The Scalpers are out!

[camtechman56]

I was just on Ebay and see a number of ads for the Apple watch " pre-orders", got to love it! Now why would someone pay a higher price just because it is on ebay? I know you could dehydrated water on ebay if you market it good enough: "dehydrated water, just add water and sooth your thirst"

What do you think about scalping?

 

[mattopotamus]

As someone who "scalped" a PS3 years ago, it was the easiest money I have ever made. I wasn't planning on selling it, but made $1500 b.c the stock was so limited.

To each their own. If you really want the product, you won't need to worry about scalpers.

 

[ardchoille50]

Now why would someone pay a higher price just because it is on ebay?

"A fool and his money are soon parted"

 

[Newtons Apple]

Guess these auction would not be there if no one was buying into it.

Just like a complete stranger from Nigeria wanting to give you 5 million dollars!

 

[5105973]

Interesting, as I just came from a thread where people were angsting a bit over the fact nobody they know and love is even aware of the Apple Watch or cares to hear about it.

It's like feast or famine as far speculation on the future prospects of this product are concerned. Either nobody will give a hoot on launch day and it will die an embarrassing but quiet death while people stick to their Fitbits or look down their noses at wearable tech altogether while lovingly polishing their Rolexes...or it will be so desirable demand will crash the servers and scalpers will become rich and bring in enough dough to buy the Gold Edition watch if they wanted to.

Lol at EBay. I see weird stuff on there all the time that gets people on various forums up in arms. It's an interesting marketplace to say the least.

 

[refslady]

There is a Sport Watch selling for $540 on eBay. I would guess, and HOPE, that the 14 bidders are people in non-1st wave countries who are willing to pay the premium just to have the watch before their release date.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

It's a free market. If a "scalper" can make decent bucks after eBay fees good for them. It only means the product was underpriced or the buyer is a fool. I suspect the resale market for AW will be quite shallow b/c it's not underpriced.

 

[Multiverse223]

It's a free market. If a "scalper" can make decent bucks after eBay fees good for them. It only means the product was underpriced or the buyer is a fool. I suspect the resale market for AW will be quite shallow b/c it's not underpriced.

Supply and demand.

 

[Presonance]

I'll admit it, when I was in college I bought an iPad and sold it on eBay to a guy in Dubai for $2000. I needed the money and didn't have time for a second job. Eventually saved up enough to buy myself a used iPad. Scalping works (sometimes).

 

[Voragon]

Want it but if out of stock...

Well I want one and will pre order online if I can .... But if scalpels suck up the inventory then I will wait until Apple has inventory .... I want this one directly from Apple.

 

[mjs402]

Guess these auction would not be there if no one was buying into it.

Just like a complete stranger from Nigeria wanting to give you 5 million dollars!

What!? He told me it was all mine!

 

[Wallabe]

I wouldn't think it's anyone selling to China. Apple is launching it over there at the same time.

It's just your typical initial supply and demand profit. It goes out of stock and they sell it for twice the price or more.

Ethical? It's not nice to sell it more than it's price tag, but then the buyer who pays for it is willing to pay the price. To each their own.

 

[Foggydog]

The 6 plus was selling for 2,000 dollars when it first came out in the Philippines. To bad I couldn't get in line and buy 10 of them and then fly to Manilla.

 

[Aces2412]

All is fair

If I take the time to, wake up, call in at 3:01am on the 10th and go pick it up on the 24th, i will first check eBay prior to opening the box to see if its worth selling it on eBay. The value of $$ is different for everyone and some wealthy person wants the new AW now and is upset they are sold out may look on ebay and buy it for well over the value.

 

[Flow39]

NOOOOOOOOOOO! I hate scalpers!

 

[megatron2000]

The 6 plus was selling for 2,000 dollars when it first came out in the Philippines. To bad I couldn't get in line and buy 10 of them and then fly to Manilla.

I doubt you would return in one piece. #

 

[Network33]

I wouldn't worry to much about the ebay AW preorder sellers, out of the 100 SOLD items I looked at searching for apple watch, most are generic smart watches about 12 are AW pre-orders. 3-4 items were sold and re-listed for some reason (buyer not paying).

The highest I saw was $549+ lowest $430 for the 42mm, after ebay fees that's a whooping $45 bucks profit! not enough to buy a sport band.. at $430 your losing up to $60. This is before shipping with Signature conformation ($2.35) and proper shipping insurance ($8 for $431) USPS medium Flat box $11.30+$2.35+$8=$21.65 shipping

Yes, we don't know if or how long any wait could be if the supplies are limited so that price could go up.

my math AW Sport 42mm 399.00 x .08 ($31.92 California Sales Tax) = $430.92

I don't see it being worth the time, it's going to be hard enough to buy one at 12:01, let alone buy multiple AW for resale.

Has anyone read that Apple is going to limit the number of watches you can order on 4/10? I've read some people are buy 2 one for them and another for (BF/GF/Wife)

I may buy two because like many I'm still undecided on 38mm/42mm, Space grey or Silver Aluminum.

 

[Presonance]

I wouldn't worry to much about the ebay AW preorder sellers, out of the 100 SOLD items I looked at searching for apple watch, most are generic smart watches about 12 are AW pre-orders. 3-4 items were sold and re-listed for some reason (buyer not paying).

The highest I saw was $549+ lowest $430 for the 42mm, after ebay fees that's a whooping $45 bucks profit! not enough to buy a sport band.. at $430 your losing up to $60. This is before shipping with Signature conformation ($2.35) and proper shipping insurance ($8 for $431) USPS medium Flat box $11.30+$2.35+$8=$21.65 shipping

Yes, we don't know if or how long any wait could be if the supplies are limited so that price could go up.

my math AW Sport 42mm 399.00 x .08 ($31.92 California Sales Tax) = $430.92

I don't see it being worth the time, it's going to be hard enough to buy one at 12:01, let alone buy multiple AW for resale.

Has anyone read that Apple is going to limit the number of watches you can order on 4/10? I've read some people are buy 2 one for them and another for (BF/GF/Wife)

I may buy two because like many I'm still undecided on 38mm/42mm, Space grey or Silver Aluminum.

The limit is usually 2 per CC.

 

[MH01]

Just another apple launch. The scalpers better hope supplies are limited

 

[Piggie]

NOOOOOOOOOOO! I hate scalpers!

I agree, but in reality they are no worse than most business people we buy from every day.

Get something made in the USA for $10, sell it to you for $50.

Kick the USA worker out on their ass, get it made in china for 50 cents, and still sell it to you for $50.



Sell a bunch of flowers every day for $20
It's mothers day tomorrow, I know everyone is desperate for flowers, so let's raise the price of the same bunch to $40



Sugar is in short supply the news says, I sell sugar. I know people are going to be coming in and buying up sugar so they don't run out, so let's raise the price of my bags of sugar from $1 to $3


Humans screw other humans over to make money for themselves.
It's the way of the world (esp our capitalist world we live in here)


So yes, I hate those who buy up stuff and put on Ebay for twice the amount, but I also accept that's what everyday business people do all day long.
We just don't really see them doing it so obviously.

 

[maflynn]

Its one of the attributes we have to live with a free market. As long as Apple has in place controls so scalpers don't buy up all the inventory, I don't really care what they do (not that I'm going to buy an apple watch)

 

[Piggie]

I'll tell you now the biggest and I mean the BIGGEST thing that grates on me re this.....

It's when there is a super sale on at a store, and the store employees buy up all the best bargains before the public has even got a chance, or they give money to a friend and get the friend to buy them all up, perhaps holding things back for their friend.

THAT I think should be stopped, and I'm sure it's not allowed in some stores.

 

[bbeagle]

Interesting, as I just came from a thread where people were angsting a bit over the fact nobody they know and love is even aware of the Apple Watch or cares to hear about it.

Same with the PS4 launch. Some of my friends REALLY needed it, some didn't care a hoot. But you could see that supply of the PS4 was still well under demand.

Same thing with the Apple Watch. It truly feels that are more people who feel the need to get one than there is supply. If only 5% of Apple users want it, the demand will outstrip supply.

So, 19 out of 20 Apple users you talk to will NOT want the watch, but the watch will STILL be hard to get. And Apple will STILL sell more smart watches than every other competitor.

So that's why the scalpers are out - to make money from this demand.

 

[Piggie]

I know I should not be cynical

But I still think, for worldwide Public PR Reasons, Apple will, if needed, balance supply with demand.

Even if they have 50 million made, they won't release them all, so that all sores has a mass of stock any no one every runs out.
This will look, to the media/press as though demand was lower than expected, loads sitting on the shelves unsold.

Likewise, they don't want thousands of customers walking away unable to buy them, when the actually do have more, being deliberately held back in warehouses somewhere.

Ideally you would want to balance it just about right, so it looks like they are in short supply, due to "amazing sales, better than expected" and yet, no so short you upset customers too much.

If this really is controlled in this way I don't know.
But seeing how much time, effort and money Apple have put into this new category launch, and how much they REALLY don't want it to look like a flop, whatever the demand, having such a strategy in place would not surprise me at all.

After all, this is what supermarket food stores do all the time, they keep stock fresh in storage, and only release it to stores as and when needed.

Hence, the cynic in me, suspects that supplies will be tight, and sales will be better than expected (the public shall be told later) irrespective of how many are actually made/sold.