Neither of the above. I humbly can only think of one sentence & that is "I'm so S.O.L.!"
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Resellers are scumbags
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Neither of the above. I humbly can only think of one sentence & that is "I'm so S.O.L.!"
idk, i'm personally on the side that these people are doing nothing wrong. It's opportunistic yeah, but the reseller market works itself out. Are apple also jerks for charging more than operational cost to make and sell it? Is the price they set the magic "real" price of what it's worth? Things are worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it, no more no less. imo it would be very nice of someone to only buy what they plan to use, or sell at/near retail price but not jerky in the least to take full advantage of supply and demand. Just like they have the right to sell at any price, we have the right to wait for stock being sold at a price worth it to us.
On the other side- Apple absolutely loves this... Half of the people getting gouged probably wouldn't have even bought one if the original price was that high. Apple knows exactly the price to get max profit- that balance between setting the price high, but low enough that massive numbers of people can still afford it...then people who were otherwise on the fence see stock dry up, panic, and all of a sudden "gotta have one too!". Popularity through the roof...
On the other side- Apple absolutely loves this... Half of the people getting gouged probably wouldn't have even bought one if the original price was that high. Apple knows exactly the price to get max profit- that balance between setting the price high, but low enough that massive numbers of people can still afford it...then people who were otherwise on the fence see stock dry up, panic, and all of a sudden "gotta have one too!". Popularity through the roof...
Hey it's a free market.. It's not the right thing to do by whose opinion? Apple does the same thing by charging $500 for a ipad when it only cost about $300 or less to make.. They are in it to make money...
Honestly I bet Apple is have a field day with this.. All this controversy over an electronic device...
At their next event Steve will say how FAST the ipad sold and how many they sold... BLAH BLAH BLAH.. He doesn't tell that to the consumer.... He telling that to the investors and the media.. THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a way to drive the stock price up... More $$$$$$$$$$$ in good old steve-o's pocket...
I say let the guy at it.. Cause if I had 80k laying around and I could make 100k profit off it I would do it in a heartbeat.... My kids wouldn't have to worry about college...
James
Honestly I bet Apple is have a field day with this.. All this controversy over an electronic device...
At their next event Steve will say how FAST the ipad sold and how many they sold... BLAH BLAH BLAH.. He doesn't tell that to the consumer.... He telling that to the investors and the media.. THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a way to drive the stock price up... More $$$$$$$$$$$ in good old steve-o's pocket...
I say let the guy at it.. Cause if I had 80k laying around and I could make 100k profit off it I would do it in a heartbeat.... My kids wouldn't have to worry about college...
James
It's not really about the markup either. It's about a reseller preventing someone who is standing in a line meant for consumers from getting it.
Let me ask this, would it be fair for a national electronics chain to hire line waiters to suck up inventory and then turn around and sell it in their own stores at a markup? The markup, as I said, is irrelevant but presumably they have some reason to do this.
Pretend Best Buy wasn't a launch partner. Would it be fair to the rest of the line if a quarter of that Apple store's stock went to Best Buy employees who were only in line to purchase items for their store shelves in some other country who, BTW, were slated to get it anyway in a month or so?
Why line up launch partners at all. Stores can buy from Apple just like everyone else, right? Free market and all.
Let me ask this, would it be fair for a national electronics chain to hire line waiters to suck up inventory and then turn around and sell it in their own stores at a markup? The markup, as I said, is irrelevant but presumably they have some reason to do this.
Pretend Best Buy wasn't a launch partner. Would it be fair to the rest of the line if a quarter of that Apple store's stock went to Best Buy employees who were only in line to purchase items for their store shelves in some other country who, BTW, were slated to get it anyway in a month or so?
Why line up launch partners at all. Stores can buy from Apple just like everyone else, right? Free market and all.
I don't think the word 'fair' really makes sense in this context....Because owning a consumer product is not a right or a necessity. But if we must look at it that way, I would say it's completely fair. That electronics chain could attempt to buy all the stock in the world, turn around and sell them all for 5,000 each. If people are willing to buy them at that price, I guess that's what their worth becomes. But they also have to deal with the possibility that people decide that's not worth it and they're stuck with a bunch of stock they can't sell until they move the price down.
Is it 'fair' that apple charges what they do? Is it 'fair' they didn't make enough stock for everyone? Is it fair that some people can't afford it even at retail price? It's not fair or unfair it just is what it is.
I'm not sure how apple having launch partners makes it any less "free market". The fact that retailer's are selling these things as opposed from you getting them directly from apple is actually worse for you...now you have to pay retail mark-up. Is that 'unfair' as well? If you think apple is selling through retailers due to some notion of fairness you'd be mistaken... they are taking advantage of an existing retail infrastructure that helps them sell more units...they'll make more overall by selling to retailers wholesale and letting them mark it up then if they had to handle ALL that demand themselves through their own retail channel.
You're right though, certain stores (or maybe at apple's suggestion?) put a limit on the amount that each person can buy, probably to help prevent these scenarios. I think in a sense they ARE doing that to make things fair, but to me it's just a 'nice' thing to do. It's also possible that there are business reasons for that too. The more widespread purchasing is (as opposed to higher volume going to a smaller group), the more word of mouth is spread, people seeing their friend's and wanting one etc.... if someone WERE to theoretically buy up all the stock, price it too high, and have it just sit on shelves, you don't as much of that popularity spread- plus the product sitting on shelves just looks bad for Apple.
It's all about money and the prospect of more money...for anyone in business...Apple all the way down to the reseller. If Apple could make as much money, grow their business, and watch the stock price rise by selling all their producst to one guy- believe me, they'd have no problem doing it...
Is it 'fair' that apple charges what they do? Is it 'fair' they didn't make enough stock for everyone? Is it fair that some people can't afford it even at retail price? It's not fair or unfair it just is what it is.
I'm not sure how apple having launch partners makes it any less "free market". The fact that retailer's are selling these things as opposed from you getting them directly from apple is actually worse for you...now you have to pay retail mark-up. Is that 'unfair' as well? If you think apple is selling through retailers due to some notion of fairness you'd be mistaken... they are taking advantage of an existing retail infrastructure that helps them sell more units...they'll make more overall by selling to retailers wholesale and letting them mark it up then if they had to handle ALL that demand themselves through their own retail channel.
You're right though, certain stores (or maybe at apple's suggestion?) put a limit on the amount that each person can buy, probably to help prevent these scenarios. I think in a sense they ARE doing that to make things fair, but to me it's just a 'nice' thing to do. It's also possible that there are business reasons for that too. The more widespread purchasing is (as opposed to higher volume going to a smaller group), the more word of mouth is spread, people seeing their friend's and wanting one etc.... if someone WERE to theoretically buy up all the stock, price it too high, and have it just sit on shelves, you don't as much of that popularity spread- plus the product sitting on shelves just looks bad for Apple.
It's all about money and the prospect of more money...for anyone in business...Apple all the way down to the reseller. If Apple could make as much money, grow their business, and watch the stock price rise by selling all their producst to one guy- believe me, they'd have no problem doing it...
It's 10:31 am and I still want my McMuffin
This kind of thing just pisses me off beyond belief. Kids who save for months from mowing lawns and shoveling sidewalks getting shafted in waiting lines because some neanderthal prick plots a scheme to go on a reselling spree and maximize profits. I see three parties at blame.
1) Apple, first and foremost, ... for how they organize and handle launch releases. All the troubles would be squashed with credit only or 1 per person limit. I prefer credit only since said neanderthal couldn't recruit multiple buyers with one cc.
2) Willing participants who are greedy and only see the tunnel of light for themselves.
3) THE Reseller, of course, for using the resell value of tech products as if he's slanging up punany or designer drugs.
Seriously, someone needs to go Michael Douglas on these fools and teach some lessons. I can't wait for a real 'Falling Down' character to step up and make some national news one of these days. Our greedy, ignorant, sue-happy, take-a-pill-or-get-plastic-surgery-to-solve-all-my-problems nation needs it.
By the way, Bart Scott, you are not the only person who said, "Can't wait" so you fall into the description above, along with countless other ******s.
This kind of thing just pisses me off beyond belief. Kids who save for months from mowing lawns and shoveling sidewalks getting shafted in waiting lines because some neanderthal prick plots a scheme to go on a reselling spree and maximize profits. I see three parties at blame.
1) Apple, first and foremost, ... for how they organize and handle launch releases. All the troubles would be squashed with credit only or 1 per person limit. I prefer credit only since said neanderthal couldn't recruit multiple buyers with one cc.
2) Willing participants who are greedy and only see the tunnel of light for themselves.
3) THE Reseller, of course, for using the resell value of tech products as if he's slanging up punany or designer drugs.
Seriously, someone needs to go Michael Douglas on these fools and teach some lessons. I can't wait for a real 'Falling Down' character to step up and make some national news one of these days. Our greedy, ignorant, sue-happy, take-a-pill-or-get-plastic-surgery-to-solve-all-my-problems nation needs it.
By the way, Bart Scott, you are not the only person who said, "Can't wait" so you fall into the description above, along with countless other ******s.
Yeah, it is fair for them to charge what they will. After all, they've invested in R&D, Industrial Design, Engineering and software to create it.
The Scalpers are merely parasites feeding off of a creature that is more creative and capable than they could ever be.
I have an original iPad, I'm in no hurry to grab an iPad 2. I'm saying something for the people who wanted one for themselves but couldn't buy one because some opportunistic worms crawled their way in and bought them all up. Clever businessmen my ass. Any idiot can exploit and gouge, it's not clever it's abhorrent and opportunistic.
but they did do something others couldn't do apparently...get their hands on an iPad 2, which is in limited supply. If that were easy or everyone could do it, then this conversation wouldn't be happening.
Or...if Apple really wanted to stop it from happening, they would launch when they have enough stock to fill demand. What is this like the five billionth time they've been through this? I'm sure they have some idea what projected number of buyers will be. It's not like this happens by accident every time...
Or...if Apple really wanted to stop it from happening, they would launch when they have enough stock to fill demand. What is this like the five billionth time they've been through this? I'm sure they have some idea what projected number of buyers will be. It's not like this happens by accident every time...
People are missing the point or this post. I'm not even talking about people that weren't even in line getting them. I'm talking about these resellers pushing people inline cutting other people when apple was inside setting up the iPad 2 displays. It's like one second I'm 28th in line I look around the corner to the front of the apple store and all of a sudden I'm 125th in line.
Also apple handled the launch terribly. They didn't pass out tickets consistently till the store was open. If they had handed the tickets out at 330-4pm all these people that jumped in line in front of other people at 445 would have been screwed.
Also apple handled the launch terribly. They didn't pass out tickets consistently till the store was open. If they had handed the tickets out at 330-4pm all these people that jumped in line in front of other people at 445 would have been screwed.
You pay your money, you take your choice.
You could have paid the guy at the front of the line $50 too - free market.
Not saying I'd want it to happen to me, but it's not like he was stealing iPads off people. Perfectly legal, perfectly 'fair'. I paid an extra couple of hundred bucks on ebay to guarantee my iPad - still cost me less than it will do in the UK, and I get it two weeks early - how 'fair' is that?!
Remember the original iPad launch - it was delayed by a couple of weeks overseas because the US snapped up more than expected, and Apple diverted stock to its home market. Not a million miles away from what this guy is doing, really. You can still order online; there are still ipads in store; and it's not medication, it's a device.
You could have paid the guy at the front of the line $50 too - free market.
Not saying I'd want it to happen to me, but it's not like he was stealing iPads off people. Perfectly legal, perfectly 'fair'. I paid an extra couple of hundred bucks on ebay to guarantee my iPad - still cost me less than it will do in the UK, and I get it two weeks early - how 'fair' is that?!
Remember the original iPad launch - it was delayed by a couple of weeks overseas because the US snapped up more than expected, and Apple diverted stock to its home market. Not a million miles away from what this guy is doing, really. You can still order online; there are still ipads in store; and it's not medication, it's a device.
Story on Hong Kong Gray market:
http://micgadget.com/11681/ipad-2-selling-at-crazy-prices-in-hong-kongs-gray-market/
http://micgadget.com/11681/ipad-2-selling-at-crazy-prices-in-hong-kongs-gray-market/
If you're a reseller - or if you're enabling a reseller to make a relatively slim profit yourself - you're a dick. Free market etc. etc. but you're totally a dick.
Yeah tell that to the other 100s of people that were yelling and screaming at this guy.
Why would they sell it for the cost it takes to make?? I would like to see you attempt to design an iPad, let us know how that works out for you. It's the brilliance behind creating the device that earns them the $500 minimum cost. What has the "scumbag" resellers done, besides wait in line, to compare to what apple has done for earning the money? There's a difference between the two comparisons.
There are differences, but the bottom line is the same. They are in it for a profit. Apple didn't set the price at what they thought would be 'fair' they set it a the price they thought they would get a maximum profit. They want your money- it's up to do you decide if what they offer is worth it or not. Same thing with the reseller. They did something you couldn't and can't, get an iPad at this exact moment in time. Whether it's because they got up and got in line before you, were rich enough to have extra money to blow, or whatever- they did something that others couldn't or didn't and that's why they are sitting where they are now.
For people that just don't get how the concept of supply and demand works, there's probably no helping you. For others that get it and just think it sucks or the people are dicks because you couldn't get one...I get it but just don't agree. Apparently apple doesn't either, since they could easily have done a better job meeting demand if they wanted to.