Hi gang,
I am an Iphone freak – had it since it came out and you will have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. It sleeps gently next to me and my wife on an 800 thread count satin pillow at night (kidding! … ? ).
So I did the happy dance when Steve Jobs announced the 3G last week, and what’s not to love – 16GB, Faster internet, built in GPS, 3rd party apps up the wazoo, and $199.00 for the 8GB model!
Here’s the full Apple announcement:
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=40YW7Lco0og[/youtube]So, in true recent eBay fashion, they have of course thrown some water on the fire with this announcent:
June 12, 2008 | 04:15PM PST/PT
The following listing policy clarifications will be implemented effective immediately:
Apple iPhone 3G Pre-Sales are prohibited. This highly-anticipated device will be in high demand after the US release on July 11th, 2008. Prior to the release of similar high-demand electronics, we saw a high number of well-intentioned sellers unable to meet their pre-sale obligations to buyers due to restricted supply, as well as an increase in fraudulent listings for these items. To prevent similar problems with the iPhone 3G, eBay is prohibiting all pre-sales of this device.
Criteria for Apple iPhone 3G Post-Launch Sales. In order to continue to ensure protection for our Community after these items are made available by the manufacturer, the following requirements have been put in place for the sale of the iPhone:
- The listing must include a unique photograph of the item or items
- Your User ID must be clearly displayed within the photograph (watermarks will not be accepted).
- To ensure buyer protection, PayPal must be the only accepted form of payment
Sellers will also be notified of these requirements during the listing process when using the Sell Your Item form.
Bah, humbug, eBay.
I especially like the Paypal only requirement. That was a nice touch.
The Iphone 3G might be the hottest gadget all year. For a company who wants to become the “new, in season” merchant of choice, please explain to me how these restrictions fall under that goal.
Kevin
http://inflatablemadnessdvd.com
http://buybackmadness.com
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