[InternetRockStar]

why do people do it from apple, surely they brick the phone?

Clearly they don't

I've seen posts on this site where people have talked about this concern, even when buying through sellers such as Amazon.  Would be good to nail down the exact policies of different sellers, including Apple themselves.

I'd personally be concerned about linking my apple account, complete with my name, address and payment details, to a device I had SE'd, but that's just me.

We Share the Same worries I would be concerned too with putting in my information