UK retailer Phones4U shut down its online store and closed its retail operations earlier this year when the struggling company entered administration, the UK equivalent of bankruptcy. Now in the middle of the administration process, Phones4U is ready to liquidate its existing stock of products, including its entire inventory of iPhones, iPads and Beats headphones.

phones4u-iphone5c
UK auction house John Pye Auctions is handling the liquidation of Phones4U stock, which includes more than 600,000 items worth £10.8m in what is the UK's biggest auction of the year. Among the auction items are Beats headphones, iPhone 5/5c units, iPad Air and iPad mini models.

phones4u-ipad-air
The items are being sold in individual lots for public purchasing and not wholesale trade job orders. Online bidding is active now with many auctions listed with zero bids. For auctions that do have bids, prices are currently very low. Some entry-level iPad mini and iPad Air models are available for as little as £2 ($3USD).

It appears that the auction site will accept bids from both within the UK and from international buyers, but the auction house will not be shipping items. Buyers must pick up items in person or make their own arrangements for shipment.

Bidding on the auction ends Tuesday, January 6, 2015 with a public showing available on Monday, January 5, 2015 from 10am to 2pm at John Pye & Sons warehouse in Staffordshire.

Top Rated Comments

the8thark Avatar
107 months ago
They extend the auction by 3 minutes every time a bid is made in the last 3 minutes, so sniping won't work like it does on eBay.

I think ebay needs to do this as well. That's a good idea.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sk8mash Avatar
107 months ago
People will just use bid bots and other things to snipe all the decently priced auctions at the last second. And anything gotten this way for cheap will be flipped and re-sold in ebay for a profit. Sad but that's how things are these days.

They extend the auction by 3 minutes every time a bid is made in the last 3 minutes, so sniping won't work like it does on eBay.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Phil A. Avatar
107 months ago
Anyone bidding on these, be aware that you have to add Buyer's premium (20%) and VAT (20%) onto any winning price
So, if you win with a bid of £100, you'll pay
(100+20%)+20% making a total of £144
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mw360 Avatar
107 months ago
yes just saw this - really does not seem worth it! However, if they sell you a DOA ipad - luckily i would certainly be asking AMEX for a charge back

You have to pay in cash, by bank transfer or debit card. You have to make a cash deposit up to £500 before bidding, you are deemed to have inspected the lot in person before bidding and the purchase isn't protected by any consumer laws. Don't play unless you can afford it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chris5488 Avatar
107 months ago
The golden question on every non-UK citizen's mind here:

How can I get one of those at my doorstep without having any relative living in the UK?

(yes i came to harvest the answers) :p
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
107 months ago
I wonder how much someone could make if they offered to be a carrier for these.

Just collect a fee, show up at the auction house to pick up the orders of everyone who paid them, and then ship them all via UPS (or whoever will ship internationally from there). Collect enough of a fee to cover the cost of traveling to/from the auction house and the UPS fees, and then make a profit on top of it. I feel like you could easily beat the prices of other carrier services.
Nothing. Too many people are bad at maths and pay ridiculous prices. There is always one idiot who doesn't realise that you pay bid + 20% to the auction house, plus 20% of the total in tax. There are already people who bid so high, they will have to pay more than buying in the Apple Store.

Example: Bids for a good dozen of iPad Airs are now £245 to £270. Add 20% twice, that makes £352.80 to £388.80. Retail price is £319. So they found enough idiots that every iPad goes between £33.80 and £69.80 over retail price. And if you order from Apple, you get free delivery, manufacturer's warranty, statutory rights, and the right for a 7 day (or maybe 14 day) return if you don't like it, which these devices in the auction don't have.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Leak Reveals Unified Volume Button and Mute Button

Monday March 20, 2023 8:33 am PDT by
As previously rumored, the next-generation iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature a unified volume button and a mute button, according to leaked CAD images shared in a video on the Chinese version of TikTok and posted to Twitter by ShrimpApplePro. Instead of separate buttons for volume up and volume down, the iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have a single elongated button for...
iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April. iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
original iphone auction

Factory-Sealed Original iPhone Sells for $55,000 at Auction

Friday March 17, 2023 1:08 pm PDT by
A first-generation iPhone still sealed inside its box sold for $54,904 at auction, which is more than $54,000 over the original $599 price tag of the device when it was released in 2007. The original iPhone was put up for sale by RR Auction on behalf of a former Apple employee who purchased it back when it first came out. Back in February, an original, sealed iPhone sold for over $63,000,...
voice isolation

iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:01 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today. Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa. Voice...
iPhone 12 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Feature

iPhone 12 Pro vs. 15 Pro: New Features to Expect if You've Waited to Upgrade

Friday March 17, 2023 10:29 am PDT by
While year-over-year iPhone upgrades are not always groundbreaking, new features can begin to stack up over multiple generations. For example, the iPhone 15 Pro will be a notable upgrade for those who still have a three-year-old iPhone 12 Pro. If you are still using an iPhone 12 Pro and are considering upgrading to the iPhone 15 Pro when it launches later this year, we have put together a...
top stories 18mar2023

Top Stories: iPhone 15 Pro Pricing, New iOS 16.4 Beta, Siri vs. ChatGPT, and More

Saturday March 18, 2023 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's high-end iPhone models have started at $999 in the U.S. since they first launched back in 2017 with the iPhone X, but could this finally be the year that starting price sees an increase? This week also saw some more rumors about Apple's upcoming headset and the company's explorations in the booming AI industry as well as the release of a new round of beta updates, so read on for all...
smart monitor m8 samsung

Deals: Samsung's iMac-Like Smart Monitor M8 Drops to Lowest Price of Year So Far With $250 Discount

Monday March 20, 2023 8:27 am PDT by
Samsung today kicked off a special "Discover Samsung" event, which will be a week-long savings event focusing on Samsung monitors, smartphones, TVs, appliances, and more. While some deals will stick around the entire week (through March 26), others will refresh every day. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small...