Some people in the world of online sales will do anything to make a quick buck. It essentially comes down to the old philosophy of “knowledge is power.” Despite the countless rumors, leaks and accessories showing up, nothing is definite on the iPhone 5. However, that doesn’t stop people from talking about the rumors as if they’re guaranteed. With the knowledge in hand that many will assume certain things about the next generation device, an Ebay user tried to take advantage.

Ebay user, coltsfan895, listed an iPhone 5 pre-order. He offered the 32GB iPhone 5 in either white or black, depending on customer preference and wanted to start the bidding at $1,139.98. Exactly how stupid is he expecting his buyer to be? Firstly, when the iPhone 5 is released it will most likely be available SIM-free, unlocked. Judging by current iPhone 4 prices it should be around $750 for the 32GB version. Why would anyone spend $400 more on this “pre-order”? In the Q&A section he responded to a question regarding the availability of a  16GB model. He stated that it would be $75 less! $1064 for a 16GB iPhone?! Not only that, but surely when it is available for pre-order through Apple, customers will first try the direct route, rather than taking up some shifty offer on Ebay.

He’s not the only one though. A friend told me a story just the other day about his friend’s dad. He has been with his carrier for 15 years, a very loyal customer. He called customer services to enquire about an upgrade, and they guaranteed that he would get an iPhone 5 for free. (This is in the UK – not uncommon.) He also reeled off a load of features – including a projected holographic keyboard. Seriously, it only takes one misunderstood concept image for someone – who should know better – to make a ludicrous presumption.

Let me re-iterate what I stated earlier: No one really knows what this phone is going to feature. So, why would anyone go and spend over $1000 hoping that they get something decent for their money? It’s essentially gambling. I guess it turns out that this guy who assumed that someone would be stupid enough to bid was, in fact, much stupider than his target market. Thankfully, no one placed a bid.

(Link to Ebay listing. Thanks Jibran.)