Official sale of iPhone 17 and accessories has started in Ukraine
In Ukraine, the prices of new iPhones are:▫️Base iPhone 17 costs 47-57 thousand UAH,▫️iPhone Air — 59-79 thousand,▫️iPhone 17 Pro — 64-84 thousand,▫️iPhone 17 Pro Max — 70-110 thousand.
In 2024, about 1 million iPhones were sold in Ukraine, most of which entered the country illegally. According to several EP sources in the market, the situation has worsened since the start of the large-scale war. "If in 2021 about 60% of the iPhone market in Ukraine was 'grey', now this figure is approaching 80%," says an EP interlocutor among retailers.
He complains that some networks sell untaxed smartphones without fiscal receipts. Often, such devices are imported from the EU under one name, and at the Ukrainian border, they are registered under another.
Can Apple influence this? No. As explained to EP by sources familiar with the company's policies, for Apple, it is crucial that their gadgets are genuine, and they consider customs duties and VAT issues as "internal matters of the state".
Additional confirmation of the problem was the incident this year: one network started selling the iPhone 17 two days before the official sales start at major retailers, with prices 20-30% higher. According to EP sources, this refers to the "Yabko" network."On September 25, one network sold the iPhone 17 Pro Max 256 GB for 95,200 hryvnias, and today the official sales of this model started at 70,000 hryvnias. The difference is 36%. The new iPhone Air was sold yesterday in this network for 82,800 hryvnias, and in Comfy, it is available today for 58,500 hryvnias. The difference is 42%," says the general director of Comfy, Ihor Khizhniak.
In "Yabko," the price difference is explained by logistics costs, and the early sale date by the lack of dependence on the distributor's schedule: "The only criterion for starting sales is readiness for implementation. We strive to satisfy customer expectations as quickly as possible and do not create artificial hype. Independence from the distributor allows us to start sales without additional delays".
The company adds that iPhones arriving in the network "undergo a full cycle of official customs clearance in accordance with Ukrainian legislation".
However, EP market sources do not believe this and say that the announced number of imported iPhones, 238 units, is insignificant for a network with over 140 stores.
According to EP sources, the scale of schemes is enormous: iPhones account for over 70% of all smuggled electronics imported into Ukraine. Removing just one type of technology from the list of "grey" goods could significantly impact customs situations.
According to Khizhniak, due to uneven rules of the game, the "grey" market of electronics in Ukraine could reach about 58 billion hryvnias in 2025. Since up to 78% of iPhones are sold without proper customs clearance and tax payments, the budget losses from uncollected VAT alone are approximately 12 billion hryvnias.
Recall that earlier, the head of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax, and customs policy, Danylo Hetmantsev, stated that he would ask the Tax Service and the Bureau of Economic Security to confiscate contraband iPhone 17s. He announced this in Telegram.
"I don't want to seem boring, but I will still suggest that by the end of September-October, the State Tax Service (DPS) purchase new iPhone 17s from well-known store networks as part of control and verification work, and even better, through the Bureaus of Economic Security (BEB). And don't forget to properly document the confiscation of contraband goods," the deputy wrote.
According to him, there is no "better" indicator of the "work" of law enforcement and fiscal authorities than full-scale advertising on the country's most powerful advertising platforms of smugglers and their contraband new products.
It was also reported that the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine is investigating tax evasion and smuggling in the electronics trade sector. Suspected are the Yabko and Yabluka networks, where mass violations have been found.
Also read:
First attempts to illegally import iPhone 17 series into Ukraine
