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Brisk trading and lively crowds marked the official launch of Apple's iPhone 18 series on Friday morning, as initial buyers emerging from Hysan Place in Causeway Bay were immediately swarmed by opportunistic resellers offering instant cash buybacks.
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The open area outside the flagship store quickly turned into an impromptu trading floor, drawing local, mainland Chinese, and Southeast Asian scalpers looking to snap up the most coveted models for immediate resale.
Burgundy red Pro Max commands highest premiums
According to market inquiries conducted on site, the 512GB iPhone 18 Pro Max in burgundy red emerged as the most sought-after model among secondary market traders.
Carrying an official retail price of HK$13,299, the handset fetched buyback offers of up to HK$15,600, securing early buyers an immediate profit margin of HK$2,300.
In contrast, demand for the smaller iPhone 18 Pro remained comparatively subdued. Premiums for the standard Pro variant hovered between HK$500 and HK$1,000, with several scalpers halting buybacks altogether later in the morning as supply began to outpace street demand.
Resellers weigh price risks and overseas demand
While many were eager to cash in on the spot, some sellers opted to hold out for higher margins. One buyer, who purchased a 512GB burgundy red Pro Max, decided to seek quotes elsewhere after traders offered a markup of only HK$2,000, falling short of his target gain of up to HK$3,000.
He observed that although secondary market demand is expected to hold steady until official stock replenishes in mid-October, offloading the device on launch day remained essential to hedge against potential price drops.
He also noted that major electronics chains increasingly require in-store unboxing, which hampers downstream reselling.
Looking ahead, he expressed interest in targeting the rarer Duo variant, anticipating markups of up to HK$5,000 buoyed by strong arbitrage demand from mainland China and the Middle East, given Hong Kong's status as one of the most affordable markets globally for Apple products.
First-time buyer overcomes payment glitch to net windfall
Other early shoppers welcomed the day's gains, including a local office worker who secured an unexpected profit on his very first attempt at launch-day reselling. He managed to offload a 256GB iPhone 18 Pro Max—originally priced at HK$11,499—for HK$13,600, pocketing a net gain of HK$2,200.
He recounted encountering a setback during online checkout when his Hang Seng credit card transaction failed to process.
However, a friend who accompanied him secured two handsets and agreed to share one, allowing both to capitalize on the launch-day excitement.
Satisfied with the returns, he noted that key hardware enhancements on the new lineup bolstered consumer confidence and indicated that he would consider participating in future product rollouts.
