Who Is Buying the iPhone 18 Pro If Even Scalpers Are Losing Interest?

Apple's latest iPhone launch has produced an unusual scene in China's smartphone market: the iPhone 18 Pro is attracting plenty of attention from consumers, but some scalpers are showing surprisingly little interest in buying it.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max officially went on sale in China on September 18. While crowds gathered at Apple stores and some models remained difficult to obtain, reports from the resale market showed that scalpers were becoming increasingly selective about which versions they were willing to buy.

According to a first-day report by Huxiu, a mainland China scalper price list showed premiums for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, while the standard Pro was not included in the premium-buying list. Some Pro Max configurations were reportedly offered for several hundred yuan above retail, but prices were also falling quickly when buyers negotiated.

First Financial reported a similar situation in Shenzhen, saying several scalpers told reporters that they were mainly interested in the iPhone 18 Pro Max and were unwilling to take some iPhone 18 Pro units. The resale premium was also described as significantly weaker than in some previous launches.

That creates an interesting question:if professional resellers are not particularly interested, who is buying the iPhone 18 Pro?

The answer appears to be ordinary consumers rather than a large wave of speculative buyers.

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at 9,999 yuan in China, while the Pro Max starts at 10,999 yuan. Apple has also introduced a 2TB storage option, pushing the highest configurations above 20,000 yuan.

For consumers who actually intend to use the phone, a weak resale premium may not matter. They may be upgrading from an older iPhone, replacing a damaged device or simply choosing the Pro model because of its cameras, performance and storage options.

There is also another factor changing the launch-day market: consumers increasingly have access to official online ordering, scheduled pickup and promotional pricing from major retailers. Earlier this week, Yicai Global reported that the iPhone 18 Pro had already appeared below Apple's official launch price on some Chinese e-commerce platforms, narrowing the room for short-term speculation.

The result is a split market.

For genuine Apple customers, the iPhone 18 Pro remains a premium smartphone and a newly launched flagship. For scalpers, however, a new phone only becomes attractive when supply is tight enough and resale prices remain high enough to cover their risks.

That distinction may explain why the streets outside Apple stores can still look busy even when scalpers are becoming cautious.

The situation also highlights how the economics of an iPhone launch have changed. In earlier generations, limited supply and huge first-day demand could create substantial premiums in secondary markets. Today, Apple's reservation system, expanded online sales and faster replenishment make it harder for resellers to guarantee a profit.

For the iPhone 18 Pro, the most important buyers may therefore be the people who never intended to resell the phone in the first place.

The scalpers may be looking elsewhere for their next opportunity, but consumers who want an iPhone 18 Pro can still provide Apple with something more valuable than a temporary resale boom: actual long-term customers.