The highly anticipated Xiaomi YU7 SUV made its public debut on May 22nd at 7 PM, but the frenzy surrounding this launch began long before the official unveiling. The secondary market has been abuzz with scalpers offering “priority purchase rights” for the new vehicle, with prices ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands of yuan (hundreds to thousands of USD).

Numerous listings have emerged on various second-hand trading platforms offering to secure Xiaomi YU7 orders for buyers. These sellers claim access to “external software” or “internal F-codes” to guarantee priority purchase rights for the first batch of vehicles. Some even boast a “99% success rate” to attract potential buyers.

The fees for these services typically range from 800 to 5,000 yuan (111 to 694 USD), with some sellers charging as much as 20,000 yuan (2,776 USD). One seller assured that with their “technological means,” they could almost certainly secure an order, and if unsuccessful, no fee would be charged. They emphasised that a 3,000 yuan (416 USD) fee was already very reasonable.

This is not the first time such scalping activities have surfaced around Xiaomi’s vehicle launches. In 2024, similar incidents occurred with the Xiaomi SU7, prompting Xiaomi’s founder, Chairman, and CEO, Lei Jun, to issue a statement emphasising that the company does not endorse blind ordering or collecting deposits through unofficial channels.

Xiaomi’s official stance is that all purchases must be made through their official channels, and orders are generally non-transferable once locked. Despite these warnings, the scalping market continues to thrive, driven by the high demand and limited supply of Xiaomi’s vehicles.

An anonymous automotive industry analyst noted that scalpers thrive on supply-demand imbalances. If Xiaomi cannot promptly address production capacity issues, market anxiety will only intensify. The initial delivery period for the Xiaomi SU7 was notably long, and similar challenges could arise with the YU7 if demand far exceeds supply.

The analyst also warned about the risks associated with third-party purchasing services. These services cannot guarantee purchase rights and may even lead to orders being cancelled by Xiaomi’s official system. Consumers risk losing money and having their personal information leaked on third-party platforms. It is crucial for consumers to rationally evaluate the product’s value and avoid impulsive decisions that could lead to scams.