iPhone 6 Lines and the Chinese Mafia

[kmj2318]

Showed a friend this video and she was trying to be on her high horse, telling me how people shouldn't judge other people about the struggle they go through. WTF? Apparently these people have more money than us since they're paying cash and walking out with bags of iPhones. People that are really struggling wouldnt have money to buy phone and flip it for profit. And then she goes on and say that the video is only showing one particular areas that has a lot of chibese people. Lol I showed her this post and she just stayed quite. But seriously, these ppl are killing a culture for fans and enthusiast.

Your friend sounds a lot smarter than you.

 

[illutionz]

Your friend sounds a lot smarter than you.

Actually that guy's friend is wrong. The scalpers are real. No they are not individual scalpers. They are professional line sitters being paid to buy specific phones by big Chinese resellers (you see some guys are collecting the phones... that's the real resellers). The people lining up are just getting % of profit for their trouble but they are not the ones flipping the phones.

 

[wicker21]

I ran into a wide range of people. The reservation system was very slick. Some people would come about 10 minutes before their friend was going to be next in line. The apple reps just kept saying if you don't have a reservation code you won't be able to buy one. Once they heard that they either went to the end of the line or just bailed. First time I stood in line, but it was a very simple system that worked well.

 

[danilko1]

1. Concentrate the majority of stock to pre-orders
2. Launch in China on day 1
3. One iPhone per ID on day 1
4. Credit Only
5. If cash, no $100 bills. Only $20 or under. (the point of this, scalpers would have to cary 5 times as much cash) I don't know if it would matter much.

But probably nothing can be done. I bet running the lines is a part of a vacation package. Visit a foreign country. A part of your vacation package is to run the line, buy as many iPhones you can, and turn them in. A part of your vacation is financed by the process.

These people aren't happy. I see them as suffering, in my opinion.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

As much as I hate scalpers, it's within their rights to buy things that are in high demand and sell them for profits. It's solely up to Apple to do something to make sure the fans get majority of the supply.

I think what Apple can do is to lock the phone someone brought to that person's Apple ID for 30 days as part of the check-out process during a sale. During that 30 days, no one else's Apple ID will work on that phone, which render the phone useless if resold to someone within the initial 30 days.

I disagree with the first part. Apple and the Carriers are selling the phones to--who they assume to be--their customers. The scalpers are depriving millions of people from getting the phones they want. From what I have seen at the iPhone 6 and 5S launch, i think it is a really big issue.

I like the second idea about an Apple ID lock but the scalpers will just create fake IDs that they know the password for.

 

[IpadMania]

How do I get access to the cash they are paying?

 

[Harmonious Zen]

It's called global capitalism folks. Nothing you can do about it. Just be happy you have an iPhone, if you do indeed have one.

 

[HM Apple]

These lines and same "buyers" will last everyday until market availability of the phone catches up to demand and the gray market price drops to apple retail price. Its also interesting to see them go to a store in the morning, then go to another one in the afternoon. Four phones per individual per day.

 

[ThaRagingAsian]

Dats right!!!

Jk. I guess I'm the only Asian that I waiting for my one iphone 6+

 

[erzhik]

Showed a friend this video and she was trying to be on her high horse, telling me how people shouldn't judge other people about the struggle they go through. WTF? Apparently these people have more money than us since they're paying cash and walking out with bags of iPhones. People that are really struggling wouldnt have money to buy phone and flip it for profit. And then she goes on and say that the video is only showing one particular areas that has a lot of chibese people. Lol I showed her this post and she just stayed quite. But seriously, these ppl are killing a culture for fans and enthusiast.

What culture? Apple doesn't give two crapios about who they are selling to. If you have the money, they will sell. You could be buying it to smash it outside, they still won't care.

 

[2298754]

They need to force people to use debit/credit and ask IDs for every purchase. No cash.

 

[hansonjohn590]

I could care less who or why the they wanted to buy the iPhone.

The utter contempt in which they were treated by the NYPD was disgusting. I bet the woman who got arrested was just trying to sleep.

**** the NYPD.

 

[ijen0311]

They need to force people to use debit/credit and ask IDs for every purchase. No cash.

Didn't they use to do this and everyone thought it was unfair?

 

[2298754]

Didn't they use to do this and everyone thought it was unfair?

No idea...

Apple needs to implement stricter guidelines for phones. This is getting ridiculous.

 

[ijen0311]

No idea...

Apple needs to implement stricter guidelines for phones. This is getting ridiculous.

I agree.

If I recall correctly, at least for the 3G years you had to pay with a credit card and have an ID that matched.

 

[Macalway]

I saw some Injuns scalping. We formed a circle with shopping carts.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

Didn't they use to do this and everyone thought it was unfair?

I had to use my ID to purchase an iPhone.

----------

They need to force people to use debit/credit and ask IDs for every purchase. No cash.

Apple's financing is very easy to get. I'm a student and I still got a 2200 limit

 

[mtneer]

Apple loves those lineups. And the media coverage that goes with it.

Even if the lines devolve from adoring fanboys and geeks to brawling gangsters??

 

[kinster]

The police were honest. Some of those people haven't showered in days, it is beyond disgusting. Does the truth hurt you?

Everyone who queued for days stunk. Whatever colour you were.

 

[mtneer]

iPhones are much cheaper in US, a rich country, than they are in a poor country. So rich people pay less, and poor people pay more for the same item.

The poor people of China are not buying these phones at a markup. At most they may aspire for a Goophone. There are a LOT of massively wealthy people in China, far richer than a normal American family who are willing and able to finance an international scalping operation for thousands of dollars for a few weeks or months of exclusivity.

The poor farm workers or assembly line drones are not paying $4000 for a phone. Just the sheer number of poor people overwhelm statistics about China and hide the number of people awash with fabulous amounts of money.

 

[PhillyGuy72]

This happened (to a lesser extent) in the line I waited for... in King of Prussia, PA (a rather small suburb of Philadelphia approximately 2 hours from NYC).

When I got in line at midnight, there were about 50 obvious Chinese scalpers. It really pissed off everyone else in line and the entire night, the scalpers were quite loud and obnoxious, and cars/vans with more of them kept showing up and cutting in line with their fellow scalpers.

Hopefully Apple will do something to curtail this in the future. It was really pretty awful.

Nearby Willow Grove Park (outside Philly) same thing yesterday morning. Waiting for my phone, should arrive this coming week..wanted to see these in person, feel them. Just like this video, all paying cash, 2 phones at a time. The Apple rep counting it on the table. Crazy

 

[theman510]

Was at the Apple store at Garden State Plaza in Paramus, NJ today. There must have been over 200 people waiting in line outside the store and easily 95% of them were Asian. I was curious why, but this video answered that!

 

[Jazper]

Wow, getting ridiculous now.

They need to only allow pickups from orders that are linked to an Apple ID and only allow that ID to activate it (so if you're buying for a friend the iPhone can be erased etc) but should reduce resell since it will need to be opened.

Would help with lines and ensure the only people there, are those of have ordered it. Dumb move my Apple, devices are literally selling for double if not higher because they refuse to make enough for launch days and release the iPhone to all countries at the same time.

I really think next year the police will try and do all they can to reduce these lines since every year they just get longer and longer.

 

[Retired Cat]

iPhone 6 Lines and the Chinese Mafia

This is true (first hand experience) but it's clear that the reason why they are paying cash is because these people on the lines are just professional line sitters being paid by big organized Chinese reseller (aka the guy who are collecting the phones towards the end of the video). The people lining up don't actually have money to buy/order the phone either with cash or credit card.

Part of me thinks that this is ok so long as no one is being coerced into line sitting, but it doesn't feel right to me somehow.

It seems like the people who run the reseller business are using their $$$ to muscle out the enthusiast/hobbyist who really cares about the product.

 

[thesiren]

Showed a friend this video and she was trying to be on her high horse, telling me how people shouldn't judge other people about the struggle they go through. WTF? Apparently these people have more money than us since they're paying cash and walking out with bags of iPhones. People that are really struggling wouldnt have money to buy phone and flip it for profit. And then she goes on and say that video is only showing one particular areas that has a lot of chibese people. Lol I showed her this post and she just stayed quite. But seriously, these ppl are killing a culture for fans and enthusiast.

The irony is strong with this one.