Crooks Steal 125 iPad 2s From Best Buy

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If you are looking for a good deal on iPad 2s, you should probably check Craigslist in San Carlos, California. If you are the cops looking for the crooks behind this crime...check Craigslist in San Carlos. ;)

The deputies determined that the suspects slid under the jacked-up security gate and dragged a large locked steel rack containing the 125 tablet computers through a fire exit door and onto a vehicle. Sheriff’s officials said the loss to the store is estimated to be more than $100,000.
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Wait...125 iPad2s. The loss is estimated to be over $100,000. Last I checked, iPads didn't cost $1,000 each. Typical police exaggeration on cost of a bust/theft. :rolleyes:
 
Well, they do have to reorder them and possibly compensate people that pre-ordered. Then again this is best buy... maybe loss of people buying accessories?
 
The only loss would be the time and expense of reording, and whatever the wholesale price would be. Unless there are no more iPad 2s to be had (doubtful) they can still sell the accessories, ridiculous warranties, Geek Squad "setup" fees, etc. Shoot, maybe Apple stole them themselves so their customer's didn't have to deal with the horrendous experience that anything to do with Best Buy is. ;)
 
125 iPad 2's: $62,500
Rack: $1,000
Building Damage (assumption:) $2,500
TOTAL: $66,000

Over $100K, yeah right. And I'm probably estimating very high prices, at that.
 
DejaWiz said:
125 iPad 2's: $62,500
Rack: $1,000
Building Damage (assumption:) $2,500
TOTAL: $66,000

Over $100K, yeah right. And I'm probably estimating very high prices, at that.
Click to expand...
you are estimating that all the Ipads stolen were the 500 dollar variety, remember this is the base overpriced amount, they go all the way up to an unfathomably ridiculous 830 dollars, so if all the Ipads were that variety they would be out 103k

granted they werent, so lets estimate the price as between 500 and 830, so 665 a piece, they would be out 83,125 dollars + 1k for the rack + 2500

my estimate is therefore 86,625, not 100k but still a lot
 
DejaWiz said:
125 iPad 2's: $62,500
Rack: $1,000
Building Damage (assumption:) $2,500
TOTAL: $66,000

Over $100K, yeah right. And I'm probably estimating very high prices, at that.
Click to expand...

The iPads where all "optimized" by the geek squad, so they are worth twice as much ;)
 
Good, two companies I care less about.

$830 is the highest price, must be a 64GB version.
 
So Best Buy gets robbed, Apple gets no money from the units stolen, the common folk buy the products cheaply, the robbers rake in thousands, and the police continue to have jobs.

In a way, everybody wins.
 
Craigslist. The reason why you should always bring a gun or a friend with one to every "sale".
 
Metrocall said:
I'm sure they have insurance for this sort of thing.
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Exactly, business have insurance against most things, including theft, fire, whatever whatever, they have insurance that will cover their loss.
 
this was how they broke into a toy company several weeks ago on bones.

[QUOTE="Bones" The Prince in the Plastic (2011)]"Hodgins also finds evidence a common tire jack was used to break into the lab through the loading dock door."[/QUOTE]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2063058/synopsis
 
DejaWiz said:
125 iPad 2's: $62,500
Rack: $1,000
Building Damage (assumption:) $2,500
TOTAL: $66,000

Over $100K, yeah right. And I'm probably estimating very high prices, at that.
Click to expand...

Retail probably adds a 60% markup. So losses were probably around $41000 (if that). Like when the police say "$23m of drugs" it's only really around $500 worth, but they somehow value everything as if it's been sold. It's called the "RIAA method". :D
 
vsboxerboy said:
because 125,000 ipads would be worth over one million dollars.
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I surprised that doesn't happen more often...can you imagine a truck full of Intel processors or something? Damn near worth its weight in gold...
 
powertower said:
How the heck would you resell that quantity without being noticed?
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It would take skill to sell 125 without raising a red flag. But, the cops are pretty stupid and lazy, so a red flag would likely go unnoticed. The most likely way these people will get caught is they'll boast of their score, or try to get others to help them sell them, and someone will call the police and turn them in.

Ad on eBay or Craig's List: "For sale. New, unopened iPad2. Cheap." [local address]
Investigator: "Wow, that's a great price. Can I get more than one?" Busted!
 
DejaWiz said:
125 iPad 2's: $62,500
Rack: $1,000
Building Damage (assumption:) $2,500
TOTAL: $66,000

Over $100K, yeah right. And I'm probably estimating very high prices, at that.
Click to expand...

What about kick backs from apple, ATT and Verizon for signing people up for services.
 
Selling that many will take a bit of skill

ebay some of them, open the rest and sell them as used.

If the crooks were smart enough to score this and get away, they'd better be smart enough NOT to list the crap as "100% brand new and never opened" .

The only way they are going to get caught is if they get greedy in the sale of them. How many months till ipad 3 comes out? that's how much time you have to sell them. Even smarter -- save the last chunk to sell right after the 3 goes on sale. Blending in with the 50,000 other people who feel the need to ditch their new device for an even new one is pretty smart too.
 
Inside Job.

They will get outted by a pisst off girlfriend or a buddy looking at time for another crime.
 
Definitely an inside job...my guess it was/is a temp or recetly fired employee...from the Geek Squad.

Since all the S/N's are recorded..is there a way Apple can disable them once the ipads go on line?
 
Apple can't even disable my friend's ipod touch that got stolen from her. The person is even playing games on it with her s/n.
 
Elf_Boy said:
What about kick backs from apple, ATT and Verizon for signing people up for services.
Click to expand...

Most insurance policies for theft or loss cover only the actual cost of the item or what BB paid, not what they could possibly sell them for. I would imagine you could get insurance for loss of profit but that type of policy would be silly expensive. And every claim you would make would drive up insurance costs to the point of being unaffordable. Kinda like health insurance.
 
dave3533 said:
I surprised that doesn't happen more often...can you imagine a truck full of Intel processors or something? Damn near worth its weight in gold...
Click to expand...

Asian gangs used to rob warehouses back in the day and take Pentium chips.
 
Highwind said:
So Best Buy gets robbed, Apple gets no money from the units stolen, the common folk buy the products cheaply, the robbers rake in thousands, and the police continue to have jobs.

In a way, everybody wins.
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Everyone wins, except except the common folk.

The cost of theft is passed on to consumers through higher prices.
 
You have to register the iPad with an iTunes account before using. This would be an easy case for the cops to solve.

A simple audit of ipads sold and ones on hand would reveal the missing serial numbers. Then Apple would wait until they start getting those tablets in the system with email address and credit card numbers activating them.
 
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