Just Got Screwed By Scalpers...

[The Doctor11]

Scalpers are complete **********. Every time I've gone to the apple store for a launch/to wait for a phone, Arab/Asian scalpers galore. One did the same "get back in line" tactic yesterday when I was there.

I sincerely hope they get screwed on their transactions and lose a boatload

Are they doing anything wrong? Buying phones is completely ok by me. If YOU want one get there sooner. And there isn't anything wrong with getting back in line either. If you want to go through line all day that's your problem. And it all come back to if YOU want on get there sooner

 

[CelestialToys]

I'm curious, why is merely pointing out that a specific group or ethnic group is scalping considered xenophobic?

Pointing out facts isn't xenophobic. I dislike scalpers, not any specific ethnicities. Because of what they DO, not what they are.

Assuming that someone of a different ethnicity buying lots of iphones is a scalper is what makes it racist.

These folks could simply have been buying gifts for family members.

 

[malochico1]

i dont see anything wrong with someone buying a phone to resell. He was smart enough to buy one and then smart enough to resell for profit.

If you want an iphone like million others, pre-order, order online, go to the store, call and ask for them to hold, pick up, keep trying again or simply just wait till its available everywhere.

You blaming someone else because you arent able to get a phone is no one elses fault but yours. I am happy for the guy who spent hours in the line to buy a phone whether he chose to use it or resell it, thats up to him.

 

[teknikal90]

Scalpers are complete **********. Every time I've gone to the apple store for a launch/to wait for a phone, Arab/Asian scalpers galore. One did the same "get back in line" tactic yesterday when I was there picking up a case and headphones.

Being brown myself (Indian, but born and raised in the US), some of the Arab people in line see me and assume I'm Arabic, try to talk to me and just generally assume I can relate with their tactics. I clearly tell them otherwise.

hilarious.

the playing field is flat.
if they can get 10-15 iphones, following the same rules as you, and you cant get even 1 for yourself, theres something wrong with you, not them.

 

[dennisjr631]

Maybe Apple should not sell there new phones outright for the first month or two. These people wouldn't be able to buy 30 iPhones if they have to do a credit check and have service for every phone.

 

[supertomtom]

That's disgusting, I would definitely confront them if they smirked and spoke at me with Arabic, if things escalated so be it.

It's not their place to do such things. Let them know that. Teach them some respect.

And I've seen plenty of Anglo-Saxon people traveling Asia talking down on locals who don't speak English and being obnoxious with their friends laughing directly at the locals in English. Yet no one seems to mind those situations.

I'm not saying it's right and I think it's disgusting what the scalpers are doing. But just a reminder that this respect thing goes both ways.

 

[powerstrokin]

That's disgusting, I would definitely confront them if they smirked and spoke at me with Arabic, if things escalated so be it.

It's not their place to do such things. Let them know that. Teach them some respect.

1. And what if they spoke 'at you' in any other language including English? Or does the fact that it was Arabic make it worse in your mind?

2. Free market and all that, so yeah it was their place to do that. (buying/selling) I can see your point on respect, but OP didn't know what they said and neither do you. Are you just assuming the guy made a rude comment?

 

[Y2JDMBFAN]

I guess I should clarify that I am more upset with Apple for letting them do it, then for them taking advantage of the system. But they clearly were ordering for resale, They literally had shopping bags of phones and were paying full price for each of them. And it would have been cool had the guy directly in front of me left one for me when I said that is what I had come for.

 

[The Doctor11]

the playing field is flat.
if they can get 10-15 iphones, following the same rules as you, and you cant get even 1 for yourself, theres something wrong with you, not them.

Exactly!

 

[Jalopybox]

Scalpers don't suck, Apples rules suck. They are doing what they are allowed to do. Not breaking any laws. You may not like it but it's tough beans.

 

[CelestialToys]

I guess I should clarify that I am more upset with Apple for letting them do it, then for them taking advantage of the system. But they clearly were ordering for resale, They literally had shopping bags of phones and were paying full price for each of them. And it would have been cool had the guy directly in front of me left one for me when I said that is what I had come for.

No they were clearly buying large quantities of iphones, you have no idea why they were buying them. Unless of course they offered to sell you one at a higher price.

 

[jlake02]

There's a limit for a reason. I'm surprised that they let them back in line after that. Sucks.

Exactly this. What's the point of 2 per person if they can just get back in line and buy more. What a joke.

 

[3pp]

Not sure why so many people are being so ignorant to the OP's point. You know scalpers exist, and lots of them - and you know they create a poor experience for true end users. You can deny this all you want but it is a fact.

 

[slookx24]

the playing field is flat.
if they can get 10-15 iphones, following the same rules as you, and you cant get even 1 for yourself, theres something wrong with you, not them.

They're doing something right, and/or you're doing something wrong. Get over it.

 

[vgamedude]

1. And what if they spoke 'at you' in any other language including English? Or does the fact that it was Arabic make it worse in your mind?

2. Free market and all that, so yeah it was their place to do that. (buying/selling) I can see your point on respect, but OP didn't know what they said and neither do you. Are you just assuming the guy made a rude comment?

I don't care where you are going but going to any country and being a foreigner you should show respect. They were disrespectful and I would let them know that, I've got no problem doing it I'm not going to sit back and be a docile little lamb if people do that ****.

 

[Y2JDMBFAN]

They're doing something right, and/or you're doing something wrong. Get over it.

I wish I had time to camp out at Apple Stores, but I'd rather have a steady good job so I can feed my wife & daughter. I took a chance today and got burned. I learned my lesson. Won't travel more than 15 minutes again to try and get 1. And guys, if you take a look on Ebay, these scalpers are barely making $50 on this things after Ebay and Paypal fees. It's not that lucrative to scalp, at least domestically.

 

[powerstrokin]

I don't care where you are going but going to any country and being a foreigner you should show respect. They were disrespectful and I would let them know that, I've got no problem doing it I'm not going to sit back and be a docile little lamb if people do that ****.

Well good for you then, and I mean that. You're right.. too many people don't speak up. Hold it all in until rage comes out, then bad things happen. Gotta be 'PC' these days and all... it's tragic really.

I'm the type to speak up, I call **** like I see it. It gets me in trouble, which pisses me off even more, and then I have to bitch even more. I really hate this world a lot of times... but it's all this way because no one ever speaks up.

 

[uwdude]

Well if there's no line for a product and you have supply of it, why wouldn't you sell it to a person asking for it.

I think Apple needs to enforce a 2 per customer limit for the first 30 days for this to be effective.

Well, pretty much any store won't just let you come in and buy the whole store's stock in one day, even if the item isn't in demand. Try going to Best Buy and say you want to buy every single TV in the back and see what they tell you. Even if you're coming in and buying them one by one, after about 10 TV's the manager would start asking questions. But I agree with you, it needs to be 2 per customer, either per day or for the first 30 days, I think either would work ok.

 

[GalaDaliGirl]

You're either for them or against them.

 

[The Doctor11]

I wish I had time to camp out at Apple Stores, but I'd rather have a steady good job so I can feed my wife & daughter. I took a chance today and got burned. I learned my lesson. Won't travel more than 15 minutes again to try and get 1. And guys, if you take a look on Ebay, these scalpers are barely making $50 on this things after Ebay and Paypal fees. It's not that lucrative to scalp, at least domestically.

That's why you buy a **** ton. Those $50s add up

 

[HenryDJP]

Not to take the side of the scalpers but they aren't doing anything wrong or different than what the OP is doing or the rest of us. They are making legit purchases. If the store has them in stock they have just as much right to buy them and do what they please with them afterwards as the rest of us. The only thing I don't understand is how are they buying them? Are they setting up service with a carrier through the Apple store? I thought Apple wasn't selling the phones outright without a carrier's account attached to them?

Well at the end, don't blame the scalpers. Beat them at their own game. That's all you can do. There's no difference between one guy buying 10 phones and 10 people buy one phone each. The store is still selling 10 phones.

 

[Snot Rox]

You can't without signing a contract....And actually while I was in store, they were still showing stock, I did ask someone to go in the back and check but they were all gone.

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I've got a bunch of good friends that are Arabic / Middle Eastern, various ethnicities...and these guys had accents...

I did a pick up on an off contract iphone 6 128gb in space gray. Unless they've changed the policy.

Anyways, that really sucks. They really spoil it for the rest of the general public.

 

[noekozz]

You're either for them or against them.

Basically.

I hate scalpers with a passion, but with supply comes demand, and if demand is greater than supply, someone out there somewhere is willing to pay that price, whatever it may be.

Personally, they should ID every purchase at the Apple store, provide valid proof of ID, scan it and load onto a database. Next time they go ring it up it's rejected. Happens all the time with these green dot / vanilla reload cards now due to scammers. If Apple can implement something as simple as that into their system, good bye scalpers.

 

[Y2JDMBFAN]

I'm going to end up having to buy one on Swappa or Ebay, but I was really hoping to grab one in store so that I could return it if the size ends up not being managable...

 

[12vElectronics]

Well, pretty much any store won't just let you come in and buy the whole store's stock in one day, even if the item isn't in demand. Try going to Best Buy and say you want to buy every single TV in the back and see what they tell you. Even if you're coming in and buying them one by one, after about 10 TV's the manager would start asking questions. But I agree with you, it needs to be 2 per customer, either per day or for the first 30 days, I think either would work ok.

I think the only question that would be raised is if there is any fraud going on. If not, and the customer is paying retail price on listed items, I don't see how any store would deny selling them inventory.