Apple's Vision Pro commands $1,800 premium on Korea's secondhand market

Industry

Published: 13 Feb. 2024, 17:46 Updated: 13 Feb. 2024, 18:32

Apple's Vision Pro commands $1,800 premium on Korea's secondhand market

A customer uses Apple's Vision Pro headset at the Apple Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan in New York City, U.S., February 2, 2024. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Apple's Vision Pro is being sold at a premium of as much as 2.4 million won ($1,800) in Korea as the new wearable is not officially available in the country.

Some are even paying to experience the device for a couple of hours.

Apple's MR (mixed reality) headset, the Vision Pro, launched in the United States on Feb. 1 to better-than-expected popularity despite a hefty price tag of $3,500 for the cheapest 256-gigabyte storage option. An estimated 180,000 units or more have been sold, selling out the pre-order quantity.

Major secondhand marketplaces in Korea have dozens of posts reselling the device at an inflated price. Mostly purchased in the U.S., these devices are listed with a price 1 million won to 2 million won over the official price tag.

One post from Karrot, Korea's major secondhand marketplace platform, has a 256-gigabyte option priced at 7 million won reserved. The post reads the seller purchased the headset in the U.S. and will bring it to Korea after mid-February.

Apple Vision Pro resold at 7 million won on Karrot [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Two Karrot posts sought resellers who are willing to sell their products at between 6 million won and 7 million won.

One of them said the poster will go anywhere if the seller is willing to sell the product at 6 million won.

A post on another major secondhand market platform, Joonggonara, was charging 20,000 won for experiencing the device for couple of hours.

A similar post was up on Karrot for 30,000 won.

"A total of eight people have experienced my Apple Vision Pro as a guest user," said Kim Jung-hyun, who posted the Joonggonara offer to lend the device out at 20,000 won.

"Since the device is hard to get in Korea, I wanted to make an opportunity for other people who wanted to experience it. Most of them I have met so far were interested in the device due to gaming purposes and they were mostly up for purchases if the device officially launch in Korea."

Kim said inquires on experiencing the device continued nonstop since he put up the post on Feb. 9.

An inflated resale price of the Vision Pro has been seen globally.

One headset was spotted at $5,400 on a Japanese marketplace, Bloomberg reported, and another one at $9,400 in the U.K., according to Business Insider.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]