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Proposal to Apple: Hold an Auction for Launch Day iPhone Xs
- Thread starter lotsalag
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Too late! $5002 and a Butterfinger. I made friends with some of the Apple Store Employees when I was at their Retail Hiring Event.
Too late! $5002 and a Butterfinger. I made friends with some of the Apple Store Employees when I was at their Retail Hiring Event.
Hahaha this is a funny post. You know people are killing time like this. I guess OP cant wait for X.
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I actually like the idea, or something like it. I suggested a couple of days ago Apple should charge more at launch for customers willing to pay a premium to be first in line. Once demand cools, the price will then be reduced to the suggested retail price.
I wouldn't have any problem with an auction as an alternative approach.
Bottom line - I think Apple should be maximising their profit on high demand products, and not gifting free money to scalpers.
Why is it idiotic? This essentially already happens in the aftermarket. Why is it idiotic for Apple to take that money for themselves while the demand is there?
Ignorance is a bliss.
Aston Martin Racing 808 – $24,000
Black Diamond VIPN – $300,000
Goldvish Le Million – $1.3 million
Black Diamond iPhone 5 – $15.3 Million
And you thought $5k is a lot for an iPhone??
http://gazettereview.com/2017/04/top-10-expensive-smartphones/
Aston Martin Racing 808 – $24,000
Black Diamond VIPN – $300,000
Goldvish Le Million – $1.3 million
Black Diamond iPhone 5 – $15.3 Million
And you thought $5k is a lot for an iPhone??
http://gazettereview.com/2017/04/top-10-expensive-smartphones/
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OP I have direct message'd you my PayPal address. Send me the $4,000 and I'll have an iPhone X for you on launch day. Don't spend your precious valuable time worrying about the illogical time-based ordering process.
Better idea. Offer $3000 to the first person who can order one for you at midnight on preorder day.
You gotta admit, this method is more plausible than the cockamamy idea you're proposing.
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Sensible for you and others willing to bid, maybe. For others and even Apple...not so much.
Sure, you get the phone you want at a price you're willing to pay, and some lucky charity gets an infusion of cash. You really think that'll put Apple in the good graces of the thousands of other people who will feel screwed over by something like this?
How about this...would you be OK with stores selling bottled water to the highest bidder during Hurricane Irma?
You gotta admit, this method is more plausible than the cockamamy idea you're proposing.
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Sensible for you and others willing to bid, maybe. For others and even Apple...not so much.
Sure, you get the phone you want at a price you're willing to pay, and some lucky charity gets an infusion of cash. You really think that'll put Apple in the good graces of the thousands of other people who will feel screwed over by something like this?
How about this...would you be OK with stores selling bottled water to the highest bidder during Hurricane Irma?
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Thanks for your reply, but unfortunately your post does not make sense.
The entire point of an industrial economy is that everyone specialises in different fields, which each earn money, and we use that money to acquire goods and services from people in other fields of specialisation.
What you are essentially positing is a return to a pre-industrial economy.
Why? You give no reasons whatsoever.
You didn't read the OP. My proposal has the benefit of being more efficient, cutting out an inefficient middle man, and raising money for charity. Why is your proposal better than mine?
Too late! $5002 and a Butterfinger. I made friends with some of the Apple Store Employees when I was at their Retail Hiring Event.
These posts are perfectly fine with me. If I get outbid, I get outbid. That's how auctions work!
Thanks very much. That's exactly the reasoning behind my thinking.
Why? You give not a single reason.
Thank you. That's exactly one of the reasons for my post.
Exactly. I can't believe people are mocking the suggestion that someone would pay $4,000 for a smart phone -- a device that does so many things and that we use on a daily basis.
Again, what you are proposing is an inefficient middle man. My proposal is superior because it cuts out inefficiency and raises money for charity. Is the basis of your objection that you are opposed to fund raising for charities?
Why is offering $3,000 to the first person who orders better? Highly inefficient.
Why would people feel screwed by this proposal? Do you feel screwed every time you cannot afford something?
Your proposal only benefits the wealthy. Not sure why you're not seeing that. The system in place now is more fair to everyone, not just the wealthy. If you want to spend more than retail then you have options as previously mentioned. In your suggestion the only "option" people who don't want to spend more than retail or who are not wealthy is waiting potentially months longer for the phone to be released to the peasants.
Interestingly enough, I suspect some people trying to sell the iPhone X on launch day on eBay, will be asking almost three times what it's worth for those who want one badly enough.
Apple products are already expensive and beyond the reach of the majority of people on this planet.
The current system in place is not fair. It is random. Basically, everyone logs on at the same time and in the mad rush some people will be randomly placed at the start of the queue.
Let me demonstrate to you why randomness is not fair.
Say on any one night in the United States 5% of people eat out (at a restaurant or get take out) and 95% of people eat at home. Would you say it is fair if the 5% of people who eat out were randomly assigned? Of course not. Instead, we use the market to determine who eats out. People determine whether the desire to eat out is sufficiently important to them to spend their money on it. This proposal is the same.
People with less money wait for things all the time. The latest technology in cars, including safety technology, is placed in the most expensive models. Are you suggesting that car makers cannot put more technology in expensive models because that assigns priority to rich people?
Ebay reselling is horribly inefficient though. You have to wait for an Ebay member to get it, to wait for the auction to end and to receive it in the mail. This option is far more efficient. Plus it raises money for a good cause.
I don't prefer to sell any electronics on eBay. Way too many people on there trying to fraud an honest seller. But my point was, if somebody purchases the iPhone X and their whole intention is to resell it for a major profit, you will find desperate people that will pay more than three times what it's worth if they want it badly enough.
I remember when the Apple Watch first launched, the stainless model with a stainless steel link band was priced at $1000 retail, and some of them were selling for over $4000. So it goes to show you, money is no object for some people.
Thanks for your response. I completely agree. That is one reason to support my proposal. It would eliminate the scalper market because the scalpers wouldn't want to bid on one of the launch day phones because there's a high risk they wouldn't get their money back.
Because the system in place now for ordering is fair. Sure, you have to be a bit lucky to get a launch day iPhone when demand is so high but it's still fair.
But you want to cut off every regular earning person for a few months because you don't like fairness and want to throw money around to get what you want. The prices of iPhones are already high enough.
And don't give me some speech about this is how the world works and make it sound like people on here are being sour because they can't afford things. It's not like people are upset they can't afford a Ferrari on their minimum wage. You want to take a high price product (but well within reach) out of the hands of the majority of the population. What's next, ruining a kids' Christmas by doing the same with new Xbox One X?
I will lay out why your plan wouldnt work. But i can already tell you've never been to an auction because auctions are designed to move items quickly. And with online auctions everyone waits until the last second to put in their bid.
1. apple would have to revamp their entire site to something like ebay. That takes a lot of time and money.
2. say there are 1 million iphones day 1 , you would have to have an auction for each individual iphone.
3. At the last minute the auction ends everyone would be trying to grab one. The site would crash if everyone 10 seconds before the end placed a bid.
4. Apple would have to credit check every person bidding on a phone.
5. Apple doesnt care about you. If you were anybody special like has already been mentioned you would easily have an iphone x
6. Apple stands to make a boat load of money in the first place why would they go through the trouble just because you feel you're more worthy.
7. So how long does apple keep this auction up? every day there are new iphones, do we just keep going until nobody wants to pay over msrp?
8. you would probably need your parents permission and im sure deeper pockets than yours would give you less of a chance of getting an iphone x than just trying to get one at launch.
1. apple would have to revamp their entire site to something like ebay. That takes a lot of time and money.
2. say there are 1 million iphones day 1 , you would have to have an auction for each individual iphone.
3. At the last minute the auction ends everyone would be trying to grab one. The site would crash if everyone 10 seconds before the end placed a bid.
4. Apple would have to credit check every person bidding on a phone.
5. Apple doesnt care about you. If you were anybody special like has already been mentioned you would easily have an iphone x
6. Apple stands to make a boat load of money in the first place why would they go through the trouble just because you feel you're more worthy.
7. So how long does apple keep this auction up? every day there are new iphones, do we just keep going until nobody wants to pay over msrp?
8. you would probably need your parents permission and im sure deeper pockets than yours would give you less of a chance of getting an iphone x than just trying to get one at launch.
You can try to justify your position all you want, but this so called randomness is more fair than an auction. As it's done now, everyone that can afford and/or is in the market for an iPhone has a chance of getting one at release, whether that's by ordering online at midnight or waiting in line. The auction scenario cuts out the majority of potential iPhone buyers, leaving only the weathly able to get one at release. You're either trolling or being willfully obtuse.
I could maybe see a lottery where everyone pays the same for a 'ticket' with an equal chance of winning (like what they do for WWDC) but a bidding system where people are encouraged to pay over the odds is tacky and completely not what you'd expect from a respectable company like Apple.
Thanks for your considerate response.
Randomness is not fair. Again, you need to present an argument as to why. As I showed you with the restaurant example, randomness is not fair.
And you misconstrue the ambit of my proposal. It would not place the iPhone X out of reach from ordinary iPhone users. That would hurt Apple's bottom line and is not in anyone's interest. Instead, it would determine access to the first set of iPhone Xs. I am not proposing for the regular retail price of the iPhone X be raised.
Thanks for the terrific response. I really enjoyed reading it.
It would be a blind or silent auction. People are given a week to submit their bid. They do not know what others have bid. There's no need to worry about people submitting bids at the last minute.
1. It would be a simple change. A form to submit your desired price. The backend sorts the top 1 million bids (if 1 million launch day iPhone Xs are available) and processes their orders first.
2. No. A single auction.
3. No. As I said, it would be a blind or silent auction.
4. No. Just take submissions via the Internet like orders are taken now. If you win, the money is taken from your credit card.
5. Irrelevant to my proposal.
6. The advantages of my proposal are set out in the original post.
7. Every time there is a new flagship model, so once a year. And only for launch day phones, because that is where demand exceeds supply.
8. The bidding of minors could be dealt with in the same way as the purchasing by minors is dealt with now.
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What is your objection to the wealthy getting access to a product before other people?
Did you also object to the wealthy getting access to air bags in cars before other people?
That is how the market works.
Actually, Apple participate in charity auctions all the time. This is a charity auction. See, eg, http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/06/16/charity-auction-offers-lunch-with-eddy-cue-at-apple-park
Exactly. That's what I'm proposing. The extra money raised through the auction would be given to charity.
Still don't think you can have Apple say 'ok good, you've paid $10,000 for your iPhone, we'll pass $9,000 of that on to charity after we've taken our cut' - that looks all kinds of wrong!
What is your objection to the wealthy getting access to a product before other people?
You're saying "a product" like we're talking about any or all products. We're talking about the iPhone and my problem with doing this for the iPhone is it would alienate the majority the iPhone buyers in favor of the rich. Maybe if this was a new company and a new product, but the iPhone is an established product with an established base and this would be a slap in the face to that base. As already mentioned, if you want to be guaranteed an iPhone at launch and willing to pay 4 times above retail then you have other paths.
Did you also object to the wealthy getting access to air bags in cars before other people?
Yes, are you really asking this?
You're saying "a product" like we're talking about any or all products. We're talking about the iPhone and my problem with doing this for the iPhone is it would alienate the majority the iPhone buyers in favor of the rich. Maybe if this was a new company and a new product, but the iPhone is an established product with an established base and this would be a slap in the face to that base. As already mentioned, if you want to be guaranteed an iPhone at launch and willing to pay 4 times above retail then you have other paths.
Did you also object to the wealthy getting access to air bags in cars before other people?
Yes, are you really asking this?