In an interesting turn of events, ebay sellers are already selling yet to be released Apple iPhones. There are two auctions ending here shortly, one is currently at $1,375, and another ending late tonight (or early tomorrow, depending on where you are), is at $1,000. While I have no problem with sellers selling yet to be released products, I do have a problem with the idiots paying 2 to 3 times what they would pay if they just wait a few days.

Ebay has a good policy concerning selling items before they are released:

The seller must guarantee that the item will be available for shipping within 30 days from the date of purchase (i.e., the day the listing ends or the date the item is purchased from a store front listing). The seller must also clearly indicate within the listing the fact that the item is a pre-sale item with a delivery date that indicates the item will be shipped by the 30th day from the end date of the listing.

Apple has announced that the iPhone would be released in June sometime (the seller of the auctions says it will be June 12). So, assuming it will be released on June 12, those who paid $1,400 for their iPhone have to wait a day or two for it to be shipped to them, while I can drive down to my local Apple Store and pick one up for suggested retail. I can understand overpaying for an item that is impossible to find, I have done so myself. I ended up buying a Wii on ebay after trying to find one for weeks.

If you are dying to buy an iPhone, check out the ebay auctions. I might suggest you wait a few weeks and check on availability, really shouldn’t be a big deal to find one.

Popularity: 58% [?]