Hordes of people lucky enough to have secured pre-orders for the first iPhone 6 shipments are now flogging their prizes on eBay in a bid to rake in more than $1000 in profits.
Pre-orders for Apple's latest flagship smartphone opened at 5pm AEST on Friday. The order page on Apple's website was crashed under the heavy demand.
Two new iPhone 6 handsets were unveiled last week at a major event in Apple's home town of Cupertino, California.
One Australian eBay seller is advertising a 64GB iPhone 6 Plus – a larger "phablet" model at 5.5 inches – for $2400.
The eBay user says the willing buyer can collect the handset after Apple delivers it on September 19.
The same iPhone model is advertised at Apple's official online store for $1129, however shipping is listed as between three to four weeks, meaning it would only arrive mid-October.
The company could not comment on the quantity of handsets due to be shipped and released in Australia on September 19.
There were more than 175 Australian sellers listing various models of iPhone 6 on eBay at a premium to the official advertised prices on Monday.
While Apple has traditionally kept a tight grip on keeping its handset prices consistent among retailers such as mobile phone operators, there is little to stop individuals from profiting from market demand.
Though laws vary from state to state, some authorities and venues have measures in place to discourage scalpers profiting from the limited supply of tickets to registered events such as the AFL grand final and music concerts.
But Consumer Affairs Victoria said the iPhone 6 did not fit into this category as it was a product, not an event.
In Queensland, it is an offence to profit more than 10 per cent from the original price on the resale of tickets to events at certain sporting venues.
Ahead of iPhone 6 pre-orders going live, people had already begun paying extra for others to line up outside Apple stores across the globe, hoping to get their hands on the first shipments on release day.
Two people outside an Apple store in New York are reportedly minding spots for others for $US2500.
Head of media at consumer affairs group Choice, Tom Godfrey, warned people to think hard before paying through the nose for the iPhone 6.
"My understanding is that Apple has done a synchronised release, so our advice is it's better to wait," Mr Godfrey said.
"Apart from the fact that you're going to pay a high price, we also know that first-generation phones often come with a lot of bugs. So paying a premium for a buggy phone is not a great idea."
Mr Godfrey advised consumers not to get too caught up in the hype surrounding the new Apple products, and to weigh up other smartphones on the market.
"The Samsung Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8 are both great competitors to Apple and will come with a lot less bugs and a much smaller price tag," Mr Godfrey said.
Apple showcased two different models of iPhone – the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus – available in three different finishes and three different storage capacities (16GB, 64GB and 128GB).
The new handsets are priced between $869 for the smaller basic model to the top-of-the-range larger model at $1249.
The tech giant also unveiled a mobile payments system, Apple Pay, and its first smartwatch, the Apple Watch, due to be released early 2015 in the US.
Would you pay someone a commission to get the new iPhone? Tell us in the comments.
