Israel's iPad Ban At Odds With Strong Overseas Demand

Apple said earlier this week that it is delaying shipments of the iPad to overseas markets due to the strong demand in the U.S.

That delay is sure to disappoint potential iPad customers outside the country where demand is so high that early adopters overseas have paid huge sums for the first units appearing on the auction site eBay.

Recent sales over eBay includes a lot of four Wi-Fi-enabled iPads with 64 GB of memory which sold for a total of $4,999, or about $1,250 per unit for an iPad which retails in the U.S. for $699.

Prices on eBay have more recently been averaging around $750 for that model, and under $700 for the 16-GB Wi-Fi model that lists for $499 in the U.S.

However, the iPad has sold on eBay for as high as $5,000 right after the device was released on April 3. At least one unit sold for that price, which included free hand delivery to the airport of the purchaser's choice.

At least 80 percent of the iPads sold on eBay in the first couple days after the April 3 release of the produce went to overseas customers, Bloomberg reported.

Potential customers in Israel, on the other hand, don't even have the eBay option.

The government of Israel said this week that it is banning imports of the Apple iPad, and confiscating the device from tourists to that country, due to concerns about conflicts between the iPad's Wi-Fi technology and that country's wireless standards.

Confiscated iPads are returned to tourists when they leave that country as long as they pay the storage fee.