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Will people be reselling iPad 3's for $$$?

lupend88

lupend88

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 13, 2010
493
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Just curious. I have the iPad 1 and I got it a few months after it released, so I have never dealt with the whole release day excitement.

Do people try to 'flip' the iPad? Meaning buy it just to resell it for a profit? If so, how much profit do they make?
 
bwrairen said:
Yes, and they make a bundle.
Click to expand...

Yes, I didn't get a whole lot for my iPad 2 on eBay, so I am actually hoping that there will be shortages of them in the US. That way, I can pick some up at my local Apple store early in the morning and make a large profit before the day even begins! I don't mind losing sleep as I've gone skiing at Okemo with four fours of sleep and you can do whatever you like while waiting in line... basically getting paid to do nothing.
 
IIRC it started with the iPad, since then every iPad & iPhone released has been turned into a money maker.

If I line up for least three hours, buy two iPad 3's and sell it for profit. I can easily make at least $200 locally or more if I ship it but I'm not that guy.

This is why I think Apple should limit it to one per customer.
 
Last year I bought a pair of 64 GB AT&T iPad 2--one for me and another for my wife. Turns out her employer was buying her one so out of curiosity, I put it up on Craigslist to see was kind of responses I'd get. Long story short, was overwhelmed with responses within 15 minutes, sold the extra one for nearly $300 profit.

I wouldn't go out of my way to do it again because it's a bit nerve wracking not knowing what to expect with these sales (thankfully my buyer was a local sheriff) but I can see how people turn flipping iPads into a short term business venture and make a tidy little profit doing it.
 
You can make alot of money reseling the iPad. The problem is competition is going to be tough this year. If the news reports on day one there is a shortage you could double your money it all depends. It also depends on the models you get and how many people you bring in line with you. I have never paid for a hot electronic product in my life. I made money and got a free PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Kindle Fire (didn't keep junk), and HP Touchpad (didn't keep).

Now I have never bought more than three devices at one place. I do believe in give others the chance to get some as well.
 
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I didn't know that Apple let you buy 2 per person. So whats the harm in buying one personally and then buying a second to make some small cash for all the time you've spent waiting in line?
 
lupend88 said:
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I didn't know that Apple let you buy 2 per person. So whats the harm in buying one personally and then buying a second to make some small cash for all the time you've spent waiting in line?
Click to expand...

Because your reward for waiting in line is being able to buy one of the first iPads available. Your reward shouldn't be that you get one of the first iPads and also get to buy a second one to resell for a profit because all of the people in line behind you don't matter.

I generally hate resellers. It's the same with sneaker game. There will be limited edition shoes (meaning no restocks) that resellers will buy up and prevent people who just generally like and want the shoes from buying them.

I mean, what can you do? That's how things work. I just think it'd be nicer if lines were full of genuine fans of the products and not just trying to make a buck.
 
I will.

I am going to Europe the day after they go on sale (if I am to believe that Apple is following their previous pattern of iPad sales). I will flip them there :)

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maclook said:
Because your reward for waiting in line is being able to buy one of the first iPads available. Your reward shouldn't be that you get one of the first iPads and also get to buy a second one to resell for a profit because all of the people in line behind you don't matter.

I generally hate resellers. It's the same with sneaker game. There will be limited edition shoes (meaning no restocks) that resellers will buy up and prevent people who just generally like and want the shoes from buying them.

I mean, what can you do? That's how things work. I just think it'd be nicer if lines were full of genuine fans of the products and not just trying to make a buck.
Click to expand...

I'm a fan. Just trying to subsidize my purchases on the willingness of others to pay a premium over retail
 
SporkLover said:
I will.

I am going to Europe the day after they go on sale (if I am to believe that Apple is following their previous pattern of iPad sales). I will flip them there :)

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I'm a fan. Just trying to subsidize my purchases on the willingness of others to pay a premium over retail
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Beware, customs may try to tax you or something. They usually frown on that sort of thing.
 
lupend88 said:
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Just curious. I have the iPad 1 and I got it a few months after it released, so I have never dealt with the whole release day excitement.

Do people try to 'flip' the iPad? Meaning buy it just to resell it for a profit? If so, how much profit do they make?
Click to expand...

Most definitely.

Be prepared to see a bunch of them on ebay/forums/craigslist for above msrp.
 
in ny city last year the lines were filled with asians buying for syndicates selling ipads in the far east. the people in the lines get paid to buy as many as they can. the ny times wrote about the process.
 
maclook said:
Your reward shouldn't be that you [...] also get to buy a second one to resell for a profit because all of the people in line behind you don't matter. [...] prevent people [...] from buying them.
Click to expand...

Just for discussion's sake....

Every ipad ends up in the hands of someone who wants it, whether there's a reseller in the middle or not.

I understand the "fairness" point of view, though the counterpoint is that everyone behind you had the could have been ahead of you if they'd so chosen.

Plus let's boycott BestBuy & Target & Walmart -- they're resellers, and the true faithful line up at the Apple stores. If it weren't for the stock diverted to those resellers, the people at the end of the line at the Apple store wouldn't go away empty handed either.

FWIW, I'm not talking about the extreme examples seen last year of dozens of mules sent into line pushing people aside who were there earlier. Just talking about regular folks abiding by the rules.
 
I would go as far as to argue that individual persons who buy extra iPads to resell for profit are the reason there are shortages of iPads to begin with. They definitely contribute to the shortages. Think of it this way...

A group of 5 friends who aren't really interested in buying iPads for themselves decide they would like to use the new iPad as an opportunity to make some money. They all go together to the Apple store and each get 2 iPads. That is now 10 iPads that would have been in store available for purchase by customers who actually want the iPad but are now in the hands of these guys who are either going to A) sell locally on craigslist or B) sell on ebay. If they sell on ebay then the iPad can end up in another part of the country creating imbalance shortage or extra supply in parts of the country. Multiply this concept with the hundreds of asians who stood in line in New York and you get a shortage of iPads in that New York area and an influx of iPads wherever they shipped the iPads to.

Also consider that all of those people who buy the iPad to sell on ebay don't always sell the item right away. It could take a couple weeks to sell the item and so that means all of those thousands of iPads on ebay that could have been sold to customers who want them are just sitting there being unused until they finally do get sold. That means those thousands of people who would have had the iPad are still seeking to get an Ipad and continuing the shortage as they go out to any big box store that they hear is getting a shipment of iPads. The shortages can be even worse if individuals who resell the iPads continue to try and buy more when they also hear about big box stores getting shipments.
 
I am sure they will. I will order mine early from the store for delivery but I wish Apple would only sell one to a customer until supply reaches demand.
 
I know some friends who do this, about $100-$200 for each iPad or iPhone launch depending on if selling local or ebaying. It's odd that someone would pay that much more to have a device a couple of weeks earlier since if you wait, they'll be readily available at regular price.

I think this would be okay if you were selling to someone in a country that wasn't part of the inital launch and that case it would be a value-added service and sometimes with exchange rates it's priced similar.
 
From a moral standpoint, do we think there's a line somewhere?

There must be a difference between:
  • Organized groups that pile all their iPads into one van in exchange for $50 cash, before the ringleader ships them all off to Hong Kong
  • One tight-budgeted guy who waits in line all day/night for his iPad, and takes the opportunity to resell a second one to help cover the cost

I mean, we could analyze the morality of each of these parties all day long. But from a practical standpoint, isn't it easier to forgive that guy than it is to forgive the organized iPad flipping ring?
 
notjustgc said:
From a moral standpoint, do we think there's a line somewhere?
Click to expand...

It's certainly a basis for an interesting discussion. It's also definitely a place where the distinction between what's legal and what is "right" in terms of sense of community and sense of fair play come to light.

I think we can agree that line-jumping is wrong no matter what; where one line stander lets multiple people in front of them or a group just cuts the line as happened in the most egregious cases last year.

Where the distinction gets more subtle is between a person standing in line themselves to buy an ipad for resale vs. someone who pays another person to stand in line for them. By extension then what if a person pays multiple people to stand in line? This is the one where it's less clear.
 
notjustgc said:
From a moral standpoint, do we think there's a line somewhere?
There must be a difference between:
  • Organized groups that pile all their iPads into one van in exchange for $50 cash, before the ringleader ships them all off to Hong Kong
  • One tight-budgeted guy who waits in line all day/night for his iPad, and takes the opportunity to resell a second one to help cover the cost
Click to expand...

I'm willing to bet that that tight budgeted guy is doing better financially than the Chinese scalpers waiting in line. I mean, he's simply trying to pay for that iPad that he already bought. I doubt any of the Chinese scalpers get to keep an iPad.
 
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