Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Will the scalpers be back out?

mikethebigo

mikethebigo

macrumors 68020
Original poster
May 25, 2009
2,433
1,597
Many of you probably remember the scalper situation with the iPad 2 launch. I can't help but wonder if they will be there again dominating lines, or whether there's no market for it this year. It seems to me that Apple is launching with a much larger stock of phones than the iPad 2 stock they had at launch.

What do you think, will it be the same thing all over again? Or will preorders and larger launch stock reduce their numbers significantly?
 
Why of course they will!

There are people here already asking how many they can buy at the store.

It will be the same unless Apple has something up their sleeve.
 
The iPad isn't locked in with a contract hence why people were able to get them and mostly sell them overseas for Markets that were getting them later or just desperate people domestically. The iPhone locks you into a 2 year commitment which incurs a heavy ETF from all carriers this year around so I doubt the scalpers will exist in the same type of numbers. You will still get the people trying to sell them for $800+ but for a lot of people it's not worth losing an upgrade to make a few hundred only to have to pay full price down the road. Myself included.
 
I doubt the scalpers will anything like the ipad 2 debacle.
I am sure there will be some though (just not the same kind) .... there are a LOT of people in other (read non USA) countries who would rather not wait for a few more weeks or months for the phone to come to them. i think the mass pre order and more stock will help some though!

Also a big thing is that people have to tie a phone to their account ... so scalpers cant pay someone to buy a few extra without signing a contract, and people wont want to be signing contracts like that.

remember with ipad 2 they could pay people to buy an extra and walk away, had every ipad 2 required a 2 year committment, it would have been a totally different ball game.
 
Of course there will be :p

I wonder how many people will actually be taking advantage of Apples "two per customer" policy in order to eBay the second device to help pay for the first? :rolleyes:
 
It really isn't the same situation at all with contracts, subsidized costs, upgrades, etc.

iPads were free standing commodities
iPhones are not
 
I don't know, I want my iPhone 4s, looking very much forward to it... but if someone offered me a grand for it, I'd let go of it in a heartbeat.
 
Here's the deal: LCD Soundsystem ends his long and adored by fans of the series of nine, and had planned to go out with a bang at Madison Square Garden
 
At least apple is trying. No unlocked phones til nov allowing preorders and super quick international roll out.
 
Thinking about this, all of a sudden I think I might just sell my 4S for $800 or $900 bucks, buy an old EVO 4G, and pocket a butt load of profit.
 
When do you think I'll be able to walk into the local AT&T store and buy a 4s? Are we talking days, weeks, months? I have to muddle around with the plan and such, so I need to actually buy it in a store face to face with an actual human being. Not really in a hurry, but now I'm kind of itching to get it just because! :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back