In most cases, you'd expect a brand new Apple device to be worth less than you paid for once you leave the store, at least after you've passed the 14-day return period. You'd also expect companies buying in bulk to pay significantly less than retail.
But one of the largest resellers in the business tells us that neither of those claims is true, and that it's currently selling wholesale quantities of the iPhone 16 at above retail price …
B-Stock describes itself as the world's largest business-to-business reseller of returns and excess inventory. The company sells many iPhone 16 models to wholesale buyers, and tells us that it can currently demand and receive 1.5% more than retail price.
The company says it last saw this phenomenon with the iPhone 12, and there are four possible explanations for the price premium.
Four Reasons Why the iPhone 16s Is Selling for More Than Retail
First, while some iPhone 16 models are available for immediate pickup today at many Apple stores, there are some configurations that require a longer wait. In some parts of the world, the delay is long enough that some are willing to pay more for immediate delivery.
Second, in many countries, the retail price is significantly higher than in the US due to high import taxes. Technically, used phones – even if they are sold on day one in the original unopened packaging – may be subject to lower duty rates. So there is significant demand for them in regions like Asia, South America, and the Middle East.
Third, the same may apply in the US. All US states offer some level of tax breaks for wholesale transactions, so it may be cheaper for a business to buy in bulk at a small markup than to pay retail and be subject to the full sales tax rate.
Finally, there are resellers willing to pay full retail price or more to get early stock. This is because they can take a modest loss on the sale of the hardware in order to profit from add-ons like insurance and phone plans.
Older iPhones Still Selling Well Today
B-Stock also reports that the last model to benefit from this effect, the iPhone 12, continues to sell well today.
Used iPhone 12 prices remain high: the generations that came after the 12 gave consumers few compelling reasons to upgrade, given that they were all very similar to the iPhone 12 in terms of features and form factor.
The iPhone 13, however, is the top seller on the used market, with the Pro Max model particularly popular.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is selling in bulk for up to 74% of its original retail price, and B-Stock says that value hasn't been affected by the iPhone 16 launch.
Photo: Semyon Khrozyan on Unsplash
