Scalpers only add 200, iPhone 15 for sale: live long queues
At 8:00 am on September 22nd, the new Apple iPhone 15 series was officially launched for sale. At the Apple flagship store on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai, hundreds of consumers have already lined up outside the door to pick up their phones, with a queue time generally exceeding 20 minutes.
The crowd queuing outside the Apple Nanjing East Road store to buy a phone
A reporter from Pengpai News asked multiple consumers, and most of them bought the iPhone 15 Pro Max, while a small number bought the iPhone 15 Pro. Consumers who bought the regular version of iPhone 15 were relatively few.
According to Apple's new phone release convention, within three days of after-sales service, only consumers who have successfully made a reservation during the previous pre-sale can receive the new phone, and customers who have not made a reservation on the same day cannot directly enter the store to make a purchase.
Around noon, there were about 100 people queuing outside the Apple Pudong Lujiazui store to pick up their phones. The Apple store staff said that the queue situation is similar to last year.
Shop assistants communicate using sign language
Nanjing East Road store hired DJ
And with the help of celebrities
On the first day of sale, Apple's Shanghai Nanjing East Road store also hired a DJ to create an atmosphere for the fruit fans queuing up. On that day, there were also celebrities coming to assist.
Apple Vice President and Greater China Managing Director Ge Yue also visited the Nanjing East Road store to interact with fruit fans. Ge Yue told a reporter from Pengpai News that there was a high flow of people in the store today, and voice communication between staff was not very smooth. Simple sign language was introduced for communication. When the clerk raises the "like" gesture, it indicates that he can serve the next customer. When the clerk raises his arm and extends his fingers, it indicates that he can collect the next batch of machines.
Ge Yue said that these gestures were originally used for communication with people with hearing impairments, but now they are more widely used, making communication more efficient.
Ge Yue, Vice President of Apple and Managing Director of Greater China, Visits Stores
The premium given by scalpers is not significant
Compared to previous years, there seem to be fewer scalpers outside Apple stores this year, and the premium for scalpers purchasing new phones is also decreasing.
Around 9 o'clock this morning, Apple encountered a scalper outside Nanjing East Road, who had already received 7 or 8 iPhones. The original 1TB version of iPhone 15 Pro Max from the scalper will be charged an additional 500 yuan for recycling, the 512G version will be charged an additional 400 yuan, and the 256G original iPhone 15 Pro will only be charged an additional 100 yuan. All other models will be "waiting" and will not be charged temporarily.
"I was originally here to pick up the machines and collect a few, but the market is not good this year. I just heard that if we sell them outside, we will only add 200 yuan, so I will only accept a few. If I overcharge, I will lose a lot," said the scalper.
In just a few minutes of communication with scalpers, the reporter from Pengpai News constantly received inquiries from consumers who had picked up their phones to inquire about resale prices. The scalper stated that they would not accept them for the time being. If the user is particularly interested in selling, a maximum markup of 100-200 yuan can be given.
However, some digital bloggers have also posted on social media that scalpers outside Apple stores in Shenzhen are willing to pay an additional 800-1000 yuan to acquire, and scalpers selling iPhone 15 Pro Max in 512GB original color will charge an additional 1800 yuan. Some digital bloggers have also expressed that Beijing scalpers are willing to add 800 yuan to the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year, which is lower than last year's 2600 yuan.
Overall, scalpers are cautious about speculating on the iPhone 15 series this year, and prices will be adjusted in real-time. What can be compared is that last year's iPhone 14 Pro had a dark purple color, and scalpers added a thousand yuan to the price.
The reporter from Pengpai News then went to Apple's Lujiazui store. Compared to the long queues during the morning rush hour at the Nanjing East Road store, the number of people coming to pick up the phone at the Lujiazui store during this period was slightly lower. The salesperson said that all users who have picked up their phones during this period today need to queue up, and other customers can enter the store to experience new products without queuing up.
A staff member in the store said that if a user who made a reservation did not come to pick up the machine today, the machine can be sold to users who did not make a reservation that day. "Scan the official website, if it shows that there is a machine, you can pick it up."
As of the time of publication on September 22nd, both iPhone 15 Pro series phones are currently out of stock in all Apple flagship stores in Shanghai. Ordering on the official website requires a waiting time of 4-5 weeks, while the standard version of iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus can be scheduled for pickup today.
