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Is anyone else going to buy multiple nextgen systems and sell them on eBay for profit

Nealand Liquor said:
This is just silly. Nobody is holding a gun to someone's head forcing them to buy the console above the MSRP. If someone buys it they are aware of the price and are making the decision with their own freewill. Nobody in this case needs others to protect them from themselves.
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I actually agree, as opposed to the very vocal popular majority. The people who are buying these consoles at a marked up price are doing it with their own free will. They will know the normal sale price and they will know how much extra they are spending. They are also spending that extra money on an entertainment device. They don't have to have a ps4/nextbox.

The thing is, those people are paying extra for a service. A service that provides them with a console before they could buy one locally. I do the same thing but not with consoles. Instead of taking time to make coffee at my house before work I just run into a Starbucks and buy a cup. Although it's probably at least five times more expensive it saves me time and it provides me with something I want. Just because it's overpriced and I could make coffee at my house for a lot cheaper, I am still very willing to pay the more expensive alternative.
 
8bits said:
The thing is, those people are paying extra for a service. A service that provides them with a console before they could buy one locally. I do the same thing but not with consoles. Instead of taking time to make coffee at my house before work I just run into a Starbucks and buy a cup. Although it's probably at least five times more expensive it saves me time and it provides me with something I want. Just because it's overpriced and I could make coffee at my house for a lot cheaper, I am still very willing to pay the more expensive alternative.
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The difference is that you're not able to return your cup of coffee to Starbucks. These scalpers create an artificial shortage and if prices are not to their liking, they return the units back to the store. This is an abuse of a store return policy and it affects everyone who shops there because it's harder to do a legitimate return.

It's silly for me to have to waste my time checking/calling some stores for a few Skylander figures that my daughter wanted because speculators were buying out the store stock.
 
I make a conscious effort to try and not partake in actions where if the roles were reversed I'd feel uncomfortable.

Do onto others and all that.
 
ringwaldhaze said:
I make a conscious effort to try and not partake in actions where if the roles were reversed I'd feel uncomfortable.

Do onto others and all that.
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Exactly. It's called moral scruples. Let's not pretend that these people who buy scalped consoles are educated gamers. They're often grandmas and parents who have been to three stores looking for the game console and can't find one and desperately turn to eBay. It's called taking advantage of people. I mean, c'mon. If some uneducated yokel offered to pay extra money for something from you, the right thing to do is to give them the correct price.
 
Even if I didn't think it was a dick move (and I do) the hassle involved isn't worth the amount of money I'd likely make on it. No thanks.
 
8bits said:
I actually agree, as opposed to the very vocal popular majority. The people who are buying these consoles at a marked up price are doing it with their own free will. They will know the normal sale price and they will know how much extra they are spending. They are also spending that extra money on an entertainment device. They don't have to have a ps4/nextbox.

The thing is, those people are paying extra for a service. A service that provides them with a console before they could buy one locally. I do the same thing but not with consoles. Instead of taking time to make coffee at my house before work I just run into a Starbucks and buy a cup. Although it's probably at least five times more expensive it saves me time and it provides me with something I want. Just because it's overpriced and I could make coffee at my house for a lot cheaper, I am still very willing to pay the more expensive alternative.
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You still have the option of the reasonably priced coffee in the cupboard. Now if Starbucks raided your primary source of coffee (in this case, your house) and you still bought from them at an inflated price, then I'd see where you're coming from.
 
It's hard to read if there's even going to be a potential for making money off of this any more. Supply chains keep improving. If the PS4/720 end up being heavily constrained it might be worth it, but if they keep up with demand then you're going to end up wasting your time and money.
 
Depends on the availability at launch.

I remember when my parents bought me the PS2 on the night my dad picked it up he was offered right there and then £1,000 for it in the que but he declined since it was a Christmas present.

I know some people in work bought Wii's at launch and sold them for quite a nice profit. I was supposed to buy 4-6 PS3's with a friend at college but with the delays and price we never did it.

Seeing how it goes I can see myself purchasing a few next-gen consoles to sell on for Christmas.
 
Not a fan when people do this. Not my thing regardless as I find the whole process of selling item on eBay a hassle many times is not worth the profit.
 
Those days are long gone IMO. Will there be lines for the console launches? Sure. But I don't expect anything like the 360/PS3. Wii-level madness is incredibly unlikely as well IMO.
 
kswiston said:
It's not just that there are worse things that can be done. It's that you are most likely doing some of them. Maybe unconsciously, maybe not. Moral grandstanding is stupid. Especially when we are talking about products that no one actually needs to live their life.

Also how is it milking money? Are people being forced to buy these overpriced systems at gun point? By your line of reasoning, you are milking money from your boss/employer if you expect to make more than minimum wage for your work.
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...That is one seriously ludicrous defense.

1) You don't know what I do
2) A talent-focused industry does in no way equal product stock.

I am contracted to do my job because I have experience and a skillset that my producer would like to utilize. For the insane hours I work (9 AM to 2 AM last week, almost every night), I am being compensated with, y'know, a salary.

A scalper, however, is offering nothing. Other than "I have this thing that I have actively gone out to deny you from getting at its original price." If the person buying it wanted to get it with a warranty, they can't. And if it's something they wanted to get for, y'know, Christmas or a birthday or something? They can't.


Yeah, no one is holding a gun to anyone's head. But it's being a dick for no other reason other than "because I can."
 
Moral Panic said:
Yep. Furthermore this isn't tickets to a gig where there's a set date you have to get it by or you miss out. If you can't get it day one you miss nothing, all the games and features will still be there by the time you can get a console.
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Hello little child. Santa couldn't give you a PS4 because he sold the last 20 to some arsehole who wanted 3 times the price.

Merry Scroogemas.
 
I believe ebay does provide a service that is beneficial to some. Lets say everyone on the planet decided not to scalp consoles, the day comes it sells out immediately cause of demand. Those people that could not wait in like do to some obligation have zero options in getting the console they want. Without ebay or other auction sites they are totally shit out of luck.

Because of ebay everyone with the means and willingness to buy a product can basically get it when they want to. How many times have you guys wanted some old rare game, or even foreign game that you cant find anywhere but there it is right there on ebay.

I get the moral stance but at the same time I see the flip side where ebay and other sites like it are very beneficial.
 
Its not even worth dealing with RandomGuy/Ebay/Paypal . Honestly, I could steal a PS4 from some shmuck on Ebay if I wanted to, its really THAT easy. Ebay always sides with the buyer.
 
I think most people here have a problem with this because their passion is gaming. This sort of thing is done pretty much all the time with products that hold any kind of value. Same thing happens with cars, phones, tablets, sneakers, etc.

While I won't be partaking in this sort of thing, if you can find a buyer willing to pay the premium, more power to ya!
 
I've nothing against scalpers, they're taking a risk with their own money and no one is forced to buy from them.

I just can't see the demand for the next-gen systems being strong enough to sell out all stock in the retail channels and then having a good number of people willing to pay above the already high asking prices for the systems.

Next-gen launches are more likely to be flops like the Wii U than they are to generate Wii levels of retail hysteria.
 
The worst part for me is that these scalpers think they are doing the community a service by doing "leg-work". Shove that "leg-work" up your assholes. I'm sure the person buying your system at 200% markup really enjoys that legwork.

Now, if you said outright "I am fucking people over for my own personal gain", atleast I would have a little more respect for you people.

SpinningBirdKick said:
I've nothing against scalpers, they're taking a risk with their own money and no one is forced to buy from them.
.
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THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO RISK FOR THEM.

NO RISK.

Let me repeat that.

NO FUCKING RISK.
 
No, really don't like that kind of behavior. And I would never buy a console from a scalper for more money than it's worth. If I can't find one (which is really never an issue if you just plan ahead a bit) I'll wait until I can.
 
Mikey Jr. said:
The worst part for me is that these scalpers think they are doing the community a service by doing "leg-work". Shove that "leg-work" up your assholes. I'm sure the person buying your system at 200% markup really enjoys that legwork.

Now, if you said outright "I am fucking people over for my own personal gain", atleast I would have a little more respect for you people.



THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO RISK FOR THEM.

NO RISK.

Let me repeat that.

NO FUCKING RISK.
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How is their no risk? Can't the buyer just tell ebay they were shipped a box of rocks or something? Then ebay gives them their money back and the seller just bought the buyer a ps4?
 
Hmmm I've been tempted but it's too big of a risk, I prefer to take less costly risks than that to get a little extra cash. Rather take my luck finding something at a thrift store/flea market and flipping it for more that way. And more fun.
 
Nah, but I do need to pick up both copies of Tatsunoko vs Capcom. That's gonna be a great collector's product in a couple of years.

Also, the interest in a PS4 would only happen if Sony feels that the original models are too much for the public and stops production of those while offering a subsidized version.

It would have to become a rare item for a good profit.
 
Mikey Jr. said:
The worst part for me is that these scalpers think they are doing the community a service by doing "leg-work". Shove that "leg-work" up your assholes. I'm sure the person buying your system at 200% markup really enjoys that legwork.

Now, if you said outright "I am fucking people over for my own personal gain", atleast I would have a little more respect for you people.



THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO RISK FOR THEM.

NO RISK.

Let me repeat that.

NO FUCKING RISK.
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Of course there's risk.

If a scalper buys several systems and there's no demand then they're stuck with them.

The scalper then either has to sell at a loss to get rid of systems before the price drops further or hang on to them in the hope that demand picks up - which may not ever happen.
 
Requiem said:
I think most people here have a problem with this because their passion is gaming. This sort of thing is done pretty much all the time with products that hold any kind of value. Same thing happens with cars, phones, tablets, sneakers, etc.

While I won't be partaking in this sort of thing, if you can find a buyer willing to pay the premium, more power to ya!
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It's not cool when people do it with other products, either. I think people are speaking out against it here because, you know, gaming-related topic on a gaming forum.
 
shiptoncraig said:
You still have the option of the reasonably priced coffee in the cupboard. Now if Starbucks raided your primary source of coffee (in this case, your house) and you still bought from them at an inflated price, then I'd see where you're coming from.
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I partially agree but my point was the coffee available to me would cost me more time where as the coffee at Starbucks would cost me more money. Essentially, I am either paying with time or money. The same goes for the people who buy consoles on ebay/craigslist at an inflated cost. They either pay money to get the console right then or they pay time to wait until they can get it at a store.


n64coder said:
These scalpers create an artificial shortage and if prices are not to their liking, they return the units back to the store. This is an abuse of a store return policy and it affects everyone who shops there because it's harder to do a legitimate return.
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This is definitely a valid point. The question is, do scalpers actually create an artificial shortage? I have no idea either way but with the Wii U it didn't seem like very many places were out of stock after the initial shipment was replaced.
 
SpinningBirdKick said:
Of course there's risk.

If a scalper buys several systems and there's no demand then they're stuck with them.

The scalper then either has to sell at a loss to get rid of systems before the price drops further or hang on to them in the hope that demand picks up - which may not ever happen.
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............

Ummm, let me enlighten you here.

Do you know what people do when they can't sell the systems? They return back to the store for a full refund.

They don't get stuck with jack shit.
 
Tellaerin said:
It's not cool when people do it with other products, either. I think people are speaking out against it here because, you know, gaming-related topic on a gaming forum.
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I understand that, but if being broke taught me anything, Money > Morals but of course I have my exceptions, standards, and ethics.

But I'm not going to think less of a man for his hustle. Everyday I think about how I could've paid my student loans if I never lost my Special Lebron James jersey when he still was with Cleveland.
 
Fuuuuuuuuuuck no.

I couldn't find a Wii when I was young because of people that did this bullshit in the military installation I lived in.

No profit.
I will buy 4 or 5 consoles, and sell them by retail price to individuals that I know will buy them for their children and such.
 
Mikey Jr. said:
............

Ummm, let me enlighten you here.

Do you know what people do when they can't sell the systems? They return back to the store for a full refund.

They don't get stuck with jack shit.
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Well that wouldn't really be possible here in any decently sized volume.

But kudos to the scalpers for the ingenuity where that's possible.

I can't really hate on the scalpers for being more intelligent than the average consumer but ymmv.
 
SpinningBirdKick said:
Well that wouldn't really be possible here in any decently sized volume.

But kudos to the scalpers for the ingenuity where that's possible.

I can't really hate on the scalpers for being more intelligent than the average consumer but ymmv.
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You do know scalping is not a new practice, right? Many people know about it.

But as you can see from the majority of people in this thread, lots don't want to engage in such scummy practices.

So I don't think its about intelligence.
 
I'm going to buy 1 PS4, and wait until they iron-out the kinks on the Durango.
:D
 
Guess I'm an asshole guys. Call the police and bring the pitchforks. I'll probably buy one or two extra and laugh on my way to the back with the profit.
 
Seeing the profits people made Im really considering buying up a couple at launch and selling them on. Is it better to hold out until christmas or sell asap? Id imagine prices around christmas can be as high as you want, desperate parents etc
 
Bought a 360 on launch day for retail price, stood in line (for 8 hours) a few weeks later to buy another that I sold on ebay and covered the cost of both + about 50 bucks.

It was worth it at the time, but I couldn't see myself doing it again.
 
No, too much effort for a measly amount. If I want to flip something, it will be something of my expertise and of value.
 
Nope. I will have multiple pre orders and give extra to gaf peeps in Toronto who weren't lucky enough to get theirs. Someone on gaf offered to the same thing for me when I almost missed out on the wii u.
 
Seems like a terrible idea. The EV of the gain per unit after all the transaction fees or the hassle of the transaction itself (in terms of time) is likely to be very small.

This isn't the mid 2000s. Making a huge pile of sub-$500 "cutting edge" consumer electronics in such a volume to ensure wide availability is not a difficult thing for manufacturers to do anymore. Also I really think the launch lineups for both systems are going to be pretty ick-not WiiU ick, but not exciting-and people will just wait until a game they want comes on sale.
 
Back when the PS3 launched, ebay had a policy requiring sellers to prove they possessed an actual console. As a result, many scalpers posted photos of themselves holding a receipt along with the console.

I still have a folder full of photos from a thread on CheapAssGamer to shame the scalpers. Anyone interested in participating in a 'Scalpers Hall of Shame' thread for past and future consoles?

Here's a sample:

96R9Ici.jpg


ZUJKpw1.jpg


zBXGLwV.jpg


aPhBxR3.jpg
 
I am probably a jerk for doing it but its way too much easy money to pass up. I will be preordering as many as I can locally and camping out the night before. I will be taking the launch days off work to pack and ship.
 
Scalpers are bad people and should feel bad about themselves. If a system is actually in demand enough that you can turn a good profit that just means you're probably fucking some kid out of their Christmas present, or at least someone who's just trying to get the system the honest way. If you're so eager for money why don't you, I dunno, earn it?
 
GrotesqueBeauty said:
Scalpers are bad people and should feel bad about themselves. If a system is actually in demand enough that you can turn a good profit that just means you're probably fucking some kid out of their Christmas present, or at least someone who's just trying to get the system the honest way. If you're so eager for money why don't you, I dunno, earn it?
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I got both of my systems in an honest way, and the second 360 I sold I just stood in line like ANYONE willing to take the time could have done. I have no problem with selling something for over MSRP when people are too impatient to wait for supply to catch up with demand.

It's not like scalpers are hijacking shipment trucks or anything.
 
stutte said:
I got both of my systems in an honest way, and the second 360 I sold I just stood in line like ANYONE willing to take the time could have done. I have no problem with selling something for over MSRP when people are too impatient to wait for supply to catch up with demand.

It's not like scalpers are hijacking shipment trucks or anything.
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That's a nice rationalization, except people like you are directly affecting supply. Maybe if we could apply your circular reasoning to polygons we wouldn't have thread on GAF about why games don't feature more rounded surfaces.
 
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