Assign MSP-purchased iPhones to customer ABM

I work for an MSP that manages multiple Apple Business Manager environments for several customers.


I would like to purchase iPhones using an Apple account that belongs to our MSP company, but I also need to ensure that the purchased Apple devices can be assigned to our customers’ different Apple Business Manager accounts.


How can I acheive this?


As I understand it - If I buy an Apple device through the Apple Store with an administrator account from one of our customers' Apple Business Manager, then this device atutomatically gets added to the customers' Apple Business Manager solution.

The problem with this setup, is that when we purchase the Apple device with a customer admin-account, the purchase gets stored on the customer Apple Business Manager account, and not on our own Apple Business Manager account.


We would like to re-sell the Apple devices to our Customers, and that is why the purchase must be placed on our own account, but we should also have the opportunity to assign the purchased Apple device to a specific Apple Business Manager solution.


Is this possible somehow?

Posted on Jan 29, 2026 12:08 AM

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Posted on Jan 30, 2026 1:47 PM

Are you an Authorized Apple Reseller? If you are, then you will be able to share your Reseller ID with your customers (they will enter it into their ABM), and then you will use their Org ID to assign hardware at time of purchase, presumable through authorized distribution channels. If the customer is buying direct from Apple or through the eCommerce portal, then they are using an Apple Customer number associated to ABM/ASM and you should not be trying to insert yourself into the transaction. These would be direct to Apple customers and you should let them buy direct. As an MSP, make your money on the services you provide, not the hardware the customer wants to purchase.


If you are NOT an Authorized Apple Reseller, you should not be trying to resell Apple products. You would be paying retail pricing anyway, so unless you plan to charge the customer more than retail, again, not a good plan.


If you are not an Apple Reseller but you are a member of the ACN, you can spin up custom stores for your customers and then be eligible for a commission on all sales. Again, the customer is buying direct from Apple but you get a slice of the pie on the back end. And you will also be a recommender. You will not be able to place the order but you will be able to build the cart and submit a request for purchase approval. The customer will then complete the order.


Or, find an Apple Authorized Reseller and partner with them. Allow them to officially sell the products to your customers, thus ensuring proper ABM assignment at time of purchase, as well as the ability to pull devices as the reseller is now in the chain of custody.


Hope this is helpful. If you are not an Authorized Reseller, you should not be trying to resell Apple's hardware. If you pursue this path, then get familiar with Apple Configurator and side loading all devices.



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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 30, 2026 1:47 PM in response to nyit64

Are you an Authorized Apple Reseller? If you are, then you will be able to share your Reseller ID with your customers (they will enter it into their ABM), and then you will use their Org ID to assign hardware at time of purchase, presumable through authorized distribution channels. If the customer is buying direct from Apple or through the eCommerce portal, then they are using an Apple Customer number associated to ABM/ASM and you should not be trying to insert yourself into the transaction. These would be direct to Apple customers and you should let them buy direct. As an MSP, make your money on the services you provide, not the hardware the customer wants to purchase.


If you are NOT an Authorized Apple Reseller, you should not be trying to resell Apple products. You would be paying retail pricing anyway, so unless you plan to charge the customer more than retail, again, not a good plan.


If you are not an Apple Reseller but you are a member of the ACN, you can spin up custom stores for your customers and then be eligible for a commission on all sales. Again, the customer is buying direct from Apple but you get a slice of the pie on the back end. And you will also be a recommender. You will not be able to place the order but you will be able to build the cart and submit a request for purchase approval. The customer will then complete the order.


Or, find an Apple Authorized Reseller and partner with them. Allow them to officially sell the products to your customers, thus ensuring proper ABM assignment at time of purchase, as well as the ability to pull devices as the reseller is now in the chain of custody.


Hope this is helpful. If you are not an Authorized Reseller, you should not be trying to resell Apple's hardware. If you pursue this path, then get familiar with Apple Configurator and side loading all devices.



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Assign MSP-purchased iPhones to customer ABM

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