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Getting the X only to sell it for a small profit?
- Thread starter Eggtastic
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Droidbricker
Suspended
I know, I can't wait for this forum to get melty like it does every launch! I hope it's better than ever this year because of the delayed launch!
The-Real-Deal82
macrumors P6
Supply and demand, I really don’t know why people get so emotional over this? Selling for profit is basic business, iPhones are no different and there is no moral code just for Apple products.
Get up early and pre-order. Your chances of getting the iPhone X at launch are as good as anyone's, including scalpers. If the wait time is too long it's easy to cancel. Don't let scalpers spoil your fun!
It sucks that the X preorders have to share threads with the 8 aka 6sss
Laryl
macrumors 6502a
That’s a good way of looking at it but it sure seems like the wait time is going to be long. I can’t continue to upgrade, I’m on a very limited social security budget now but had saved for one more new phone. Part of me is saying do I want to be frustrated this year or relax and look forward to choices next year. I can’t do both. If it’s going to be 2018 I might just enjoy owning my 7 awhile and then splurge next fall. It’s hard.. I so wanted to join the fun this year but being here opened my eyes to just how hard it might be. I’m torn and can’t run with the big dogs anymore LOL
No offence but if you're on Social Security benefits and not have a steady income, not dropping $1k on a phone is a more sensible choice. I would save the money for emergencies or for other situations first. After that, you can look into spending money on other things.
Stayfly2407
macrumors 6502
ok you'll see when I post my 4 on here come nov 3. keep H8n lol
[doublepost=1507914359][/doublepost]
'likewise broski lol H8rs gon H8
Laryl
macrumors 6502a
You are right it’s a more sensible choice...but the money I plan to spend was earned/saved specifically for one more phone upgrade. It’s my choice of indulgences and doesn’t need to go to other things. I was thinking since my 7 was going to be traded in, that the credit would also put a dent in that $1k price, but this (AND the availability factor thanks to the greed of people wanting units to sell) delay has reduced that enough that I’m thinking more about just not even going for it this year. Yeah a couple hundred dollars is not a big amount in the grand scheme of things, for most people, but for me it is.
Billburns
macrumors 6502
Karma for what? Lmfao
He has the money and buys a product? He’s not stealing or doing anything illegal or immoral
Because people have an irrational attachment to this idea that "scalpers" are evil, even though they have an extremely hard time rationalizing why. I find that highly amusing, and remember what a car dealer told me once when I was buying a high demand vehicle (an FJ Cruiser, when those first came out) and I had to pay $5000 over MSRP just for the privilege of not waiting 6/8 months:
He told me "See those Tundra's over there? If you bring me 12 people willing to pay MSRP, not a penny over, not a penny less, I'll sell you your FJ for MSRP. You can't, of course, because the Tundra's are heavily discounted now, and there is plenty of supply. No one will pay MSRP for one. People would be perfectly happy to pay MSRP for an FJ today though. Why? Why can't I just sell everything on the lot for MSRP? Why do people think MSRP is too high for some vehicles, but set perfectly for ones they can't get?"
Obviously it was yet another example of supply and demand.
If you don't want to pay "scalper" prices: DON'T. But if someone is willing to, you can't be upset about it, because they're the reason it's happening, not the "scalper". The "scalper" is simply making as much profit as they (legally) can. If there wasn't a buyer, the profit would be lower (or worse). No one is holding a gun to anyone's head in a "scalping" scenario. It's a gamble, and even if worst case scenario is just returning the phones to Apple, I'd still be out the time and effort.
Every chance I get, I "scalp". It's not the reason I have the liquidity I do, but it certainly adds to it =P!
I still think the FJ was worth it, by the way, even though I definitely got "scalped" =).
Laryl
macrumors 6502a
There is a difference in buying something at wholesale to resell higher and buying something at full retail competing with the consumer who wants the same item, just so you can jack up the price because demand is anticipated to be high. I guess it’s human nature to justify the anything for a buck mentality. Comparing it to capitalism etc. I think it upsets people is because the “scalper” isn’t providing a product really, they are just acting like vultures swooping in or trying to, before actual end users can buy from the same source. There is an emotional factor but those who want to profit won’t see why... because it’s all about the chance to profit from someone else’s misfortune to be in line behind them. It’s rather childish in my opinion. Sounds like something you’d find happening on the playground. LOL
This discussion wouldn’t even exist if the rumors weren’t hyping how hard to get these will be at first.
It’s true though.. if you don’t want to pay more to someone who rushes the line and buys multiple of what you want, faster than you can get one, then don’t. I sure won’t. It’s just a phone. So on with the feeding frenzy, I’m out. 🙂
This discussion wouldn’t even exist if the rumors weren’t hyping how hard to get these will be at first.
It’s true though.. if you don’t want to pay more to someone who rushes the line and buys multiple of what you want, faster than you can get one, then don’t. I sure won’t. It’s just a phone. So on with the feeding frenzy, I’m out. 🙂
masotime
macrumors 68030
There is actually nothing truly wrong with scalping, even though it’s incredibly distasteful for those who actually want to use the product.
If you think about it, the stock market works the exact same way. Do you really think TSLA or NVDA is actually worth their sky high prices now? A large part of demand is driven by human emotion, although in this case it is pure greed and the assumption that you can sell high later.
This is exactly what scalpers are doing, they are playing the emotional game on buyers who are willing to pay the monetary overhead which, in their mind at least, is outweighed by the emotional satisfaction and “I got it and you don’t” factor.
This is a dangerous game however, and it’s essentially creating a bubble around th iPhone X pricing. The assumption is that Apple products are as desirable as they were in the past, and given recent competition like the Note 8 and the Pixel XL2, this is not a safe assumption.
On the flip side, you can be sure that Apple is strongly against this - they can only lose if customers get frustrated at lack of availability at MSRP and decide to buy a different smartphone instead.
So yes, go ahead and scalp, but it’s no longer a sure fire bet as it once was before.
If you think about it, the stock market works the exact same way. Do you really think TSLA or NVDA is actually worth their sky high prices now? A large part of demand is driven by human emotion, although in this case it is pure greed and the assumption that you can sell high later.
This is exactly what scalpers are doing, they are playing the emotional game on buyers who are willing to pay the monetary overhead which, in their mind at least, is outweighed by the emotional satisfaction and “I got it and you don’t” factor.
This is a dangerous game however, and it’s essentially creating a bubble around th iPhone X pricing. The assumption is that Apple products are as desirable as they were in the past, and given recent competition like the Note 8 and the Pixel XL2, this is not a safe assumption.
On the flip side, you can be sure that Apple is strongly against this - they can only lose if customers get frustrated at lack of availability at MSRP and decide to buy a different smartphone instead.
So yes, go ahead and scalp, but it’s no longer a sure fire bet as it once was before.
Peter K.
macrumors 6502a
Scalping car dealers suck, too. In 2002, I refused to pay over sticker for BMW M3 convertible, so I went to a dealer relatively far away, who was not "scalping" ($15k over MSRP at other dealers). When it came time to buy a less in demand model for my then-fiancé, guess which dealer got the business?
EDIT: At least in my case, however, said dealers were "scalping" in their actual business. No one here who plans to scalp iPhone X is an Apple dealer, so they suck even more.
There are iPhone X auctions already up on the Bay. A 256GB goes for around $2000 as a pre-order.
But some don't know, some scalpers work in cells. Where they have multiple people go to different stores and purchase the maximum amount of units permitted and then take the units back and sell them online. It's not just an individual effort all the time.
Karma doesn’t exist to take care of anyone.
[doublepost=1507955827][/doublepost]What I don’t understand is how you scalp the iPhone X if it won’t allow you to purchase without a carrier account? Like sure if it allowed you to order a non-SIM carrier unlocked phone, but they aren’t doing that with the X so you’d be ‘upgrading’ a line and activating the device on said account wouldn’t you?
Stayfly2407
macrumors 6502
No you just buy a Verizon one in full. They’re already factory unlocked. The main reason I got Verizon is because they have the best coverage and the phones are unlocked so easier to sell.
Right, but how does that help, what I mean is that even if you buy a Verizon unlocked iPhone paying in full, it still forces you to choose an account from what I’ve seen... if you choose your account then firstly, you’ll be charged the activation fee on the next bill, and secondly, it will come with a Verizon SIM card attached to your line, inside the phone. This means that you would have to open the phone, remove the SIM, and then sell it as opened, as well as pay the activation fee....
See, an example is the iPhone 8, currently you can buy the phone in full ‘unlocked and without a SIM’ which means you just buy the phone and take it to the carrier of your choice after you receive it, which would let you scalp it, but that does not seem to be possible with the iPhone X, based on running through the process right now.
