How to buy an iPhone from outside US

[ScottDrummer]

Hi,
Being in the UK I am held ransome for in excess of £600($1200) for an unlocked or £400($800) for a locked iPhone.
Does anyone know how you can order a new iPhone from outside the US delivered to the UK?
I dont know anyone in the US to ship one, can you buy from apple direct using the failed credit check and get it shipped to a UK address?
Can anyone who has done this advise how it was possible?

(I cant wait until UK launch as im off to Canada in Oct)
secondly, has anyone in Canada done the same thing and bought a phone from the US?

Thanks
Scott

 

[Genghis Khan]

You cannot buy directly from apple as it would break their agreement with AT&T

 

[ScottDrummer]

any idea how I can get one in the UK?

 

[Redneck1089]

E-Bay?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

You cannot buy directly from apple as it would break their agreement with AT&T

You have a copy of said Agreement? I'm guessing not. Apple won't sell the iPhone outside the US because Apple isn't ready to, but be assured it's Apple's call, not ATTs.

 

[shadowmoses]

E-Bay?

Speaks the truth, unless your traveling there or know someone there who can ship one to you eBay is your best bet. Although due to the unlock being cracked today prices are inflating.....

SHadoW

 

[liketom]

everyone i know who's got one has bought via ebay - or gone over to New York and bought from an Apple Store,

 

[ScottDrummer]

ok ,cheers ebay it is then.
£340 a reasonable price? unlocked.

talk about inflated there is one in australia for £1700 lol.

 

[liketom]

ok ,cheers ebay it is then.
£340 a reasonable price? unlocked.

talk about inflated there is one in australia for £1700 lol.

i paid £360 for 8gb a while back

 

[glennyboiwpg]

I'm in canada (manitoba to be exact) I'm just sitting back and watching all of this unlocking stuff... and if it looks legit im heading down to mexico this winter but i'm flying to mexico from minniapolis... Might see if I can stop by an apple store on my way back.

But do you HAVE to be in the US to unlock the phone?


for instance when I go to ITMS and try and buy something from the US store it knows i'm in canada and proceeds to kick me in the nuts.

WHen I bring my iphone home crack open the box and try and unlock it, will itunes kick me in the nuts then too? (Is Itunes involved in the unlocking process at all???)

 

[liketom]

I'm in canada (manitoba to be exact) I'm just sitting back and watching all of this unlocking stuff... and if it looks legit im heading down to mexico this winter but i'm flying to mexico from minniapolis... Might see if I can stop by an apple store on my way back.

But do you HAVE to be in the US to unlock the phone?


for instance when I go to ITMS and try and buy something from the US store it knows i'm in canada and proceeds to kick me in the nuts.

WHen I bring my iphone home crack open the box and try and unlock it, will itunes kick me in the nuts then too? (Is Itunes involved in the unlocking process at all???)

if activated with the right app's - it will stop asking you to register with AT&T and it will be just like an ipod

hope that helps

 

[shadowmoses]

ok ,cheers ebay it is then.
£340 a reasonable price? unlocked.

talk about inflated there is one in australia for £1700 lol.

Its not too bad, have a look for a cheaper one even locked as they are a piece of cake to unlock now......You could probably get one just under £300 delivered.....

 

[CD3660]

ok ,cheers ebay it is then.
£340 a reasonable price? unlocked.

talk about inflated there is one in australia for £1700 lol.

Another option for you. Free shipping from France, already unlocked, but a little more expensive than ebay.

However, unlike ebay you won't have the risk of being hit with import charges (17.5% vat and handling by customs), and you may just get some consumer rights.

http://www.earlytel.com/default.aspx

 

[glennyboiwpg]

Another option for you. Free shipping from France, already unlocked, but a little more expensive than ebay.

However, unlike ebay you won't have the risk of being hit with import charges (17.5% vat and handling by customs), and you may just get some consumer rights.

http://www.earlytel.com/default.aspx

If you look at the FAQ in that link you provided, you'll notice that they tell you CAN NOT update or restore the iphone they provide you. From what I read (which may or not be accurate) the free unlocking solutions out there allow you to restore/update the phone from itunes.

 

[TurboSC]

yea safest bet is to buy a vanilla iPhone on eBay and then use the free software unlock to get it working. Stay away from the hardware unlocked iPhones...

 

[CD3660]

From what I read (which may or not be accurate) the free unlocking solutions out there allow you to restore/update the phone from itunes.

The position is not quite so straightforward. The following is cut and pasted from a tutorial in relation to one of the free unlocking solutions:

'The unlock is not permanent. You can however upgrade/restore, as long as baseband is not updated. That means (as far as i know):

* If you have 1.00, phone will be locked when you upgrade to anything
* If you have 1.01, you can update to 1.02 since modem is not updated
* If you have 1.01 or 1.02 you can perform a restore in iTunes without locking it again'

It goes on to say that the situation as to future software upgrades is uncertain.

 

[CD3660]

Stay away from the hardware unlocked iPhones...

This is a software unlocked phone.

Having said that I'm not recommending this phone, just pointing it out as another option.