "rightfully" get what phone. It was ridiculous.

The salem store wasn't much better. They consistently had different managers relaying different information as to when to arrive, how to check stock, where to stand in line. I basically gave up and lucked out with a unit at Best Buy. In hindsite, I should have gone to Boylston. To hell with the sales tax. People were allowed to sit in a nice orderly line throughout the day. Had I just gone there I would have been among the first ten in line. Live and learn.

I wish I was exaggerating about any of this. Sadly, I am not.

Apple cares all about customer service. Except around new device launches. Then they just care about selling every single device possible. :rolleyes:
 
its been like that for years. Sad but true. Apple could sell the product without having scalpers the problem is how to differentiate. Obviously it's easy too spot the scalpers but discrimination stops Apple from doing anything
 
Been to the Apple Store at the Domain in Austin a few times since the 6 came out, and theres always a woman there with a stroller, and a bag full of new iPhones with a bunch of Muslim women in line. They buy them, and give them to the woman with the stroller who hangs out on the other side of the store.


The other group I see there are Asians, and doing the same thing. When I got my VZW iPhone 6 at full price half the people in line were Asians buying as many as they could.
 
frank33v said:
First off, to all those veterans who regularly stand in line to get an Apple product this may be nothing new...but it was a first for me and I was appalled.

I finally bit the bullet and decided to head to the apple store early in the morning and stand in line for the Verizon 6+ 64GB iPhone I have wanted. After many times seeing stock online via the usual websites (including Apple.com) and being told time after time by store employees that they did not have them in stock despite what the website said.

I could not order online for pickup as I wanted a phone full price and not on contract.

So I headed over to an Apple store in New Hampshire and arrived at 9am for a 10am store opening to find that I was last in a line over about 90 people. Despite this I was still able to get a reservation for the iPhone 6+ VZ 64GB Grey iPhone. Despite being encouraged by the apple employees that I could leave and come back anytime that day I figured I would hang around and see what this was all about. After all I drove an hour to get here and nothing was open in the mall yet anyway.

I expected that there would be some resellers in line trying to make a profit but didn't expect them all to be resellers! The cop was harassing/joking with the group in line. Joking about how he kicked some of them out a few days ago..These guys are lined up every day making about $10/hour to buy two devices each for one guy in charge. ALL OF THEM. After about 20-30 minutes the guy in charge comes over to me and clarify's that I am buying for myself, and only one device. Then he tells me I do not have to wait in the line..I told him the apple employee told me I did. He said she did not know the deal and he could take me to the front to get my phone right now. Since I had nothing to lose I went with him. We walked to the front. While we walked up front he told me all the guys in line worked for him and that demand was still high. When we got to the store he told the apple guy I was buying a phone for personal use and they could help me now. Which he did! I was shocked that this guy was in charge of the whole line and not Apple.

So 90 or so people buying two devices each for resale and just about everyone that walks into an apple store during the day to buy one for themselves are told they do not have any. Even though at times they do but they are reserved for online sales or morning sales for these guys.

The guy in charge of the line clearly knew the cops as well as the apple manager. Just seems like a situation ripe for corruption/kickbacks!

Luckily I had some time to kill otherwise I would still be waiting to get one as I was not going to pay more than I already did for a full priced phone !

Is it always this bad?
Click to expand...
Not sure why you care who buys iPhones.... Them buying the phone in no way keeps you from getting one....... want to get an in-stock phone then show up before the others that have money and want a phone too.
 
The more I read apparently I got lucky. Walked into Apple Store first Sunday after release and got exactly what I wanted,128 GB SG, off contract.
 
AFDoc said:
Not sure why you care who buys iPhones.... Them buying the phone in no way keeps you from getting one....... want to get an in-stock phone then show up before the others that have money and want a phone too.
Click to expand...

Your missing my point. I don't care who buys iPhones but I was surprised to find out that Apple was not in charge of who bought the phones rather the guys running this black market appeared to have more control than just another customer in line. The guy in charge was able to take me from the back of the line and bring me to the front and tell the Apple employee to wait on me first!

It does bother me that when I do get there first..the day before..during normal business hours.. and they have one (or many more) in stock but will not sell it to me because they are "saving" them for the line the next morning.

It's capitalism though. Apple can sell their product any way they choose but I suspect there is more going on than meets the eye.

I have no idea if local kickbacks are occurring to facilitate the process or to make sure product is siphoned to morning sales versus daily walk in sales but it appears that way. ALOT of money was invested in that line that morning. According to my math a minimum of $117,000 plus payment to the crew standing in line. It's not a small time operator doing that on a daily basis for weeks/months at a time.
 
I have no idea of the cost of the 6 plus 128 G in most of the countries,
But in the Philippines it cost almost 2,000 USD. If other countries have prices that high, then it is good business to buy here for about 1,000 and then sell to their home country for 3/4 of the price there. I am sure that the 6 plus 128 G price won't come down for a long time in the Philippines. If I could spend my time buying low and selling high, I would.
Sounds like good economics 101
 
Foggydog said:
I have no idea of the cost of the 6 plus 128 G in most of the countries,
But in the Philippines it cost almost 2,000 USD. If other countries have prices that high, then it is good business to buy here for about 1,000 and then sell to their home country for 3/4 of the price there. I am sure that the 6 plus 128 G price won't come down for a long time in the Philippines. If I could spend my time buying low and selling high, I would.
Sounds like good economics 101
Click to expand...

Absolutely. The guys pulling this off behind the scenes have to have some serious cash. If the line is this long daily (the cop said it was) then we are talking at close to a million dollars a week in expenses/gift cards.
 
frank33v said:
You can't order a VZ phone from VZ without an account and can't order a VZ phone online from Apple without signing a new contract or having a VZ account.

Yet it seems many of them are withheld daily from walk-in customers only to be sold in the morning to scalpers two at a time!
Click to expand...

Those scalpers are walk in customers so nothing is beige withheld. It sucks, but if you really want a phone you're going to have to get there before the other walk in customers.
 
darngooddesign said:
Those scalpers are walk in customers so nothing is beige withheld. It sucks, but if you really want a phone you're going to have to get there before the other walk in customers.
Click to expand...

I did.

And yes they are being withheld. Check online for availability for a store in southern NH. Shows available ...if you want to buy on contract online for in store pickup that day. Walk into that store in the afternoon and try to buy one. You can't. They tell you you have to line up in the morning. Go the next morning and suddenly there is enough for over 90 people to buy two.
 
Not sure how the line thing works; but I checked the Reston location on a lark a couple weeks ago and saw they had the elusive 6+ 128gb in stock. Had issues in doing the Next upgrade online - so I just placed an order for adding a new line. Once in the store I decided to just pay full boat, and be done with it.

No lines, and really no waiting....
 
Those guys are pretty much payin their salary and giving them job security. Hardly doubt they will deviate from the 2-per restriction. Business is business.
 
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