Vision Pro resale prices soaring

Apple's limited release of the Vision Pro headset is fostering a resale market that's pricing the device far beyond its US$3,500 (HK$27,300) starting price, Bloomberg reported.

On Japan's Mercari marketplace, the base 256GB model sold for 800,000 (HK$41,944), sellers on China's Taobao are asking 36,000 yuan (HK$39,598) and one seller on Singapore's Lazada wants S$8,500 (HK$49,388) for the device. In Mong Kok, an electronics importer specializing in getting gadgets early is asking for HK$35,800, with the price shifting on a daily basis.

His advice: best to wait. Apple put the Vision Pro on sale in a limited number of US stores at the start of this month.

Questions remain about how big the consumer market is for so-called extended reality devices.

But the gadget's early exclusivity is pushing prices up.

"Our observations indicate inflated prices on unofficial channels, reaching up to 40,000 yuan," Counterpoint Research analyst Ivan Lam said.

"However, these purchases likely represent a limited supply."