Best Buy Stops Selling Unactivated iPhones After Backlash Over $100 Premium

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Posted October 31, 2017 at 10:52pm by iClarified

Best Buy has stopped selling unactivated iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices following customer backlash over the company's pricing.

Best Buy was charging a $100 premium to customers who wanted to purchase the iPhone without a carrier plan. The company claimed flexibility 'has a cost'. Essentially, it was charging customers to offset payments it receives from carriers for selling a device already set up to work on their network.

Not satisfied with the damage to its PR, Best Buy has decided that rather than settling for the profit from selling a full price unactivated iPhone, it will just deny customers the flexibility.

"Although there was clearly demand for the un-activated iPhone X, selling it that way cost more money, causing some confusion with our customers and noise in the media," Best Buy spokeswoman Danielle Schumann said. "That’s why we decided a few days ago to only sell the phone the traditional way, through installment billing plans."

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Best Buy Stops Selling Unactivated iPhones After Backlash Over $100 Premium

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PaulieP - November 3, 2017 at 4:57pm

You can buy a $20,000 television and there's no restocking fee if the box is open and if you even used it for a week. If you buy an iPhone X, there's a $35 restocking fee if the plastic is removed regardless whether device was powered on at all. They say the manufacture charges them a restocking fee. I do not think Apple charges anyone a restocking fee considering they do not charge a restocking fee. Best Buy is really shady!

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Ps312 - November 2, 2017 at 2:31pm

Wowow big deal . Everything is marked up 50-60% to begin with.

radfan957 - November 1, 2017 at 10:33am

How does selling an unactivated iPhone cost them more? It’s actually less work to sell an unactivated iPhone. Mumbo jumbo psycho babble.

ChiefD - November 1, 2017 at 2:37pm

Its the cell phone business the way the U.S. does it. Phone re-sellers traditionally make between $100-$300 for updated phones and new lines and sometimes up to $600 for a competitive carrier move. The margin on the iPhone is dreadfully thin. Once you factor in the cost to procure, stock, and staff, and register the phone I wouldn't doubt if Best Buy actually lost money on each iPhone sold carrier unlocked for retail price. Apple doesn't even offer the iPhone X carrier unlocked currently for this reason.

Sprint User - November 1, 2017 at 7:13pm

Not true. Apple doesn't sell "carrier locked" phones any more. Most people confuse "unlocked" with "SIM-free." All iPhones sold by Apple are unlocked, INCLUDING the SIM-free version. You are correct, however, that the SIM-free version is not available at launch of the X. But guess what? Remove the SIM from the other four versions and they, too, are "SIM free." Verizon and Sprint models are also dual-band (another discussion).

Vang - October 31, 2017 at 11:46pm

I stopped doing business with said company years ago. I hope they crash and burn. I rather buy elsewhere. Plus it’s always a better deal everywhere else but at this company.