eBay restricted sales of the Apple iPhone in a policy similar to last year's restrictions of Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii consoles. eBay had banned pre-sales of the iPhone over concerns that sellers would be unable to fulfill orders due to restricted supply. Post-launch sales restrictions include requiring sellers to accept PayPal exclusively on all iPhone transactions.
The iPhone, Apple's product that combines an iPod with a cell phone, goes on sale today, and people have been lining up all week at retail stores to be one of the first to get their hands on the device.
eBay's June 8th announcement about the iPhone sales policy stated that prior to the release of similar high-demand electronics, it had seen 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, eBay is prohibiting all pre-sales of this device."
In addition, eBay is imposing post-launch restrictions on iPhone sales. Sellers must comply with the following rules in order to sell iPhones after they go on sale:
- The listing must include a unique photograph of the item or items
- The seller's 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
eBay said sellers would be notified of the requirements during the listing process when using its Sell Your Item listing form.
The iPod remains a popular item on eBay, and sellers have capitalized on the gadget's popularity, including selling iPod accessories. It is likely eBay sellers will be looking this summer for suppliers of iPhone accessories to sell during the upcoming holiday shopping season. The New York Times' David Pogue said iPhone works with some iPod accessories and, "starting soon, iPhone-compatible iPod products will bear a "works with iPhone" logo"
(http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/technology/circuits/28pogue.html).
A search on eBay on Friday morning for the term iPhone brought back 2169 results, including holsters and cases. A search on eBay Stores revealed 2172 items for sale, and a search on eBay Express brought back 3 listings with iPhone in the title.
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200706081310112.html
