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Can you really get 16gb iPhone from USA for 500$ ?

Z

Zobbah

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 26, 2009
15
0
Hi all,

I've been buying unlocked iPhones (for 499/569 euros) from Italy to sell here in Iceland for more than 7 months now.

That might change now since there is a new competitor in Iceland claiming he has a friend working in Apple distribution center in USA and he can buy 16gb factory unlocked iPhone from him for only 500$ !! which means he can offer the phones for 30-40% lower prices than I possibly can.

Here are my questions,

1) does the Apple distribution center in USA really have unlocked iPhones since they are not sold in USA? which would mean they them from China to USA and then to the rest of the world.

2) 500$ wholesale price, does that make any sense?

3) wouldn't Ebay be crowded with factory unlocked iPhones at the 600$ price

4) Is he the luckiest iPhone seller in the whole world?

Thank you
 
Apple don't sell unlocked iPhone's in the US. So anyone getting hold of them is doing it through a dodgy channel, or is just talking out their backside.
 
edesignuk said:
Apple don't sell unlocked iPhone's in the US. So anyone getting hold of them is doing it through a dodgy channel, or is just talking out their backside.
Click to expand...

But is it possible that the italian iPhone 3g's come from Apple distribution center in USA?
 
It is possible, in fact - I know someone who imports directly that way.

$500 is the upper limit, it can get as low as $450. A Portion of the Profit (Which HAS to be documented) is to be given to Apple. The Portion is decided by the wholesale amount.

You have to get an Enterprise Permit (whatever that means) or be related to the phone carrier of that country to get access to that purchase route.
 
Babybandit said:
It is possible, in fact - I know someone who imports directly that way.

$500 is the upper limit, it can get as low as $450. A Portion of the Profit (Which HAS to be documented) is to be given to Apple. The Portion is decided by the wholesale amount.

You have to get an Enterprise Permit (whatever that means) or be related to the phone carrier of that country to get access to that purchase route.
Click to expand...

This is just an a average guy with no company behind him and no connection to carriers.. I mean do you think it's possible some Apple employee can just sell somebody with factory unlocked iPhones to a country that isn't even on Apple's world map. Do you also know if the unlocked phones ship from USA to Italy, Belgium etc.
 
Zobbah said:
This is just an a average guy with no company behind him and no connection to carriers.. I mean do you think it's possible some Apple employee can just sell somebody with factory unlocked iPhones to a country that isn't even on Apple's world map. Do you also know if the unlocked phones ship from USA to Italy, Belgium etc.
Click to expand...

No to an Average Guy
No to an Apple Store Enployee (As far as I've heard - I don't have access either, just a friend who does :))

And definitely not to a country that's not in their world map.

But if he knows the actual price, and that it's a wholesale / bulk sale system, I'm sure he has some connection. Unless both of the person came up with the same junk :p
Though I do know that there is a similar system in Singapore for South East Asia.
 
Babybandit said:
No to an Average Guy
No to an Apple Store Enployee (As far as I've heard - I don't have access either, just a friend who does :))

And definitely not to a country that's not in their world map.

But if he knows the actual price, and that it's a wholesale / bulk sale system, I'm sure he has some connection. Unless both of the person came up with the same junk :p
Though I do know that there is a similar system in Singapore for South East Asia.
Click to expand...

Do you know if the unlocked phones ship from USA to Italy, Belgium etc and not from Asia or European distribution center?
 
Zobbah said:
Do you know if the unlocked phones ship from USA to Italy, Belgium etc and not from Asia or European distribution center?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I really don't know beyond what I've already said. I can try ask my friend and other sources - That's all I can really do.
 
I also find it strange that, if it's really possible to buy factory unlocked 16gb iPhone 3G at this price from Apple, why isn't anyone selling them at a price like 600$?? All the truly unlocked no-fake 16gb iPhones are selling at 800$ and up on Ebay or anywhere else I can find on the internet.
 
I asked a question on a local forum as to why the iPhone still commands over $1000AUS on ebay and was told,which makes sense,people buy them,unlock them then resell them to countries that don't have official released phones.
Makes sense in a way if I had the $$ to outlay I'd do it but they make around $300+ profit on each sale.
But they don't have any suppliers per se they're more like a meth cook doing milk runs for cough medicine buying 1 or 2 at each store.
 
It would be crazy to massively undercut the market with a $600 price point, sure, you'd sell in the truckloads, but you'd only be making a small profit.. selling at 600... you would have to sell three in order to make the same profit as an $800 dollar price point.
 
sparkyms said:
It would be crazy to massively undercut the market with a $600 price point, sure, you'd sell in the truckloads, but you'd only be making a small profit.. selling at 600... you would have to sell three in order to make the same profit as an $800 dollar price point.
Click to expand...

This guy is actually selling them for 600$ excluding VAT in Iceland.

Almost everyone who are selling truly unlocked iPhone claim they come from italy, Poland, Australia, Hong Kong or Belgium.
 
Does anyone know someone who can buy iPhone 3G factory unlocked from Apple Distribution center in USA? Every factory unlocked iPhone on Ebay seems to come from other countries than USA
 
Maybe he is getting them through back channels.. like stolen... maybe its like the 24 of iPhones :D

Apple most likely has an operative covertly watching him right now.. he better go into hiding to be safe :p
 
is it maybe possible that he is buying the contract free iPhones just released at
a 500 dollar wholesale price?

Do the U.S iPhone have the C.E stamp on the back?
 
From what I see online US iphones also have the CE mark on the back.
I find impossible, and quite cost effective, for Apple to ship iPhones destined to Europe to the US first and then to the Netherlands, which is where I suppose most European stock is sent from.
Factory unlocked iPhones from the US? Doubtfully, maybe with a Turbosim, which is actually quite problematic, or simply via software, in which case you're not safe either.
And since the most recent ones cost 599$ plus tax, it is pretty much impossible for him to be selling ones bought that way. He is probably using some loop-hole in the whole process, there are iPhones selling for that price or a bit higher on craigslist and ebay, but still, they're locked to AT&T. Buying one through AT&T with a contract and paying the fee a month later would roughly get you a similar price. I don't know what happens if you buy more with a contract, a family plan, especially.
 
How much money do you sell them for?

In all honesty, I can't imagine this guy gets the phones for anywhere near $500 for 16GB. If he is there's something dodgy going on, and perhaps his consumers will pay the price for that later on further down the line somewhere.
Perhaps they're not even iPhones at all... Are iPhones even commercially available in Iceland at the moment? If not perhaps they're iPhone knock-offs and this guy is trying to make a quick buck, we just do not know...
 
Okay, I've asked my friend -

You cannot purchase these without the Enterprise Backing or you work for the Local Carrier. That does not mean any Bob or Joe from AT&T can get it - each purchase has to be authorized by the "Big Boss".

The pricing is correct, but there's a extra percentage you have to give to Apple after it's sold, he can't divulge that.

There's a few Distrubution Centers around the Globe.

USA, Singapore, London and Japan. They are sold unlocked depending on where the sales come from (Weird... so they keep both stocks? :confused:)

Your friend probably has a source who managed to get it that way. No idea...
 
a sideways update/recap

ok in adding to my previous post I contacted one of these people and asked why they're $1000+ when you can get one for $920 unlocked from Optus.
he simply said he buys $10 prepaid iPhones from optus gets them unlocked officially by the carrier then flips them on the 'bay.
 
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