Alongside the Xiaomi 13 Ultra launch, the company unveiled a camera accessories kit for a ‘not so ridiculous’ asking price of 999 Yuan (approximately $144 USD) if customers wished to transform the flagship into a potent and pocketable photography machine. Unfortunately, with the kit being unavailable through unofficial channels, scalpers have taken the opportunity to hoard the stock for themselves while selling these units at a ludicrous 50 percent markup. It appears that scalpers exist in all markets and not just the GPU segment.

Interested customers will have to pay 1,499 yuan for the Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s camera accessories kit

The unique accessories kit is now being re-sold at various second-hand platforms, according to MyDrivers. Initially, during the announcement of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the introductory sale price was only 799 yuan, or $115.5, which would be considered a steal. Now, with the price jumping to 1,499 yuan, or $216, customers will have to spend more if they wish to convert their shiny new flagship into a photography and videography tool.

So far, there are no updates on scalpers nabbing the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and re-selling them on these platforms at insane prices, suggesting that the Chinese giant has at least sorted out the supply issue of the flagship smartphone. Given that not many consumers would prefer attaching accessories to a device as it may result in a cumbersome experience, the camera accessories kit may have been produced in lower volumes, which could later have been picked up by scalpers.

This situation is similar to another incident that transpired a few years ago, but on the previous occasion, it involved scalpers picking up Xiaomi’s ‘digital series’ of high-end smartphones and re-selling them at high markups. Xiaomi has not provided a statement on how it intends to combat these scalpers, but one obvious route would be to replenish the camera accessories kit through official channels and at the same 999 yuan asking price.

Other than that, the Xiaomi 13 Ultra already has an impressive camera configuration, with an earlier teardown revealing how all the sensors are packed in a single module. For the majority of users, that accessories kit would probably be viewed as overkill.

News Source: MyDrivers