Ipad 3 best deals/places to get it?

sram

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
1,699
Although it is not really different, people are still crazy about it. What are the best places to get/buy ipad 3 ??
 
Ummmm actually it is very different, but you're also talking about a new just launched product that is currently sold out everywhere.

Your two options are to order from Apple or another e-tailer and wait for them to get more stock to ship it to you (probably around 2-3 weeks at this point) or scalp one on eBay/Craigslist for probably 120%-140% cost.
 
If you're up in the air about keeping it, Target has the best return policy. When I bought my iPad 2 last year, I had 90 days to return it, which was great because after about 3-4 weeks, I realized 16GB wasn't enough and I returned it for a 32GB. I hear they've dropped it down to 45 days now though. Either way, I pre-ordered directly from Apple this time around to get it by the 16th.
 
Should I buy from ebay if I find a good deal? Preordered so that I can receive it after Mar 16th ?
 
Should I buy from ebay if I find a good deal? Preordered so that I can receive it after Mar 16th ?

You won't get a good deal on eBay for probably at least 3-5 months. I 100% expect that the first iPad that ends up on eBay will go for 200%+ of cost, and subsequent ones will go down until it's around 120-140% of cost for like I say the first 3-5 months. There will be TONS of people scalping this. It will only reach prices below cost AFTER Apple has supply to meet the demand, not before.

If you want it fast then eBay and Craigslist are your best options (expect to pay through the nose), if you can wait then I would just order it from Apple or another e-tailer and wait the 2-3 weeks.
 
You won't get a good deal on eBay for probably at least 3-5 months. I 100% expect that the first iPad that ends up on eBay will go for 200%+ of cost, and subsequent ones will go down until it's around 120-140% of cost for like I say the first 3-5 months. There will be TONS of people scalping this. It will only reach prices below cost AFTER Apple has supply to meet the demand, not before.

If you want it fast then eBay and Craigslist are your best options (expect to pay through the nose), if you can wait then I would just order it from Apple or another e-tailer and wait the 2-3 weeks.

I actually found some not bad deals on ebay. Like 1000 USD for 4G 64GB by excellent sellers. I actually don't want good deals. All people where I am want to be the first to have this ipad regardless of its price. It is not for me. It is for them.


Thanks.
 
If you want to be the first to get it, go camp out in line now at your nearest Apple Store. In addition to the online pre-orders and reservations, Apple has lots of inventory that will be sold in-store only starting at 8AM on the 16th. AT&T and RadioShack (also Target?) have announced that they will be selling in-store on that date as well. RadioShack may be the best place to pre-order right now because they haven't sold out yet. If you buy from eBay, you're not going to have it on the 16th.

EDIT: Just saw Verizon is doing the same thing as AT&T at their retail stores, as expected.
 
Last edited:
Although it is not really different, people are still crazy about it. What are the best places to get/buy ipad 3 ??

Why does it need to be different? It's about being better, not different.
 
The people selling on ebay are going to be waiting on apple to deliver their tablet.. who knows if they were among the first to order and will be getting it soon or if they are going to be waiting a month to get stock..
 
Why does it need to be different? It's about being better, not different.

Well, if it is better, then it is different by definition. I just meant that it is not a revolutionary upgrade. Thus, for me at least, I wouldn't buy one for myself. I have ipad 2 and ipad 3 isn't a worthy upgrade. If you don't have one and decided to get an ipad, then you should go for ipad 3. As simple as that.
 
Well, if it is better, then it is different by definition. I just meant that it is not a revolutionary upgrade. Thus, for me at least, I wouldn't buy one for myself. I have ipad 2 and ipad 3 isn't a worthy upgrade. If you don't have one and decided to get an ipad, then you should go for ipad 3. As simple as that.

It doesn't need to be a revolutionary upgrade to be worth upgrading. For my use, the higher resolution screen is exactly what I wanted and is really the ONLY reason I'm upgrading from an iPad 2. The extra ram, better camera, and 4G are just extras for me, but I'd rather have them than not. I also don't think the next iPad will have upgrades to match the ones we are seeing now. I will likely skip next year, but I'll make that decision then. Who knows, they might surprise me.
 
I'm actually tossing around the idea of selling my pre-order unit and waiting until stock catches up. People are making a killing on ebay/craigslist
 
I'm actually tossing around the idea of selling my pre-order unit and waiting until stock catches up. People are making a killing on ebay/craigslist

They aren't making a killing yet.....but frankly I don't like ripping folks off by taking advantage of their circumstances.
 
I expect prices to go even higher after a bunch of disappointed people come back home on Friday from the back of the Apple Store lines.

Not to mention that manufacturing yields on these high res displays seem to be lower than expected.
 
They aren't making a killing yet.....but frankly I don't like ripping folks off by taking advantage of their circumstances.

Not ripping anybody off if you're not forcing them to buy it. I threw my preorder up on CL for a way too high of a price for shits and giggles. If somebody is stupid enough to pay that much for it, by all means it's theirs, but if not I fully plan on enjoying my new iPad come Friday.
 
Not ripping anybody off if you're not forcing them to buy it. I threw my preorder up on CL for a way too high of a price for shits and giggles. If somebody is stupid enough to pay that much for it, by all means it's theirs, but if not I fully plan on enjoying my new iPad come Friday.

True. But it just seems wrong, that's all. I think folks who would pay more must
be in situations where they can't buy through typical means.
 
True. But it just seems wrong, that's all. I think folks who would pay more must
be in situations where they can't buy through typical means.

the rules of supply and demand are what make our capitalist economic system work. if you think this is "wrong" then you might be a communist.
 
the rules of supply and demand are what make our capitalist economic system work. if you think this is "wrong" then you might be a communist.

Yeah, but wantonly taking advantage of people and scalping them undermines the system. There's nothing communistic about responsible capitalism.

That said, I don't see anything wrong with a purchaser being ok with paying someone else money to wait in the iPad line for them, which is basically what is happening when you sell your iPad marked up like this. If you try to be a toolbag and sell your iPad for $3000, good luck finding a buyer.
 
That's a good point about paying someone to stand in line for you, except you
ca pre-order from apple and have it on your doorstep.
 
That's a good point about paying someone to stand in line for you, except you
ca pre-order from apple and have it on your doorstep.

Not if you want one on the 16th. They're all sold out for weeks. Only way to get one then is to stand in line or (effectively) pay someone else to stand in the line for you.
 
Yeah, but wantonly taking advantage of people and scalping them undermines the system. There's nothing communistic about responsible capitalism.
what is irresponsible about selling a product at a price someone is willing to pay? if i try to charge $3000 for an ipad and nobody buys it, that's not irresponsible. it's stupid. on the other hand if someone would have to pay $200 to have someone stand in line for them, then what's the difference between that and me selling the same ipad for a $200 markup and sparing them the hassle of looking for someone to stand in line? if someone is willing to pay a price for a product, then the product is worth it. if no one will buy a product at given price, then the product is not worth it. marking up desirable items is not responsible or irresponsible. it is market-driven and a fact of life in a capitalist economy.
 
what is irresponsible about selling a product at a price someone is willing to pay?

It's well-documented in economic theory that scalping, "highway robbery" and other such phenomena undermine consumer trust in the system as a whole and over time cause net shrinkages in both spending and overall earning. Just because some poor sap is willing to give you his life savings for a slice of Velveeta cheese doesn't make it ok. (Unless maybe no one sees it and neither of you ever tells anyone. :p ) Restrictionless capitalism is not some sort of invincible pillar. Anyway, this is not really related to the topic and we can always start a thread in Soapbox.

Just found out that Wal-Mart and Sam's Club are supposed to have iPads on the 16th. You might have a good shot at getting one from Sam's Club without a massive line if you have a membership.
 
If you live close to Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, or Oregon you can save on sales tax. Also depending on your CC, you can usually save up to 5% on purchases at certain stores (e.g. Target with a Target CC).
 
Most of the people in line around here are just wanting the cheaper models. If you want a 32gb cellular model, you will probably be fine. They had several ipad2's of the higher price ranges at both bestbuys on launch day.
 
Most of the people in line around here are just wanting the cheaper models. If you want a 32gb cellular model, you will probably be fine. They had several ipad2's of the higher price ranges at both bestbuys on launch day.

yeah, that's a good point.


When I initially tried getting an iPad2 last year, I went to the Apple store and all they had were the 64GB 3G versions for a few months.

Although, from what I've read, the LTE version of the 3rd generation iPad seem to be selling like hot cakes... so who knows. They might be harder to get than the wifi versions this time around.
 
Pretty sure they had 32's and 64's a day or two after launch here. I would imagine it will still be the same, although we don't have an apple store.

I know walmart only had 64gb ones on launch day... really, you have a store focused on cheap prices, and they only have the most expensive model. Made no sense.
 
It's well-documented in economic theory that scalping, "highway robbery" and other such phenomena undermine consumer trust in the system as a whole and over time cause net shrinkages in both spending and overall earning. Just because some poor sap is willing to give you his life savings for a slice of Velveeta cheese doesn't make it ok. (Unless maybe no one sees it and neither of you ever tells anyone. :p ) Restrictionless capitalism is not some sort of invincible pillar. Anyway, this is not really related to the topic and we can always start a thread in Soapbox.

Not trying to be an ass - I agree that wanton scalping isn't optimal - but I'm curious to see the documentation that you speak of. Do you have a reference or something I could take a look at to find out more about this? It's an interesting topic to me.
 
bill me later gives 2% cashback and no payments for 6 months when you order through apple
 
walmart will start selling ipad 3 this up coming midnight at their super stores.
 
I'm actually tossing around the idea of selling my pre-order unit and waiting until stock catches up. People are making a killing on ebay/craigslist

Well, I got my pre-order from the Apple store this morning...and told them I wanted to upgrade to the LTE version. They said no, but I could come back later to exchange it. I'm like, you want me to walk out, use this, and then return it for an upgrade? Sorry, but that doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Anyhow, I went to Best Buy and got the LTE version (with 18-mo same as cash financing, in case I want to use it).

So now I have two ipads. I'm wondering now if I should attempt to sell the pre-order on ebay at a profit (since reading this thread). A little extra money never hurts since I'm buying a new iPad 1-year after my last one.

Anybody got a quick tutorial on selling on eBay?
 
You won't get a good deal on eBay for probably at least 3-5 months. I 100% expect that the first iPad that ends up on eBay will go for 200%+ of cost, and subsequent ones will go down until it's around 120-140% of cost for like I say the first 3-5 months. There will be TONS of people scalping this. It will only reach prices below cost AFTER Apple has supply to meet the demand, not before.

If you want it fast then eBay and Craigslist are your best options (expect to pay through the nose), if you can wait then I would just order it from Apple or another e-tailer and wait the 2-3 weeks.

I hope Apple has a gigantic tube of lube for all those ebay scalpers in that they have more than enough to go around, and all the e-scalpers can basically shove their dozen iPads up their bums.

Now that I think about it, skip the lube.
 
They aren't making a killing yet.....but frankly I don't like ripping folks off by taking advantage of their circumstances.

:rolleyes: Seriously? What circumstances? The I got to have the latest gadget now circumstance? An iPad is a luxury item. Profiteering on food and supplies during an emergency is wrong, but profiting off someone who just wants the latest toy/gadget now is not. This is not a life or death situation, this is a situation where someone who apparently can afford a $600+ toy wants it now and is willing to pay few hundred bucks extra instead of waiting a month.
 
:rolleyes: Seriously? What circumstances? The I got to have the latest gadget now circumstance? An iPad is a luxury item. Profiteering on food and supplies during an emergency is wrong, but profiting off someone who just wants the latest toy/gadget now is not. This is not a life or death situation, this is a situation where someone who apparently can afford a $600+ toy wants it now and is willing to pay few hundred bucks extra instead of waiting a month.

Thanks for taking the time to point this out. I have changed my position....in part because I now have an extra iPad 3 in here. I have 13 days to return it...so I might want and see if they become scarce and if they do...I might try to sell it for a profit on eBay. But right now, only a real tool would buy it because you can pick one up at many places without any wait at all. I got two on opening day and a ZERO wait.
 
:rolleyes: Seriously? What circumstances? The I got to have the latest gadget now circumstance? An iPad is a luxury item. Profiteering on food and supplies during an emergency is wrong, but profiting off someone who just wants the latest toy/gadget now is not. This is not a life or death situation, this is a situation where someone who apparently can afford a $600+ toy wants it now and is willing to pay few hundred bucks extra instead of waiting a month.

/THREAD
 
Thanks for taking the time to point this out. I have changed my position....in part because I now have an extra iPad 3 in here. I have 13 days to return it...so I might want and see if they become scarce and if they do...I might try to sell it for a profit on eBay. But right now, only a real tool would buy it because you can pick one up at many places without any wait at all. I got two on opening day and a ZERO wait.

Keep in mind the ebay's 9% final value fee up to $100. Plus paypal fees.

Let say you bought an iPad for $600 + ~$50 in tax. Sell it on ebay for $800. $150 profit - $72 ebay fee (9%) - $23 paypal fee (2.9%) = $55 profit. Not really that great.

Craigslist it if you can.
 
Got mine at Wally on Saturday - I try to avoid the Apple store because of the freaking weirdos that inhabit it, including most customers. Not that Wally doesn't have it's fare share, but there's just something very strange about the Apple zealots.
 
Back
Top