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Hoang Phu in Ho Chi Minh City ordered an 18 Pro Max within minutes of pre-orders opening on Sept. 12, but was told his phone would not arrive until early October.
Needing the device sooner as a gift for an important business partner, he canceled the order and turned to smaller retailers and online groups.
He was prepared to pay extra but was surprised to find the 256 GB burgundy 18 Pro Max offered for VND51 million, VND9 million more than the official price. The icy blue version had a premium of around VND8 million, while silver and black models were marked up by VND5.5 million and VND4.5 million, he said.
The less popular 18 Pro was available at smaller premiums of several hundred thousand dong to VND2 million.
A retailer told Phu that some shops were reselling pre-order slots secured at major authorized retailers. The sellers pocketed the premium, while buyers collected and activated the phones at the authorized retailers as normal customers.
Other retailers offered newly unboxed devices that would be activated on Friday. A retailer said Apple requires new iPhones to be activated upon collection, a rule "necessary to prevent stockpiling for resale."
Last year too, this happened before the 17 series went on sale in September, with the 256 GB orange 17 Pro Max being offered for VND5-7 million above its official price of VND43-45 million. Two weeks later, the silver 256 GB version was selling for as much as VND10 million above its VND38 million official price.
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A customer holds boxes of the iPhone 18 Pro Max in burgundy and icy blue. Photo by VnExpress/The Bang |
The secondary market has emerged as the 18 Pro and Pro Max officially went on sale in Vietnam at 8 a.m. Friday. Vietnam is among more than 65 markets in Apple's first round of sales for a second consecutive year.
Major retailers continue to sell the new iPhones at official prices, but customers ordering later may have to wait until October or even November for delivery.
Authorized retailers recorded more than 300,000 pre-orders within about 15 hours after orders opened at 7 p.m. on Sept. 12, with the Pro Max dominating demand. Some 18 Pro and Pro Max configurations on Apple's online store exhausted their initial delivery allocation within about 10 minutes.
The 18 Pro starts at VND38.99 million for 256 GB, VND4 million higher than the iPhone 17 Pro's launch price last year. The 512 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB versions cost VND45.49 million, VND58.49 million and VND77.99 million.
The 18 Pro Max starts at VND41.99 million for 256 GB. Its 512 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB versions cost VND48.49 million, VND61.49 million and VND80.99 million.
