eBay Store Selling Refurbished iPhones May Be Apple's

Apple just might have a new store — online. The high-end hardware retailer seems to have turned to eBay in an effort to relieve themselves of factory refurbished gear. Ahead of the iPhone 6 launch — and in the dregs of Summer — sales have been slumping. Now we can all get our hands on an Apple-approved handset for less than normal.

Though the items on offer might be a lower cost than usual, we resist calling them "cheap". An iPhone 5 — refurbished and over a year old — still begs about $450 or more from you. Unfortunately, that's all there is listed, but that could change as we move closer to the Fall, and another iPhone.

The storefront has no official mention of Apple, but the content is about as Apple as you can get. Factory refurbished items (sorry, "Certified pre-owned"), an each comes with a one-year Apple warranty. Suspect, but Apple has made similar moves in the past, so it's hard to dismiss this as an independent effort by a third-party.

Last year, Apple set up a similar eBay store for the iPad, which dissolved in three months' time. Shortly after it went away, the new iPad mini Retina and iPad Air — two radically improved tablets — hit the world stage. This could be a similar move, jettisoning a device that is already a bit dated, but will be wildly outdated when the larger iPhone 6 arrives this Fall.

Via: Apple Insider