Nexus 4 sales now regulated on eBay due to high demand

On Friday, eBay posted a notice to its users issuing guidelines for the sales of Google and LG's Nexus 4 device.

With the Nexus 4 floundering in and out of stock in the Google Play Store, its no surprise smartphone enthusiasts have flocked to eBay to get their hands on the device. In fact, demand for Google’s most recently announced handset is so high that the online auction giant has placed some restrictions for Nexus 4 sellers.

In a notice to users, eBay posted the following guidelines on Friday:

• Authorized resellers will be allowed to list an unlimited number of items per week.
• eBay Top Rated Sellers will be allowed to list up to 8 items per week.
• All sellers meeting minimum performance standards will be allowed to list 4 items per week.
• New sellers who’ve confirmed their personal information may list 1 item per week.
• Note: Sellers not meeting the minimum performance standards or that haven’t confirmed their personal information will not be allowed to list the Google Nexus 4 during the post-launch sale period.

Basically, this means that eBay is regulating how many Nexus 4 devices are sold through its website in order to prevent fraudulent transactions. These guidelines also mean that it could be more difficult for new users to sell a Nexus 4 through eBay. The website’s restrictions come just after some eBay shoppers have already paid upwards of $700 for the LG-crafted smartphone.

According to the website, at least 36 Nexus 4 16GB factory unlocked units have been sold for $700, leaving only three remaining in stock. One member managed to sell the handset for $720, and the post had 36 bids before being sold to one eager buyer. The Google Play store advertises the Nexus 4 at a starting price of $300 for the 8GB model and $350 for the 16GB variant. 

Google introduced the Nexus 4 alongside the Nexus 10 tablet on Nov. 13, completing the search engine giant’s family of sequentially sized devices. The company also unveiled the second generation of its Jelly Bean operating system that same day, and both the Nexus 4 and Nexus 10 come with Android 4.1 preinstalled out of the box. Both devices also sold out on launch day, but have returned to the Google Play store since.