I was reading this interesting article:
http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/16/iphone-4-ebay/
and was astounded by how much people are able to get for their pre-order iPhone 4G phones. It seems like the going price on Ebay even for a pre-order 16gb model is close to $800. To me that would seem like a good trade-off: be able to get a FREE 32gb model by selling your 16gb pre-order by just taking the hit of waiting a few more weeks before you get it. Heck, for $800, you could get a 32gb and 2 16gb and sell the 2 16gb phones.
So i was one of the lucky ones to be able to be a part of the first wave and will be picking up my iPhone 4g 16gb on June 24. I was considering selling it on Ebay but was wondering how you can get past the tying of your phone to your AT&T account. Here's how I see it being played out:
0) Sell your iPhone on Ebay saying you'll deliver on 6/24
1) Go to Apple store to pick up phone on 6/24
2) Instead of activating phone in the store, tell them you want to wait till you get home, then ship it to the Ebay buyer.
3) With the money you made, order more iPhones and wait for delivery on July 14 or whatever later date it takes for Apple to get them.
But here at step #3, when you go back to the Apple online store, won't it be logged somewhere that you already have a iPhone 4g - and will that be a problem when it comes time to get your own phone? Will they possibly deny selling you a phone because they have it in their records that you already purchased one at the discounted upgrade price? Why would they sell you another? Would they possibly deny you?
The idea of getting a free iPhone is intriguing, but not if its going to mess up my account and lock me out of getting a phone later.
Has anyone done this before and if so, does Apple/AT&T keep track of the phones that are tied to your account (and what you've already purchased)? I mean if you look on the pre-order page itself, its very detailed as far as checking to see if you are an existing AT&T customer, and if not, it will actually create an AT&T account for you. It seems like they take this part very seriously.
Thanks
P.S. I read on another forum that when you order your phone from the Apple online store, selecting the option that you are upgrading your phone from an existing AT&T account, your phone will already be pre-activated - it arrives already activated. That would seem to put the kibosh on anyone who wants to sell their pre-order on Ebay....?
http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/16/iphone-4-ebay/
and was astounded by how much people are able to get for their pre-order iPhone 4G phones. It seems like the going price on Ebay even for a pre-order 16gb model is close to $800. To me that would seem like a good trade-off: be able to get a FREE 32gb model by selling your 16gb pre-order by just taking the hit of waiting a few more weeks before you get it. Heck, for $800, you could get a 32gb and 2 16gb and sell the 2 16gb phones.
So i was one of the lucky ones to be able to be a part of the first wave and will be picking up my iPhone 4g 16gb on June 24. I was considering selling it on Ebay but was wondering how you can get past the tying of your phone to your AT&T account. Here's how I see it being played out:
0) Sell your iPhone on Ebay saying you'll deliver on 6/24
1) Go to Apple store to pick up phone on 6/24
2) Instead of activating phone in the store, tell them you want to wait till you get home, then ship it to the Ebay buyer.
3) With the money you made, order more iPhones and wait for delivery on July 14 or whatever later date it takes for Apple to get them.
But here at step #3, when you go back to the Apple online store, won't it be logged somewhere that you already have a iPhone 4g - and will that be a problem when it comes time to get your own phone? Will they possibly deny selling you a phone because they have it in their records that you already purchased one at the discounted upgrade price? Why would they sell you another? Would they possibly deny you?
The idea of getting a free iPhone is intriguing, but not if its going to mess up my account and lock me out of getting a phone later.
Has anyone done this before and if so, does Apple/AT&T keep track of the phones that are tied to your account (and what you've already purchased)? I mean if you look on the pre-order page itself, its very detailed as far as checking to see if you are an existing AT&T customer, and if not, it will actually create an AT&T account for you. It seems like they take this part very seriously.
Thanks
P.S. I read on another forum that when you order your phone from the Apple online store, selecting the option that you are upgrading your phone from an existing AT&T account, your phone will already be pre-activated - it arrives already activated. That would seem to put the kibosh on anyone who wants to sell their pre-order on Ebay....?
