I paid a lot of money for the privilege of getting an Apple Vision Pro brand-new in February.
All-in, with optical inserts and taxes, I financed a little over $3,900 for the 256GB version of the headset.
A day or so ago, I made a mistake that I’m sure many early adopters are familiar with: I looked up how much it’s been selling for on eBay.
On Wednesday, a 1TB Vision Pro, complete with all the included gear, Apple’s fluffy $200 travel case, $500 AppleCare Plus, and claimed to have been “worn maybe about an hour” sold for $3,200 after 21 bids.
Another eBay listing, this one with my headset’s configuration (but sans optical inserts) went for just $2,600 — again with most, if not all, of the included accessories.
Apple’s pricing doesn’t help matters, especially when the next closest competing headset — the Meta Quest 3 — is just $500.
I like the Vision Pro plenty — maybe more than any other writer at The Verge — but if I hadn’t missed the return window, I would send mine right back to Apple in a heartbeat just so I could get one of these deals.
Thankfully, when I’m wearing the headset, nobody can see my tears.
In February, I was able to purchase a brand-new Apple Vision Pro for a hefty price. I financed slightly more than $3,900 for the headset’s 256GB model total, including optical inserts and taxes. I made the mistake of checking the price it has been selling for on eBay a few days ago, something I’m sure many early adopters are familiar with.
After 21 bids, a 1TB Vision Pro that came with all the accessories, Apple’s plush $200 travel case, $500 AppleCare Plus, and the description “worn maybe about an hour” sold for $3,200 on Wednesday. $20.30 was the stated shipping estimate. According to Apple’s website, the brand-new combination costs $5,007.03 for me. Again with most, if not all, of the accessories included, this eBay listing, which had my headset’s configuration (but without the optical inserts), sold for a mere $2,600. This week, a number of additional 256GB and 512GB models were sold for about that sum.
The narrative remains the same on Swappa, a well-liked resale marketplace for Apple users:.
Naturally, this is the tale of early adopters, particularly when purchasing pricey technology before the general public catches on. The next closest competitor headset, the Meta Quest 3, is only $500, so Apple’s pricing doesn’t help the situation. Even though in the end they’re not all that similar, it’s still unfortunate, at least in terms of their intended audiences and platform objectives.
I mean, I could have saved a few hundred bucks and gotten the best storage configuration, AppleCare Plus, and a storage case, but it still hurts, doesn’t it? I like the Vision Pro plenty — maybe more than any other writer at The Verge — but if I hadn’t missed the return window, I would send mine right back to Apple in a heartbeat just so I could get one of these deals. Fortunately, my tears are hidden from view when I wear the headset.
