Three weeks after its launch, the iPad 2 is still incredibly hard to obtain for some – while Chinese campers in New York City continue to sleep outside Apple Stores in order to make a quick buck reselling the device in their home country. A New York Times report reveals that some are making up to $400 a day.
Nick Bilton writes:
On Wednesday morning I stopped by the SoHo Apple store in New York City to purchase an iPad for a family member. As I had anticipated, a store clerk said they were out of stock and recommended that I check back the following morning. When I asked what time I should arrive, the clerk hesitated, looked around as if about to tell me a secret and said: “Well, do you see that group of people outside? They’re already here waiting for tomorrow’s shipment of iPads.”
I looked, and saw that outside the store sat a small group of Chinese men and women ready with camping chairs and apparently all the time in the world, preparing for a chilly night on New York’s streets as they waited to buy the iPad 2.
Bilton attempted to interview some of the campers outside the SoHo store, but most refused to answer his questions.
This kind of scheme has recently proven to be a popular money maker with Apple’s latest gadgets – with resellers exporting the iPhone all over the world after its launch and earning a tidy profit with each sale. However, due to the high demand of the iPad 2 and the struggle many are experiencing in trying to obtain the device, resellers are now becoming a huge frustration to genuine customers.
[via 9to5 Mac]
Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
29 responses to “Resellers Are Still Camping Out for the iPad 2”
Apple should limit and sell max. 1 iPad per person and also limit to 1 iPad/week on the same CC.
Problem solved.
When I bought my iPad 2 on launch day, my local Target store was limiting purchases to one iPad per person in line. If Target can figure out that’s fair, why can’t Apple?
umm, these people are paying in cash not credit cards. And last year there was a very big stink when they tried to stop or limit cash payments.
Ipad2 have great look with latest specifications from Apple. The people from all over the world are waiting for this incredible and latest product as the crowd of the given picture. They are searching on different online stores like eBay and Amazon but could not found. Online wholesalers and suppliers are also keeping on eyes to this product with optimistic hope about reselling of Ipad 2 soon. Your post is very helpful for all purchasers, wholesalers, retailers and distributors.
I thought Apple Stores only accepted CC’s and no cash.
no, they all accept cash. That issue made the news last year with the iPad 1 when a lady tried to buy one with cash but was turned away. She then was given one for free by someone high in the company after it made the news.
here is a link to the story from last May that caused Apple to change the no cash policy http://www.tomshardware.com/ne…
I saw these same people yesterday on my visit to the Apple SoHo store. My advice: buy online if you really want an iPad.
“This kind of scheme has recently proven to be a popular money maker with Apple’s latest gadgets – with resellers deporting the iPhone..”
de·port (d-pôrt, -prt)
tr.v. de·port·ed, de·port·ing, de·ports
1. To expel from a country.
2. To behave or conduct (oneself) in a given manner; comport.
I think the word you meant to use was exporting.
Of course! It was early when I wrote this. Thanks for your comment!
Apple does limit. Which is why the resellers hire patsies to go in and buy to the max (which is just two per person) for them. And they have them pay cash so there’s little tracking they can do. If they try to record ID numbers someone will sue as a privacy issue. If they try to stop taking cash they will get another media attack like last year even though they were totally in their legal rights not to take anything they wish including cash.
They tried reservations in the past and it was a nightmare so I can’t see them doing that again. They are legally allowed to refuse service to anyone but if they do that on the resellers it will be a PR nightmare because someone will point out that 95% of the folks they are refusing to sell to are Asian and Apple is racist. Basically they can’t win.
The best they could do or have done is if folks in the area started filing complaints about the crowds camping out all day and night as a noise issue, blocking sidewalks or whatever. Basically anything they can think of to make the cops come and tell them to leave. If they can’t line up until say 6am each day, it makes it harder for them to get to the front to guarantee they will get even one and perhaps some of them will give up
“However, due to the high demand of the iPad 2 and the struggle many are experiencing in trying to obtain the device, resellers are now becoming a huge frustration to genuine customers.”
Now becoming a huge frustration!!!!….They’ve been a huge frustration for a long time now. This reseller tactic has been used for me years now with all the big tech products. I’ve never cared for resellers one bit.
People like me who are actually going to use the product unfortunately now have to wait weeks, if not months before we can get our hands on it. This is if we choose to go the retail route.
This is why I don’t buy retail anymore and I shop online via Apple Online Store.
yet haven’t you figured out the fact that most of the people who were lining up were asians. don’t you know that ipad 2’s have yet to come in China and HK and wherever?
Let me get this straight people are actually paying other people to sit in line all day and all night to get an iPad??!!! I’m so all over this. To anyone interested I’ll gladly sit in a lineup all day and all night if need be for the rock bottom price of 15 dollars per hour. All interested parties please email me at [email protected]. I shall start taking prospective clients names down immediately. :)
I apologize, lucascott, I wasn’t clear in my comment. I believe Apple should limit sales to one per person. The buyer could always go back to the end of the line but that would make it twice as tough for the resellers to obtain their product.
You have a lot of great points about why Apple can’t control the resellers. It’s a challenging situation. I’m hoping that supply will increase so that the frustration doesn’t continue for the average consumers.