It would be a while before Apple launches iPhone 5 in the country. However, online firms are doing brisk business, with customers flocking to the ‘grey’ market in cyberspace.
“You can call it a grey market. We have sold more than 100 phones on Friday itself,” said Ayush Trivedi, founder and chief executive officer of Bhaap.com, a Bangalore-based online shopping store.
Apple, which had started selling the gadget on September 21 in the US and European markets, is set to bring it to India with a lag of about three months. However, if the handset is a failure in these countries, it could be brought within a month. According to reports, iPhone 5 is doing well in these markets.
Trivedi said he was selling a “legitimate” iPhone 5, with Apple’s warranty and at prices starting from Rs 51,000 (for 16 GB). “This is a promotional offer. We opened sales at 10 a.m. on Friday, and this would only last for 24 hours or till the stocks last. This is to create an awareness and increase sales,” he said.
eBay is also selling iPhone 5. The e-tailer says it is just providing a platform for people to sell these phones.
“Sensing the demand, soon after the launch of the iPhone 5 in the West, eBay India entrepreneurs listed the phone with attractive pricing and saw a healthy traction with more than 55 handsets sold in a span of five days,” said Abhimanyu Lal, Head (Category Management), eBay India. Different models of the product are available in prices ranging from Rs 39,000 to Rs 99,000.
A Kolkata-based seller with the ID ‘merawireless’ has already sold 52 pieces of the 16 GB version for between Rs 57,000 and Rs 59,000. He still has 17 pieces on offer on eBay, but they come without warranties.
“A lot is riding on the success of the latest iPhone, and there's no doubt that the new iPhone will indeed be successful. However, the degree of success depends on the uptake of the product much beyond the realm of Apple fans. The ban on Samsung products might be a shot-in-the-arm for the Cupertino-headquartered company, but real success depends on the new iPhone being revolutionary rather than simply evolutionary,” said Abhishek Chauhan, Senior Consultant, ICT Practice, Frost & Sullivan South Asia & Middle East, in a report.