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iPhone Frenzy Inspires Profiteers

Scalpers find imaginative ways to take a bite of Apple

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 28, 2007 5:00 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Apple and AT&T aren’t the only ones cashing in on the iPhone craze. The Washington Post reports on strategies—both high-tech and low-brow—being deployed to profit on tomorrow's release. Many of those camping on lines around the country are being paid for their trouble; offers on Craigslist have been running as high as $1,000.

For $50, one entrepreneur will try to shoo away customers at the front of the line by plaguing them with noxious fumes, wild animals, and piercing sounds. Some are auctioning potentially lucrative iPhone-related internet addresses, while others hope to score the coveted device and resell it at a higher price. AT&T’s reaction is to offer only one phone to each customer.

A group who are calling themselves iWait, wait to purchase an Apple iPhone outside of an Apple store in Walnut Creek, Calif., Wednesday, June 27, 2007. The iPhone is planned to go on sale Friday. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
A group who are calling themselves "iWait", wait to purchase an Apple iPhone outside of an Apple store in Walnut Creek, Calif., Wednesday, June 27, 2007. The iPhone is planned to go on sale Friday. (AP...   (Associated Press)
This photo provided by Case-Mate Inc. of undated photo of a case for the Apple iPhone. The iPhone is planned to be on sale on Friday. (AP Photo/Case-Mate Inc., ho)
This photo provided by Case-Mate Inc. of undated photo of a case for the Apple iPhone. The iPhone is planned to be on sale on Friday. (AP Photo/Case-Mate Inc., ho)   (Associated Press)
This photo provided by Case-Mate Inc. of undated photo of a case for the Apple iPhone. The iPhone is planned to be on sale on Friday. (AP Photo/Case-Mate Inc., ho)
This photo provided by Case-Mate Inc. of undated photo of a case for the Apple iPhone. The iPhone is planned to be on sale on Friday. (AP Photo/Case-Mate Inc., ho)   (Associated Press)
In this undated photo provided by Apple, Apple's new iPhone is shown. The iPhone goes on sale Friday, June 29, 2007. (AP Photo/Apple Inc.)
In this undated photo provided by Apple, Apple's new iPhone is shown. The iPhone goes on sale Friday, June 29, 2007. (AP Photo/Apple Inc.)   (Associated Press)
An oversized display of an Apple iPhone hangs in the window of the company's store Wednesday, June 27, 2007 in New York. The new Apple iPhone goes on sale Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
An oversized display of an Apple iPhone hangs in the window of the company's store Wednesday, June 27, 2007 in New York. The new Apple iPhone goes on sale Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)   (Associated Press)
David Clayman, left, and Anthony Cardozo sit in line in front of an Apple store Wednesday, June 27, 2007 in New York. They are hoping to be some of the first people to buy the new Apple iPhone when it goes on sale Friday. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
David Clayman, left, and Anthony Cardozo sit in line in front of an Apple store Wednesday, June 27, 2007 in New York. They are hoping to be some of the first people to buy the new Apple iPhone when it...   (Associated Press)
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