Apple is yet to officially announced the iPhone 6 and yet several online sellers in China have already started taking preorders for the next generation smartphones. China is one of the most lucrative markets in the world as smartphone adoption there grows whereas it reaches a saturation point in the West. Which is why a lot of companies are focusing on this crucial market, Apple being one of them. These online sellers require people to pay a deposit in order to secure a unit when the iPhone 6 finally comes out later this year.
One big issue that Apple faces down in China is the gray market. It gets flooded with units when the device launches and customers who can’t get one through an Apple Store then turn towards unofficial sellers. Scalping is also a major concern as we have seen people paying folks to purchase units from Apple stores which they then sell in the open market once stock runs out.
Over thirty sellers on Alibaba’s Taobao marketplace are taking preorders for the iPhone 6, with some asking for deposits that range from 500 Yuan to 7,999 Yuan, that’s roughly $60 to $1,288. One seller claimed that the iPhone 6 will be released on September 20th and that the 4.7-inch model will cost 5,288 Yuan or $850.
Some of these sellers are bound to turn over a tidy profit with what they’re charging for Apple’s new smartphones. Though last year Apple tried its best to ensure that customers in China could get units through its stores, the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were launched in China the same time they went on sale in the U.S.
It is likely to go down this road again this time around but once that initial stock sells out, everyone knows where the customers are going to turn to.
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