The delay in the delivery of the iPhone 6 in mainland China has been perceived as a window of opportunity by smugglers, who reportedly jacked up the Hong Kong prices of the latest Apple gadget to up to $1,000.

The state media disclosed that Apple cannot legitimately sell their new gadgets, namely, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as the company has yet to acquire a key license. The absence of such authorization resulted in an unknown release date for the new smartphones in mainland China.

Like Us on Facebook

As the second biggest market for Apple products, the demand for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the country had been expectedly high. This purportedly prompted the smugglers to attempt to take advantage of the huge market.

Consequently, the prices for these new gadgets were predictably higher than the retail prices in other areas. Smugglers have even reportedly charged thousands of dollars more than the actual prices.

With respect to the gadgets being sold, these were all verified to be genuine as the smugglers buy them from legitimate Apple stores. Some even purchase the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus from stores in the United States.

CNN reported on Wednesday that a handful of iPhone sellers were observed transacting outside an Apple store in Beijing. An iPhone 6 with 16GB was reportedly offered for 11,000 yuan, a price $1,000 more than the actual retail price. The seller of the gadget claimed that the phone was dispatched from a store in Hong Kong.

With the tightening of security against these smuggled gadgets, the smugglers appeared to be becoming increasingly ingenious as well.

Custom officers reportedly discovered 20 new iPhones hidden in the hinges of a container truck going to the mainland on Monday. Local media shared that more than 600 iPhones had been confiscated by authorities over a span of three days.

TagsiPhone, iPhone 6 Plus, smuggle, Hong Kong