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I'm amazed at the lack of morals that some iPhone sellers exhibit
- Thread starter WolfSnap
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It is what it is. It's human nature to be selfish so capitalism is the best system we've ever developed. But at least I've got the honesty to look at myself and what I have and know my life is good at the expense of others. Sorry if you can't accept that - but the whole "you worship so much" comment just shows how insecure you feel about it.
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Lot of "Americans" in this thread that hate capitalism....
Yeah let's lock all the commies up. Seriously, the fact that you try to call people unamerican for expressing thoughtful but contrasting opinions from your own is pretty sad. America was founded on free speech and the ability to express different perspectives. If anything, your comment is unamerican.
LOL so all the whiners saying, "Oh that's not fair, they bought 10 of them, and I can't get even one, Apple should do something about that" doesn't sound absolutely retarded to you? If you looked at my screen name, one could say you could probably make an educated guess at where I stand when it comes to the liberties and freedoms of America...
And now we get to the root of the real problem. As you are not an authorised reseller of apple phones is it morally right for you to buy a few with the intent of selling them on? I assume you will be paying sales tax to your government?
No? What about offering a refund if someone changes their mind?
I think we should all be careful when deciding what is and isn't moral for other people!
Where are you trying to sell it? eBay, CL, Amazon, Swappa, etc... All have no interactions like this.
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Lol only in "take offense at everything said" lollipop land does a
= lock all commits up.Lighten up, Francis
Yeah let's lock all the commies up. Seriously, the fact that you try to call people unamerican for expressing thoughtful but contrasting opinions from your own is pretty sad. America was founded on free speech and the ability to express different perspectives. If anything, your comment is unamerican.Lot of "Americans" in this thread that hate capitalism....
PREACH brother! Love it
mikethebigo bringin' the hammer down!
Heck for the morAls of the resellers. I'm more amazed at some of the attitudes and ethics (translated: lack thereof) of so many of the CONSUMERS here on MR.
Sales tax: I'm own a real business -- so, yes, I pay sales tax on sales.
Refunds: No, alas, I don't offer refunds. But, I'm an authorized dell reseller, and I don't offer refunds on dell computers either.
I know it's a hard concept for some people to understand, but buying and selling items is the core of our economy. Willing buyer, willing seller. What's the problem?
If you work for someone else.... Where exactly do you think your pay check money comes from? Some sort of government hand-out to business owners? Magic money tree? The money you earn is your share of the profits of the company. Profits are made by buying something at a lower price than what you charge a seller for it.
I'm amazed by how uneducated some people here are on how capitalism works....
Ill expand on the OP's rant.. The issue is the IMEI blacklist. The idea is to "brick" phones that are stolen or are not completely paid for. Great idea and i don't think anyone would disagree with the original intent. However, knowing that the IMEI blacklist exists doesnt stop the shady sellers and it hurts the legitimate sellers (I'm talking used phones, so dont get all preachy about scalping).
Like the OP mentions, a dishonest person can get an upgrade, or sign up for a contract, pay $200 for an iPhone, get the phone and sell it.. Advertising that it has a clean IMEI. When you check, yeah, it's clean. You put your sim in and it works. You pay your money and you are on your way.
Two months later when [your favorite carrier] doesnt get paid, they blacklist the phone. The guy who sold you the phone is long gone. The carrier wont even talk to you because you are not the original owner of the phone. You're screwed.
Now, hearing about stories like this, who is going to buy your used iphone so you can upgrade? Sure, maybe you know someone, but forget about ebay, cl, or amazon. Even ebay and amazon will only guarantee the purchase for 30-45 days. Past that and they got their money, not their problem.
Think about this, you go to the Best Buy to buy a MacBook Pro. Two months later, Apple bricks it because Best Buy never paid Apple for the MacBook Pro. Lame right? That's exactly what can happen and thats what the shady sellers are exploiting right now.
I actually recently bought a used iPhone from Gazelle (via ebay). When I got it, I popped my sim in and it had "no service". I checked Tmobile's imei status look up and sure enough, imei blocked. Gazelle took it back and paid shipping (which is why I risked buying from ebay), but they essentially got screwed over by someone. Had I chose some other reseller, i wouldve probably been screwed myself.
Like the OP mentions, a dishonest person can get an upgrade, or sign up for a contract, pay $200 for an iPhone, get the phone and sell it.. Advertising that it has a clean IMEI. When you check, yeah, it's clean. You put your sim in and it works. You pay your money and you are on your way.
Two months later when [your favorite carrier] doesnt get paid, they blacklist the phone. The guy who sold you the phone is long gone. The carrier wont even talk to you because you are not the original owner of the phone. You're screwed.
Now, hearing about stories like this, who is going to buy your used iphone so you can upgrade? Sure, maybe you know someone, but forget about ebay, cl, or amazon. Even ebay and amazon will only guarantee the purchase for 30-45 days. Past that and they got their money, not their problem.
Think about this, you go to the Best Buy to buy a MacBook Pro. Two months later, Apple bricks it because Best Buy never paid Apple for the MacBook Pro. Lame right? That's exactly what can happen and thats what the shady sellers are exploiting right now.
I actually recently bought a used iPhone from Gazelle (via ebay). When I got it, I popped my sim in and it had "no service". I checked Tmobile's imei status look up and sure enough, imei blocked. Gazelle took it back and paid shipping (which is why I risked buying from ebay), but they essentially got screwed over by someone. Had I chose some other reseller, i wouldve probably been screwed myself.
"I'm amazed... ” the title of this thread is just one persons opinion, and I'm not being critical of the OP. This forum is filled with individuals, everyone is likely to have a slightly different take on the subject. Yet one thing is certain, those with life experience aren't going to be the least bit surprised. It's been going on for many years. Choosing to let it upset you only reveals how quickly you give away your power.
PREACH brother! Love it
mikethebigo bringin' the hammer down!
Which hammer would that be? Still waiting for the internet BAMF's to lay that smackdown...lol
Who realy cares ? This happens with any and all products that are in high demand . It's all about the money at this point and if someone wants to pay $3000 for an iphone in Mexico or some other country let them
was on instagram last night looking and iPhone 6 and was blown away by some iPhone scam with prepaid cards that is going on?!? wtf? how does instagram allow that even? i reported as many as i could - people more so now after what happened in 2008 are just out for themselves, it has had a huge effect on so many people from all economic backgrounds....
Not at all surprised but this behavior. It is not limited to iPhone sellers either. There will always be people who will do anything to scam money from people including selling bogus goods.
What really surprises me are people who shop for a used phone via CL, ebay, etc. and do not know the carrier can brick the phone months after the purchase. I have explained this to 3 or 4 people who mentioned they were going to buy a used phone and thought once they put their sim in the phone everything was good to go.
What really surprises me are people who shop for a used phone via CL, ebay, etc. and do not know the carrier can brick the phone months after the purchase. I have explained this to 3 or 4 people who mentioned they were going to buy a used phone and thought once they put their sim in the phone everything was good to go.
You were moaning about others morals when it came to selling iPhones, not me. I buy my goods from Apple were I know they are a legit company. I'll give the scalpers like you a wide birth thanks.
Also money is not the centre of my world. I don't look at everything in life in terms of saving a few bucks.
You seriously are going to compare the flogging of iPhones and concert tickets for a price well above what they would normally be worth for your own personal profit to authorised retailers selling a product at RRP? Whatever helps you sleep at night I guess! It's amazing the bizarre comparisons and arguments people will make to try and justify their behaviour.
The only insecurity I feel about Capatalism is due to the hatred of our current administration against it while the reap the benifits. While they tell us how to live our lives they do as they please using our money!
If the tax and duty has already been paid originally, would he be obliged to pay tax on it again? Like anything that is bought through free ads or ebay, its buy as seen and the buyer is aware of this beforehand. If a person wants all the guarantee's and consumer protection that comes with a product, I suggest they should buy through a reputable retailer.
If the tax and duty has already been paid originally, would he be obliged to pay tax on it again? Like anything that is bought through free ads or ebay, its buy as seen and the buyer is aware of this beforehand. If a person wants all the guarantee's and consumer protection that comes with a product, I suggest they should buy through a reputable retailer.
Well in the UK you are buying something to sell it (becoming a reseller), then you should declare the sale and pay tax on it. Of course most don't, but as the OP was calling others morals into question, I thought it might be worth mentioning.
Personally people that buy 2 or 3 phones to turn a quick buck, are part of the problem not the solution. That's why I would never buy from them.
If you buy a phone at full retail price here in the UK then you pay the 20% VAT. If you then choose to sell it via ebay or where ever then I don't believe you are liable to pay tax on it again. Unless you are a registered business and licensed to sell mobile phones, you do not automatically technically become a 'reseller'. If it is a odd sale here and there then you are a private seller just like everybody else on online auction sites.
If you import from abroad and the phones are not declared then that is a very different story. I wouldn't buy something so expensive from anywhere other than a reputable retailer either.
Buying something which you have bought to sell on at a profit means you should declare the sales as part of your tax return. If you are selling something you don't want or use anymore via EBay as a private indervidual is different. The OP also mentions he sells Dell computers so should be registered.
Also remember this is a moral issue not a legal one. There is a clear difference. Just ask Amazon (who pay little or no tax as their head office is in Luxembourg but warehouses throughout Europe).
If you make a profit doing anything or selling anything in the UK (except your primary residence), you are obliged to declare it and pay tax on it (that profit) - either capital gains tax or income tax.
If you weren't doing this as a bona fide business venture and only did it for one or two devices then you may get away with claiming it is capital gains rather than trading profit: Individuals have a capital gains allowance of around £10K (which is separate to income tax allowance) so it's unlikely that any small-time resellers would actually end up owing any tax under those circumstances.
However, if the Inland Revenue decided you were trading (highly likely if it involves more than a couple of phones) then any profit would become subject to income tax which is a higher rate and it's also likely that personal tax free allowances have already been used up with a main job for a lot of people
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Here in the states, if you were going to pay in the state sales tax you would deduct the original sales tax paid when you paid in your sales tax for the quarter. So if you bought a phone and paid sales tax. So you would only pay tax on the profit.
Of course most people aren't going to do this, but if you were going to operate like you were a normal retail outlet, that is want you would do.