Apple already has an Amazon storefront which sells Macs, AirPods, Beats by Dr. Dre, and accessories. Soon, you’ll also be able to purchase your new iPhone, iPad, and other Apple products directly from the tech giant through Amazon.
With these products officially available from Apple in time for the holidays, part of the deal with Amazon includes the de-listing of “third-party merchants not authorized” by Apple. This de-listing will be completed as of January 4th. Third-party non-Apple branded products will still be available but you’ll have to go elsewhere to buy your refurbished iPhone or other Apple-branded product come the new year.
“We’re working with Amazon to improve the experience for Apple customers on their site and we look forward to those customers having another great way to buy iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and more,” Apple said in a statement.
Amazon has sent out an email to resellers of Apple products advising them of the change to their policy.
Of course, there are many resellers upset about this new arrangement between Apple and Amazon, like iFixit’s Kyle Wiens.
This is unconscionable—Apple’s new agreement with Amazon bans anyone they don’t authorize from selling Apple hardware on https://t.co/SPnzI7E79z
— Kyle Wiens (@kwiens) November 9, 2018
While there are some unscrupulous sellers on Amazon, there are legitimate small business owners who make a living by selling refurbished Apple products and Amazon is one way to expand their reach across the country and globally. One such businessman, John Bumstead, noted that while resellers can get authorized by Apple, it is unlikely very many small businesses like his will.
“Aside from eBay, Amazon is the biggest source of visibility for us,” Bumstead told PC Mag. “What this is doing is effectively de-legitimizing the refurbishing from small businesses. It’s knocking us down a notch.”
What do you think about Apple adding more products to their Amazon store at the expense of third-party resellers? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
[button link=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-apple/amazon-strikes-deal-with-apple-to-sell-iphones-ipads-idUSKCN1NE2HV” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Reuters[/button] [button link=”https://www.pcmag.com/news/364901/expect-more-apple-products-on-amazon” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: PC Mag[/button]Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
