In the crowded electronics markets of Shenzhen and on the second-hand platforms of China, the premium that resellers had attached to Apple's first foldable iPhone has begun to soften. The fever that followed the foldable's arrival, with pre-orders gone in minutes and delivery dates pushed into the following year, is giving way to the familiar cooling that follows any scarcity. Analysts see the episode as a reminder that a novelty's early glow tends to fade once buyers hold the object and discover its flaws, and that a high price quietly filters out many who once wanted it. Whether Apple can tu
Apple's iPhone Duo Premiums Collapse in China's Scalper Market as Early Reviews Sour
Cheaper to resell, still hard to find
Mark
Why do scalper prices matter here? It's a resale market, not Apple's own sales.
Mimi
They're a real-time read on demand. The 1TB black model went from over 25,000 yuan to 24,300 yuan in three days, and some base models on Idle Fish are only 300 yuan above retail.
Luke
Worth saying the evidence is thin: one named vendor, surnamed Shen, plus listings the report describes as numerous. That's not a full market survey.
Mark
And the cause? Reviews?
Mimi
The article links the slowdown to complaints about hinges, screen fractures and apps not yet adapted to the wider inner screen.
Luke
Linked, yes, but not proven. Early social media complaints are anecdotes, and we don't have failure rates. Scalper premiums also naturally shrink once the initial rush passes.
Mark
Yet Counterpoint says demand is in line with expectations.
Mimi
Right, and Ivan Lam also expects China sales to taper after a month or two because of the price.
Luke
Both are forecasts. IDC's 10 million units and 31 per cent share are estimates, not results.
Mark
So what's the real constraint?
Mimi
IDC says supply. Delivery dates are already into early next year, and Shen says inventory is still tight.
Il Polso
- A 1TB iPhone Duo that sold above 25,000 yuan at launch has been marked down to 24,300 yuan by Shenzhen vendors, signaling a crack in reseller confidence.
- Early owners are posting complaints about fragile hinges and cracking screens, while apps lag behind the phone's wider inner display.
- Sold-out pre-orders and delayed deliveries have pushed buyers into the grey market, where Idle Fish listings are undercutting weekend prices.
- Counterpoint expects China demand to taper within a month or two, and IDC warns that supply bottlenecks could cool momentum further.
- Apple must now get devices into hands fast and win over skeptical buyers before the premium market fades.
In the crowded electronics markets of Shenzhen and on the second-hand platforms of China, the premium that resellers had attached to Apple's first foldable iPhone has begun to soften. The fever that followed the foldable's arrival, with pre-orders gone in minutes and delivery dates pushed into the following year, is giving way to the familiar cooling that follows any scarcity. Analysts see the episode as a reminder that a novelty's early glow tends to fade once buyers hold the object and discover its flaws, and that a high price quietly filters out many who once wanted it. Whether Apple can turn its supply constraints into a steady, lasting presence in a niche market remains an open question.
On Monday, a vendor named Shen at Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei market cut the price of a black 1TB iPhone Duo by 2,800 yuan, bringing it to 24,300 yuan from more than 25,000 at its Friday launch. The reduction drew more customers asking for quotes, though Shen says stock remains tight and the phones are still hard to come by. The same softening appeared on Idle Fish, the Alibaba-owned second-hand platform, where many listings fell 1,000 to 2,000 yuan below opening-weekend prices.
The frenzy began when pre-orders for Apple's first foldable, a passport-style device, opened on October 16 and sold out within minutes. Delivery estimates then slipped into early next year, and resellers filled the gap. Over the weekend the excitement cooled as early adopters complained online about fragile hinges, screen fractures and apps that had not yet adjusted to the wider inner screen.
Analysts are measured in their reading. Counterpoint's Ivan Lam said initial demand in China and elsewhere matched expectations, but warned that enthusiasm will fade once early buyers have their devices and that high prices have already deterred many potential customers. IDC, meanwhile, expects Apple to ship 10 million units in the first year and to lead the foldable market, but its analysts identify production bottlenecks as the main obstacle. As IDC's Francisco Jeronimo put it, Apple's immediate task may be less about convincing people the device is worth it than about getting it into their hands.
The coming month or two will show whether scalper premiums keep sliding as supply improves, and whether complaints about hinges and software spread beyond the first wave of buyers.
On Monday, a vendor surnamed Shen at Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei electronics market lowered the price of a black iPhone Duo with 1 terabyte of storage, one of the most sought-after configurations. The mark-up came down by 2,800 yuan, about 14,000 baht, leaving an asking price of 24,300 yuan. When the phone reached shelves on Friday, the same model had been going for more than 25,000 yuan.
The cut did what vendors hope a cut will do. Shen said noticeably more customers were asking for quotes once word spread that mark-ups were falling. Inventory, Shen added, remains tight, so the phones have not become easy to find even as they become cheaper to buy from a reseller.
The same pattern showed up online. On Idle Fish, also known as Xianyu and China's largest second-hand trading platform, many iPhone Duo listings on Monday were priced 1,000 to 2,000 yuan below opening-weekend offers. Some base models were selling at premiums as low as 300 yuan over Apple's official retail price. Idle Fish is operated by Alibaba Group Holding, which also owns the South China Morning Post.
The starting point was a frenzy. Pre-orders for Apple's first foldable smartphone, a passport-style device, opened on October 16 and sold out across Apple's official channels within minutes. Estimated delivery dates slid into early next year, which is the gap scalpers fill.
Momentum slowed over the weekend. Early adopters went to social media to complain about fragile hinges and screen fractures. Others reported app compatibility problems, with many platforms still updating their interfaces for the phone's wider inner screen.
Analysts are reading the episode with some restraint. Ivan Lam, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said initial demand in China, the world's largest market for foldable phones, and in the rest of the world was in line with expectations. He cautioned that enthusiasm should fade once early buyers have their devices in hand. Because of the premium pricing, he said, sales momentum in China will taper off rapidly after the first month or two. The high price has already screened out potential buyers, he added, and foldables remain a niche segment.
Research firm IDC, in a report last week, estimated Apple would ship 10 million iPhone Duos worldwide in its first 12 months. It projected the company would capture 31 per cent of the global foldable market this year, and lead in both shipment volume and revenue by next year. IDC named production bottlenecks as Apple's biggest near-term hurdle. Francisco Jeronimo, IDC's vice-president for worldwide client devices, wrote that if supply falls short or delivery times run too long, customer frustration builds and early momentum cools. Apple's short-term challenge, he said, may be less about persuading people the experience is worthwhile than about getting the device into their hands.
What to watch is whether scalper premiums keep falling as supply catches up, and whether the hinge and software complaints spread beyond early adopters over the next month or two.
Citazioni salienti
Sales momentum in China will taper off rapidly after the first month or two.— Ivan Lam, senior analyst, Counterpoint Research
Apple's short-term challenge may be less about persuading people the experience is worthwhile and more about getting the device into their hands.— Francisco Jeronimo, vice-president, IDC
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