Gold iPhone 5s Shipping Times Getting Worse

The gold iPhone 5S is sold out until October through Apple and looking for relief through carriers like AT&T, Sprint or Verizon aren’t going to find it as the gold iPhone shipping times are bad and getting worse.

Today marks the first day of iPhone 5S sales and already, the device is off to a fast start as shoppers lined up online and in-store for a chance to buy Apple’s brand new piece of hardware. Rumors leading up to the iPhone 5S release date suggested that the company would be in short supply of iPhone 5S models and Apple unfortunately made good on those rumors.

Almost immediately, we saw shipping times shoot up, particularly for the gold iPhone 5S which is currently sold out until October through the Apple Store while the silver and gray models are available to ship out in just about a week. Those looking to buy the gold iPhone 5S aren’t going to find much help through carriers or retailers either as the device is currently unavailable and likely won’t become available for weeks.

Read: Gold iPhone 5S: Key Things Buyers Need to Know.

The Verizon gold iPhone 5S which is currently showing a ship by date of November 4th. That means that those who order today will see their device ship out by November 4th, more than a month from now. This timing is far worse than it was earlier today when the iPhone 5S first went on sale. It’s possible that Verizon will get the device out well before November 4th, but with other carriers showing similar shortages, buyers shouldn’t count on it.

Sprint, which originally said within two to three weeks, is now saying that buyers shouldn’t expect the iPhone 5S to ship out for four to six weeks, putting it right in the thick of the end of October, early November. AT&T currently offers the most specific information, saying that it will get the device to consumers between 21 and 28 business days, meaning, October.

Things could certainly get worse before they get better as that ship by date could get further and further away as more and more buyers purchase the iPhone 5S through Verizon.

Those not looking to wait until late October or beyond are going to be faced with steep price tags. Already, we’ve seen a gold iPhone 5S on sale for more than $1000 as sellers look to capitalize on the sell out. Buyers can also try and find stock in retail stores though we don’t expect stock to be plentiful.

Shipping times should improve through Apple Stores first and then spread to carrier stores and retailers. For the moment though, gold iPhone 5S buyers are going to be facing some atrocious shipping times.