eBay Sells 12,000 iPad 2s in First Two Weeks
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We all know that it’s currently nearly impossible to get Apple’s iPad 2 through any standard retail store. Best Buy, Target, Walmart and the Apple Stores continue to see demand easily outstrip the few dozen iPads that trickle in each day. If you hate the wait and want to land an iPad 2 faster, one option you have is to pay a premium and buy it on eBay.
The online marketplace was a hotbed of activity last year when the original iPad was released. This year is no different with thousands of sellers hawking iPad 2s at exorbitant prices to customers. So are people really willing to pay the premium prices sellers are charging on eBay? Lucky for us, eBay just released their iPad 2 sales numbers for the past two weeks and the answer is a resounding yes.
Nearly 12,000 iPads were sold on eBay within the first two weeks of the iPad 2 ‘s launch. The report shows that unlike last year, 65% of iPad 2s were sold here in the US vs only 35% for the original iPad. The most popular model was the 16GB WiFi iPad 2 which represents 30% of all iPad 2 sales on eBay. The 64GB 3G and the 32GB WiFi models were the second and third most popular models sold on eBay with a respective 23% and 17% of sales.
Customers don’t seem to mind the premium pricing and are happy to pay in order to secure a new iPad 2. The 16GB WiFi iPad averaged a premium of $198 above the normal retail price while the 64GB WiFi sold for a $264 premium. The 64GB 3G model had the biggest premium. The average price on eBay is $1,233 ; nearly a 50% premium over the standard retail price of $829.
John Locke would be tickled pink to see the rules of supply and demand in action with all of the iPad 2 sales on eBay.
[via cnet]
