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The gold iPhone 5S is way more expensive than other colors on eBay and Craigslist

Joshua Sherman
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Image used with permission by copyright holder

Check out our review of the Apple iPhone 5S smartphone.

Though not necessarily worth its weight in gold, a shortened supply in Apple’s new iPhone 5S in luxurious gold is causing its price on sites like eBay creep up on sites like eBay at exorbitant prices.

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One of Apple’s big highlights at its big press event about two weeks ago was the announcement of its brand new smartphone, the iPhone 5S. Of the three colors released, gold is the one that caught the most attention. Apple’s supply of gold iPhones was excessively low at launch, with some stores getting not a single golden iPhone, and even Apple’s own flagship store in San Francisco receiving only around 20.

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Due to the short supply, many are turning to eBay and Craigslist to get their hands on their very own iPhone 5S, complete with a finish even Richie Rich could appreciate. An average 16GB Gold iPhone 5S can fetch nearly $1,000 from impatient iPhone fanatics – nearly 30 percent higher than an identical, though less flashy space-gray or silver. In China, golden iPhones are clocking in at nearly twice as much as their retail value.

As crazy as people may seem for picking up a golden iPhone for $1,000, all eyes are on that eBay auction where in just 24 hours a golden iPhone started at just 99 cents before ballooning to a crazy $10,100. However, this price is an anomaly. Someone with zero eBay feedback set a ridiculous $10,000 offer for the golden iPhone – and then someone else outbid him. The winning bidder has real eBay feedback, suggesting that perhaps he or she really wanted a $10,000 iPhone. There is a chance that the listing will get canceled by eBay.

Whether $1,000 or $10,000, the fact remains that stock has dwindled for the iPhone 5S, making some wait well into October for the latest Apple smartphone. Whether this is due to unexpected sales or artificial scarcity is unclear, but in either case Apple better hope it leads to a better earnings quarter as Samsung continues to steal the show.

Lastly, since we know some of you will be disappointed the new iPhone 5S lacks any real gold, remember you can always settle for the iPhone 5 featuring 24 karat gold, platinum, and Swarovski Crystals. Take your pick folks. 

(Image via: Mashable)

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Joshua Sherman
Joshua Sherman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joshua Sherman is a contributor for Digital Trends who writes about all things mobile from Apple to Zynga. Josh pulls his…
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