• Information Week, Thursday, June 28, 2007 10:45 AM

A Craigslister is charging money to wait in line to buy iPhones for other people, when it goes on sale tomorrow. They're charging a pretty penny for their patience, too -- sometimes as much as the iPhone itself. Many of these people point to their experience sitting for the release of Nintendo Wiis, Xbox 360s and other devices in their ad, citing references.

As one line-stander says, "I'm a fourth-grade teacher and I have nothing to do this week, and I thought this would be good way to earn money." He was sure to include the words "fourth-grade teacher" in his ad to make sure it stood out. "Key words make people think I'm trustworthy -- which I am."

As of Wednesday, had had gotten five calls, and bidding was up to $350. He expects it to cap at $500. As one Las Vegas sitter explains in his ad, "We're aggressive when it comes to line cutters," adding, "We will cap any mother** that tries to cut in line." How about that for a selling point? The best one, however, is the guy who says he'll charge less for creating a diversion instead of waiting in line.

Read the whole story at Information Week »