Fanciful Kogan iPhone 5 “Sale”

IS Kogan the “first retailer in the world” to sell the iPhone 5? Hardly.

Click to enlarge

Kogan’s iPhone 5 sale is not what it seems, despite his brash claims.

Mouthy millionaire Ruslan Kogan is jumping on the iPhone 5 bandwagon in a big way and the fanciful Aussie e-tailer claims it is the “first in the world” to sell the new iPhone 5.

Kogan opened “sales” of the new unlocked 4″ slimmer and longer smartphone yesterday, hours out from its announcement by Apple in New York.

But in reality the “sale” is really just a pre-sale dressed up.

“We’ve beaten EVERYONE to the punch and are already taking orders today. We’re selling the 16GB model, unlocked, for $100 less,” Kogan’s blog declares.

But the reality is the iPhone 5 still won’t land on consumers doorstep until at least September 21 – the same day the telcos Telstra, Optus, Voda and Virgin will have the device sitting on their shelves and the likely delivery date for pre-orders.

The telcos haven’t opened up pre-sales yet, but are likely to do so along with releasing pricing plans in the next few days.

“Expected dispatch date is September 21st ” Kogan’s blog says.

But in the fine print underneath is a warning of delivery delays on i5:

“Please note Apple products may be subject to strong demand on launch, and availability of stock may be scarce or delayed. The “Expected Dispatch Date” is not a guarantee, and may be delayed (or brought forward) without notice. “

In other words, even if you order today, you still may get the iPhone after it goes on general sale.

SmartHouse contacted Kogan on the issue and are awaiting a reply.

The e-tailer is flogging an unlocked i5 16GB for $699, which it says is $100 cheaper than the Apple Stores and telco’s pricing (which is true), 32GB for $799 and 64GB model for $899.