Want to make US$50,000 a day? Try making fake iPhones in Shenzhen, where a premium Chinese knockoff 6s now sells for under US$100

On the same day that the iPhone 6s was released on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, high-grade knock-offs were already selling for under US$100– about one-eighth of the cost of the original – in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

In Hong Kong, where the iconic phones cost less than the real ones across the border, official retail prices start at HK$5,588 (US$721) for the iPhone 6s with a 4.7-inch display and HK$6,388 for the 6s Plus with a 5.5-inch display. The 6s is retailing for 5,288 yuan to 6,888 yuan (US$829 to $1,080) on the mainland.

READ MORE: Slow resales of Apple’s iPhone 6s during debut in Hong Kong amid same-day launch in mainland China

But in the grey market at Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei they could be had for between 580 yuan (US$91) and 630 yuan. One of the city’s busiest commercial areas, this is also among the best places to shop for electronics, digital products and counterfeits in China.

“These are the first batch the factories have cloned according to Apple’s advertising pictures,” said Tang Shouquan, a trader selling counterfeit Samsung and Apple gadgets at Mingtong Digital City in Huangqiangbei.

“They will get the genuine model from Hong Kong today and immediately adjust the colour and shape to make the second batch an even better imitation.”