Google Glass eBay listing reaching $95K bid, even as ToS bans resale

Many early adopters of Google Glass area already enjoying the benefits of the futuristic device. It didn’t take long before some Glass Explorers started posting their own unboxing and hands-on videos online. On the other hand, some of these lucky “pioneers” might actually have something else in their mind. Rather than experience the future of wearable computing, they’re going for a profit by reselling the device for heaps of cash. Sure enough, while Glass should nominally cost $1,500 once publicly available, a listing was found on eBay, with bids getting as high as $95,300.

When asked by Forbes, the explorer “Ed from Philadelphia” listed Glass with a minimum bid of $5,000. At the time, he didn’t have the device, but could prove to the winning bidder that he would soon be getting one after winning Google’s #ifihadglass contest. The auction did not last long, though. He changed his mind and promptly removed his auction after learning about Google’s terms of service.

Taken directly from the Google Glass Terms of Sale (emphasis ours):

You must be 18 years or older, a resident of the United States, and authorized by Google as part of the Glass Explorer program in order to purchase or use Glass Explorer Edition. Unless otherwise authorized by Google, you may only purchase one Device, and you may not resell, loan, transfer, or give your Device to any other person. If you resell, loan, transfer, or give your device to any other person without Google’s authorization, Google reserves the right to deactivate the Device, and neither you nor the unauthorized person using the Device will be entitled to any refund, product support, or product warranty.

The clause above only applies to the Explorer edition of the Glass device, of course. However, it is stated in the Resale and Gifts section that commercially reselling any device is still prohibited, but gifting is allowed.

As further pointed out by Forbes, the strict prohibition of reselling Glass might not be upheld when the device goes on its official public release. The Explorer Edition is meant for developers and early adopters to experiment and report any issues while using the device. Being unable to resell at the moment means some “Glassholes” don’t get to boast on how much profit they made for exploiting such a must-have gadget.

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