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7 Tips for Buying the iPhone 5S

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Last week, Apple finally delivered the iPhone 5S to buyers around the world including in the United States where the device is available on all four major carriers. While many around the U.S. have already bought the iPhone 5S, there are those who are still waiting to buy or are going to be waiting a few days or weeks before their iPhone 5S order arrives. Here, we share our post iPhone 5S release date tips for those who are thinking about buying Apple’s new iPhone.

For much of 2013, the iPhone 5S was a rumored smartphone, a phantom, a specter, teasing buyers with possible features and possible release dates. Earlier this month, Apple finally put all of those rumors to rest by announcing the iPhone 5S, the true successor to the iPhone 5 and a device that the company will be marketing for the foreseeable future.

The iPhone 5S is finally here.

The iPhone 5S is finally here.

As expected the iPhone 5S is a top-notch smartphone as it brings some upgrades over the iPhone 5 including a new camera, new A7 processor and a fingerprint reader that brings added security with Touch ID. The device also comes in three colors as opposed to two including silver, gray and the elusive champagne gold.

The device went on sale on September 20th, the date that Apple made official at its event, and as expected, the device proved to be popular with consumers as several variants sold out almost immediately. In fact, the gold iPhone 5S is extremely difficult to find at this point as it is sold out everywhere. This sell out means that, for many buyers, the iPhone 5S launch didn’t end on September 20th.

Ahead of the iPhone 5S release date, we shared some tips aimed at helping those buy the iPhone 5S on release day. Now, we want to share some post-iPhone 5S release date tips for those that may be in the hunt for an iPhone 5S.

Call Ahead

The gold iPhone 5S is in short supply.

The gold iPhone 5S is in short supply.

Not everyone likes buying the iPhone on day one and there are likely many shoppers who are waiting for the right time to buy the new iPhone 5S from Apple or one of its various carrier or retail partners. Many of those buyers will be looking for a specific iPhone 5S model, either online or in-stores and we highly recommend doing one thing before heading to a physical or online store.

Simply, call ahead to local stores. While shipping times may be atrocious online, specifically for the gold iPhone, a local store could have some stock availability whether it’s due to returns or otherwise.

Those that don’t want to buy online should still call ahead to see how much stock is availability. Customer service representatives will typically offer up some details on what they have and don’t have in stock. A simple phone call will save a trip down to the store, a trip that could potentially come with quite a few headaches.

Easy Way to Check for Availability

Those who don’t want to deal with calling a store or simply were not provided with answers have another route to take. Something else that we highly recommend doing is checking for availability online or through Apple’s Apple Store application. The company’s website and mobile application offer users an easy way to see if specific stores have in-store availability.

Buyers can see what is available in-stores before heading down to try and buy a device. In our checks this morning the gold iPhone 5s remains out of stock in most zip codes in San Francisco, Ohio and New York for all carriers and in every size, but we are able to locate many space gray and silver iPhone 5s models in these same areas.

Read: Buy the iPhone 5s Online, Pick Up in a Local Apple Store Immediately.

Don't waste a trip to an Apple Store.

Don’t waste a trip to an Apple Store.

They won’t say how much stock is left, only if there is stock available. And at that point, users can schedule an in-store pick up should the device be available. It’s an extremely convenient and efficient method and one that all iPhone 5S buyers should check out before moving.

New Carriers Will Come

Shortly after the iPhone 5S launch, we saw four major carriers in the U.S. confirm their plans to stock the iPhone 5S on September 20th and beyond. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon all confirmed the iPhone 5S and they all released the iPhone 5S on September 20th. However, they won’t be the only carriers hosting the iPhone 5S and those that want to take their money elsewhere simply need to wait.

Today, we saw C Spire Wireless confirm the iPhone 5S for October 1st and it should be just one of several regional carriers that will offer the iPhone 5S down the line. U.S. Cellular will also be getting the iPhone 5S at some point though it still hasn’t announced a release date.

We should also see some smaller regional carriers offer the iPhone 5S, just like we did with the iPhone 5. While they may not have the coverage area of a larger carrier, they still will have some appeal to many.

Those who do see the appeal will simply want to wait before buying as the iPhone 5S will surely move to new carriers in the next few months, probably around the time that stock starts to shape up.

How to Get a Gold iPhone 5S Right Now

iphone-5s-review-gold-white 4The gold iPhone 5S is in short supply at the moment thanks to steep demand across the planet. Apple says that it won’t be getting stock until October and carriers like AT&T and Verizon have told customers that it will be weeks before they arrive. Those that don’t want to wait have some options as far as getting the iPhone 5S they want.

Those who want the gold iPhone 5S right now, or really any iPhone for that better, can head to places like eBay and Craigslist where people are selling them to those looking. Buyers may be able to find a seller that doesn’t jack up the price but for the most part, we expect sellers to try and glean some profit and thus, those who want instant gratification need to be willing to pay.

Again, we highly suggest waiting out the stock issues and paying the advertised price but again, we can’t stop everyone.

Don’t Stress Out

Those who have ordered shouldn’t stress out about their order. Apple is going to be working as hard as it can to fulfill orders in a timely manner and because of that, we could see some orders arrive earlier than expected. In fact, we’re already seeing that occur.

Earlier today, we learned that T-Mobile had begun shipping out orders, sooner than their expected shipping dates. We could see this occur on several different carriers down the line, meaning, the advertised shipping dates aren’t something to worry about.

They are meant to serve as a ballpark for those buying. Yes, the November 11th shipping date for the gold iPhone 5S on Verizon seems like it’s far away but again, it’s entirely possible that we could see Verizon shrink that timing when the time comes.

Apple Doesn’t Make Promises It Can’t Keep

If Apple says that gold iPhone 5S stock is going to return in October, gold iPhone 5S stock is going to return in October. There is no reason to second-guess it at this point as the company doesn’t make promises that it can’t keep. It learned its lesson from the white iPhone debacle.

iphone-5s-review-gold-white 12

It’s possible that demand will push the device further out but those ordering now should expect their device to arrive next month or whenever Apple says it will arrive.

So, there is no use planning for a different outcome. Apple will have buyers covered and we expect stock issues to ease up in the next few weeks as Apple works to fulfill orders.

Order Online

Take our advice and order online. Stores are going to be hectic over the next few weeks so it’s best to just avoid them until the furor dies down. Stores will also experience uneven stock. While some will have a bunch of one model, other stores will only have a few. Stores also will have customer service representatives breathing down buyers necks.

Ordering online is the far easier, far more relaxing option of the two. As we’ve said before, buyers need to stop convincing themselves that they need the new iPhone 5S today. By placing an order online, buyers can simply sit back and relax while Apple or someone else handles everything.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. gbs

    09/23/2013 at 6:53 pm

    Like the “fog of war”.. At 12:01AM PST Friday I logged into att.com and created an order for a “space gray” 64GB iPhone 5s. “Shipping 1-3 Days”. I placed my order and went to bed. At 7:00 AM I awoke to find an email. Credit card declined. I never use my credit card so of course they saw this as a potential fraud. Called CC company and got clearance to use my credit. Went to site and fixed the “problem with my order”. “Shipping 7-10 Days” now (7 hours later). Order still didn’t go though. At 3:00 PM got on phone and straightened things out with live person. Order shows.. “Shipping October”. Today (Sep 23rd”) I get an email that my iPhone 5s arrives tomorrow – with FedEx tracking. So.. in summary. “1-3 days”, then “7-10days”, then “October”, then “tomorrow”.. Sigh…

  2. Mikey Ahdoot

    09/28/2013 at 2:08 am

    This article sucks.

    Some actually useful info: Apple stores get new shipments of iphone 5s’s every day. So, call your apple store an hour before they open (that’s when phone lines open up). If they have the phone you want, drive down and you’re done.

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