How to anonymously gift a maxed-out MBP to someone?

Update #5: My local Apple store manager said my purchase would not be protected if I used gift cards to purchase a high-end MBP. He did not want to sell me the 2K gift cards.

Looks like this won't be possible.

Update #4: Omg. From calls with two customer service agents and one specialist from “media services“:

Apple has transaction rules re: credit cards, debit cards, gift cards that complicate things:

  1. Max 2 credit or debit cards per transaction
  2. Max 2 non-Apple gift cards ex: Amex gift card. Same as rule 1). Because credit card gift cards are treated as credit cards.

Prob: No store exists where I can purchase a 2 AMEX or Visa gift card @ $4000 each

3) Max 8 Apple gift cards per transaction

4) Max $ 2000 per Apple gift card

Plan: I guess the best course of action now is to

purchase 4 $2,000 Apple gift cards using cash at my local Apple Store.

use those gift cards to pay online

hope the transaction is not delayed due to fraud

Update #3: Looks like Target sells Amex gift cards, but max $100. Ugh. I'm going to need to buy a crap ton of gift cards. That will involve entering a ton of numbers to pay. Ugh.

Update #2: Called Apple Support. Lucked into an excellent customer service person. She gave what sounds like great advice. I will:

  1. Buy an Amex gift card with the cash. She said she's never had problems using an Amex gift card for transactions. She agreed that there could be issues with Apple Gift Cards delaying the transaction.
  2. Use the quotes she emailed. Checkout as Guest. Don't login or enter my info when checking out.

Update #1: Tonight I tried to buy the MBP with cash at my local Apple Store. This did NOT work.

  1. I could not buy a MBP w/ 128GB memory in the store with cash. Only the lower - mid MBPs. Highest spec’s MPBs must be ordered online only.
  2. Even if I could do 1) I could not ship it to his home from an in-store order. I could only pick it up at my local store.

Guess this means I’m back to the Gift Card route. Going to search for the issues with doing this that people referenced below. Any links / war stories appreciated.

Original

I want to anonymously gift a maxed-out MBP to someone I like who really needs it.

Claude tells me the best way to do this is via a gift card. Total = ~ $7,500.

Plan is
a) Use cash to buy $7,500 in Apple gift cards at local Apple Store

b) Ship it to him at his address direct from Apple

Thoughts? What could go wrong?