Just Got Screwed By Scalpers...

[Gregintosh]

If you want a Verizon iPhone in that area go to the Best Buy in Golf Mill. They had 128GB Verizon available (thought I think they only have gold). They only sell to people who activate it on a Verizon line, so no scalpers.

Also, Apple stores in downtown Chicago and Lincoln Park seem to have Verizon iPhone 6 Pluses available, more so than before.

If you can't get one straight away I bet in about a week it won't make a difference and you'll be able to walk in and just get one. The supplies are clearly increasing for all except T-Mobile.

 

[DSTOFEL]

The xenophobia is strong in this thread.

Yea, so is the intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.

 

[noekozz]

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...

I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you're going to do that you might as well would have bought one from one of those scalpers on the spot. Kind of pointless no? Be patient and continue searching. Hell I'm still waiting for my pre-order from AT&T, and we all know how great they managed to screw that up.

 

[stasha]

are you feeling better now?

 

[bmac4]

OP this really sucks, and I personally think it's garbage Apple allows this crap. They should only be allowed 2 and then go home. They are ruining the whole process for everyone.

This racist bull crap from some of you posters is also crap. It has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with what people are doing. It just as bad when Americans do the same thing. I don't want people buying all the stock just to sell them away when people that actually want to use the phone can't get one. The OP (if you would take some time and read instead of just looking for things to get mad about) was only saying the process is what he was mad about. Fine somewhere else to post your xenophobia bull crap.

 

[noekozz]

This racist bull crap from some of you posters is also crap. It has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with what people are doing. It just as bad when Americans do the same thing. I don't want people buying all the stock just to sell them away when people that actually want to use the phone can't get one. The OP (if you would take some time and read instead of just looking for things to get mad about) was only saying the process is what he was mad about. Fine somewhere else to post your xenophobia bull crap.

Thank you.


People are just quick to pull the race card due to being super sensitive. I don't care what country someone is from, it could be a bunch of local H.S. kids for all we know. You either like scalpers or don't. Describing a common demographic based on observation is just calling it what it is. Some people just manage to get their panties in a bunch.

Other scalping threads end up turning out the same way. I'm pretty sure if they were called foreigners, someone would find something to cry about that too. Who cares about the race, it's about the scalpers, white, black, blue, green, who cares.


/end rant

 

[HenryDJP]

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.

But what exactly are the scalpers doing wrong? Honestly.

 

[noekozz]

But what exactly are the scalpers doing wrong? Honestly.

Technically they're not doing anything wrong, as they're playing within the rules. Doesn't mean I have to like what they're doing. The same logic can be applied to drug dealers, you see what I'm saying? The only difference here is that one is clearly illegal and the other is not.

 

[stasha]

the smell of xenophobia is strong lately in macrumors...the act of scalping is disgusting ,as disgusting as racisme and xenophobia

 

[teknikal90]

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.

$50 over $1000 is a 5% return. risk free.
if i had the time (not everyone's talented/blessed enough to have a good job like you), i would do that. better than putting my money and watching paint dry in a 1.2% GIC.

 

[boltjames]

I have been waiting for a 6+ 128GB Space Grey Verizon to come in stock locally, finally an Apple Store about 30 mins away shows them in stock. I leave work in the middle of the day and take a personal hour. I get there in about 25 mins no traffic. The Apple Store app is still showing them available. I see a small line formed out front with about 4 Middle Eastern guys and 2 Mom's with kids. The Middle Eastern guys each had 2 shopping bags each full of phones. Apparently the Apple Store was selling them each 2 at a time of whatever they wanted, and letting them keep going back in line and buying more and more. Of course the guys in front of me that could barely speak English says "2 more Verizon 128 Plus Black" which happened to have been the last 2 they had. I said, wait a minute, how many per person, the apple store rep said there is a 2 per person limit. I said then how do they have shopping bags full of phones? She said "we let them get back in line when they are done." I was pissed, but not about to start a fight in the middle of the mall. The thing that really pissed me off is the guy was smirking at me and said something in Arabic under his breath that made the 3 of his friends laugh. This really sucks for normal users that want to buy the phone full price so they don't have to sign a new contract...

Thanks for listening,

Y2J

You should have offered them a $100 premium and bought one from them on the spot.

BJ

 

[MassiveAttack]

Just Got Screwed By Scalpers...

You didn't get screwed but out smarted. You should have bought online and picked up. Don't blame the scalpers or the system that you clearly don't know how to work.

 

[noekozz]

the smell of xenophobia is strong lately in macrumors...the act of scalping is disgusting ,as disgusting as racisme and xenophobia

Explain which part falls under xenophobia........the scalping part? Or describing someone's ethnicity? I'm curious.

 

[DSTOFEL]

Thank you.


People are just quick to pull the race card due to being super sensitive. I don't care what country someone is from, it could be a bunch of local H.S. kids for all we know. You either like scalpers or don't. Describing a common demographic based on observation is just calling it what it is. Some people just manage to get their panties in a bunch.

Other scalping threads end up turning out the same way. I'm pretty sure if they were called foreigners, someone would find something to cry about that too. Who cares about the race, it's about the scalpers, white, black, blue, green, who cares.




/end rant

The OP is the one who injected race into the conversation. Some others are just calling the OP out on this.

So let's look at the OP's direct quotes:

- "I see a small line formed out front with about 4 Middle Eastern guys and 2 Mom's with kids. The Middle Eastern guys each had 2 shopping bags each full of phones.": How is the race of the people carrying shopping bags relevant to the OP's point! Why bring it up?

- "Of course the guys in front of me that could barely speak English says "2 more Verizon 128 Plus Black"": Again, how is the fact that a person can or cannot speak English well relevant to the OP's point? Why bring it up!

- "The thing that really pissed me off is the guy was smirking at me and said something in Arabic". Again, how is this relevant to th point the OP was making that Apple was allowing customers to purchase more than 2 phones.

The OP's post was almost an entire injection of race!

 

[MacTechnics]

I had the opposite experience and screwed over scalpers by just walking into the Apple Store and explaining my situation that I really needed to exchange the 16GB 6+ I had for a higher capacity and I walked out with the last 128GB 6+ in stock when they were telling the scalpers before that it was sold out.

 

[HenryDJP]

the smell of xenophobia is strong lately in macrumors...the act of scalping is disgusting ,as disgusting as racisme and xenophobia

I don't think you're being fair at all about this. It's a common concern and it IS happening rather you want to admit it or not. When Apple comes out with a hot product there are tons of asians in line buying the product and nine times out of ten their bags have multiples of the same product. I mean, nobody here has to speculate this. There are pictures that have been shown here and all over the internet. Then Ebay manages to get flooded full of this product with an inflated price.

 

[teknikal90]

Technically they're not doing anything wrong, as they're playing within the rules. Doesn't mean I have to like what they're doing. The same logic can be applied to drug dealers, you see what I'm saying? The only difference here is that one is clearly illegal and the other is not.

so really you're saying they're not at all comparable.

 

[alent1234]

I think Apple could solve a lot of the scalping issues with a simple policy:

For the first two months a new model is on sale, a purchased iPhone must be registered with an Apple ID at purchase. It must be used with this Apple ID for at least those two months. No other Apple IDs will work on that phone. The Apple ID holder must be physically present at purchase time.

This would eliminate scalpers until two months have passed, when the supply issues are alleviated and the phone is on sale worldwide.

why would apple want to sell less phones?

 

[theMaccer]

people have to stop saying that because of scalpers people who really want a phone cant get a phone. I think it is the opposite, because of scalpers people who really want a phone but dont have direct access now can get a phone.

 

[alent1234]

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...

it's so hard to go another few weeks with an older phone

 

[slookx24]

Technically they're not doing anything wrong, as they're playing within the rules. Doesn't mean I have to like what they're doing. The same logic can be applied to drug dealers, you see what I'm saying? The only difference here is that one is clearly illegal and the other is not.

This analogy is so wrong. Phone scalpers are playing by the rules by dealing cell phones, not illegal substances.

 

[noekozz]

so really you're saying they're not at all comparable.

Today's junkies aren't injecting heroin or smoking crack out of pipes, they're popping pills that can be found in your medicine cabinet. To put it into a broader perspective, look at the black market for pharmaceutical drugs. So yes, they are somewhat comparable.

But for the sake of not getting off track, replace drug dealers with concert / sports tickets, and it's the same thing.

----------

This analogy is so wrong. Phone scalpers are playing by the rules by dealing cell phones, not illegal substances.

That's clearly what I said, I think you're lacking in reading comprehension. Please see my post above.

 

[blacksurfer]

Didn't read this whole thread, but how can you enforce two per person if they walk out, walk back in and buy? You can't! Supplies are short....expect they will be sold out. I went today for a 16gb at lunch based on the website (Rancho, CA), got there and they were gone. Long line...but I was trying to return so my wait was short.

 

[NIKKG]

These scalper punks do make it bad for everyone. F them all and F Apple for letting this cr@p go on. I couldn't preorder because I had to have ATT fix some stuff on my account so I can get the upgrade pricing.

I called ATT at 7am on the day it went on sale and the rep said I was his first call, after he ordered me the 6+ 128gb SG, I got a delivery estimate of 11/09 to 11/27. So basically I got to wait till Thanksgiving to get my phone because of these punk scalpers.

All I know is if the Nexus 6 turns out to be a nice phone, I might cancel my order and get that and let Apple go screw themselves.

 

[awtryau89]

Same thing was happening in Atlanta yesterday. There were 3 West African gentlemen with Apple bags full of phones and Apple TVs. They would rotate in line and were paying in cash. I was very fortunate to get my 6+ but I mentioned it to the Apple employee queuing us up and he said there was nothing they could do about it and they have been well versed in the legalities. Its not fair but as was said earlier its capitalism in its purest form.