Looking for a Wii this Christmas? Not sure how to land one? eBay might be your only 'marked up' guarantee. Credit: Gizmodo.
Given the absolutely massive appeal associated with the Nintendo Wii, which is the year’s biggest selling home videogame console, it’s hard to believe recent rumours that Japanese gaming giant Nintendo has knowingly failed to produce enough units to meet Christmas demand in order to further boost its console’s positioning.
Considering just how hot sales of the innovative Wii have been since its launch in November of 2006 (it has effortlessly surpassed the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 during 2007) fanning the flames of consumer interest is really something that Nintendo has never needed to do.
But the sad truth remains that Nintendo has conceded that it simply won’t be able to meet demand, despite striving to inject the retail market with an extra 3 million units in the run-up to the busy holiday season, which duly leaves an awful lot of desperate consumers looking in every available nook and cranny in the hope of uncovering a Wii.
So, bearing that in mind, where should consumers be looking as the windows on the advent calendar gradually flip open and December 25 begins to loom large on the horizon?
Those willing to brave the cold and camp outside large retail outlets might get lucky as sporadic shipments arrive at the likes of Circuit City and Best Buy – only to be snapped up before they have time to settle on the store’s shelving.
A Channel6 regional report in the US outlines that Best Buy in Idaho Falls recommends Wii hunters monitor newspaper inserts in their local publications as the store advertises when it is expecting new shipments of the Wii and also how many units they are likely to receive.
This then leaves it open to the consumer as to whether they are prepared to risk exposure through the night while facing the prospect of being trampled in a fevered stampede when the store finally opens its doors. The same process can be applied to most Best Buy stores across the country.
Similarly, a Best Buy store in Florida announces incoming Wii shipments with fliers on the doors, which then spawn huge lines of expectant consumers on a Saturday night prior to the store making the stock available on the Sunday morning.
Beyond braving the elements and shoulder barging a clear path to a handful of attainable units amid a potentially explosive crowd of fellow shoppers, Wii hunters can always turn their gaze to eBay . The popular online auction site certainly does have Wii units available for sale, but as Christmas approaches its already marked-up prices are steadily increasing.
While paying more than the recommended retail price probably won’t sit well with some, the unwavering appeal attributed to the Wii means that virtually anyone prepared to camp overnight will also be prepared to lose money in order to put a Wii beneath the tree in 12 days.
‘Buy It Now’ Prices on eBay.com presently range between $450 to $1,000 USD, which is a modest to outrageous increase when measured against the Wii’s standard $250 USD retail price. And eBay’s pricing shifts into overdrive when searching through the UK version, which has immediate sales on offer for between £200 GBP and reaching as high as £1,000 GBP, while there are also fanciful bundle offers sporting prices upward of £30,000 GBP.
However, UK gamers looking to secure the Wii do have a lifeline in the form of Wii-Consoles.co.uk , which is a retail-monitoring Web site that displays exactly which high street and online stores have available stock and how much they’re charging.
That having been said, a glance down Wii-Consoles listings reveals a raft of Wii bundles ranging between £270 GBP and £350 GBP (both at Dixons ) rather than the basic console and Wii Sports set, which retails for around £179 GBP.
Ultimately, given the seasonal weather, the best bet for Wii hunters on both sides of the Atlantic is likely eBay, although acting quickly is probably well advised seeing as current prices could well surge in the coming days.
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