iPhone Duo Scalpers Use AI Bots to Snap Up Restocked Units
Scalpers are reportedly using AI bots to watch for iPhone Duo stock and buy within seconds, with some units listed on eBay at twice the retail price.
Scalpers are using AI bots to monitor stock of Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, and buy units the moment they reappear, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Some of those units are already showing up on auction sites such as eBay at around double the retail price.
People who got a Duo on launch day were lucky. Those who hesitated can still order one, but delivery now stretches to the end of January next year or later. Stock does occasionally return when orders are cancelled, and that is exactly the window the bots are built to exploit.
Gurman says buyers around the world are running the automated tools. Some genuinely want a phone for themselves or family as early as possible, but most, he indicates, are reselling.
Supply was tight from the start
The Duo was hard to get even during the pre-order period, and calls for higher production were already circulating before launch. Some reports claim Apple deliberately planned supply below demand, and that it is concentrating units on the US and China, where strong sales are expected. Getting one right after launch is reportedly far harder than with earlier Apple products.
According to Gurman, 80 percent of the units prepared for launch day went to stores, while the other 20 percent covered shipments and in-store pickup. Some buyers leave online purchasing to bots while waiting in person outside Apple Stores from the morning.
What comes next
Walking in and finding a Duo by chance is now a rare outcome, though the Gizmodo Japan editorial team says it managed exactly that on launch day. With the year-end shopping season approaching, the number of people hunting restocks with automation may grow, which could keep resale prices elevated.
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