China’s iPhone scalpers and Apple staff have not always seen eye to eye and conflicts between the 2 have often ended in violence, however the passing of Steve Jobs has been enough for the two sides to make a short peace.
Scalping the latest products in China is extrememly common. The problem is that China gets most new iPhones or iPads a few months after the rest of the world. This extended wait and the thirst for Apple devices has created a lucrative business for scalpers who buy more than one iOS device then resell it at an inflated cost to those waiting to buy theirs.
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Scuffles and smashed stores have ensued with bad feelings held on both sides of the fence.
Last week though the bitterness was put behind them when a scalper in Beijing left a bouquet of flowers with the following note:
“Preceded by nobody and duplicated by none”
Signed “A Scalper”
The quote is from a seventh century Chinese poem.
Within in the next month or so we expect to see the cat and mouse game between Applestores and iPhone scalpers to continue as the iPhone 4S is sure to draw large crowds once ‘officially’ released in China.