CaptainABAB
Member
When will console companies wise up and just launch consoles direct to EBay during the first few months? If I was a Sony shareholder, I would be upset about the money they left on the table.
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Suggestion to MS/Sony: launch the next-next-gen consoles direct to EBay, ok?
- Thread starter CaptainABAB
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gutter_trash
Banned
ever heard of software?
CaptainABAB
Member
Carlisle said:
Assuming a company has production problems out of their control - would you rather they delay it until April 2007 or just put what little stock they do have on ebay and cut out the two middle men - the stores and scalpers. Either way, folks with plenty of disposable income still end up getting their consoles.
CaptainABAB
Member
rs7k said:
I know it isn't 100% realistic due to that one factor - but would TRU/BB/CC/Walmart tell Sony to shove it because they lost out on sales of 100-200 thousand units over the course of a consoles lifetime - which is measured in tens of millions.
I would appease them by offering to sell the software and accessories at retail only.
Somehow, Dell manages to survive w/o a retail presence and CompUSA still stocks Apple even though they are sold directly online and via the Apple stores.
Scottlarock
Banned
Craziness I say. they will also lose all the free advertisement from the media covering the long lines everyday wince monday.
CaptainABAB
Member
Scottlarock said:
And what is that good for? They would still sell out with or without the coverage due to the extent of the shortage.
With or without the coverage, MS would have sold the same # of 360 units last year and same applies to PS3 this holiday season.
Did the stories about the long lines really help 360 sales in Spring of 2006? In Summer?
It's one thing to get free advertisement, it's another to be able to take advantage of it. PS3 will be old news come February.
jstevenson
Sailor Stevenson
sonarrat said:
Retailers love selling replacement plans, accy, and games though, and having consoles makes that easier to do.
On top of that, you have to consider the costs of companies storing a large inventory of consoles in order to build up, and not releasing launch titles that may be finished. Those costs won't be alleviated by waiting to launch.
Alex Anderson
Member
ProTip: Start manufacturing the consoles more than a month before launch.
CaptainABAB
Member
Alex Anderson said:
Tell me about it - they should have been stockpiling these since spring! Talk about leaving a critical path item off the project plan, if there ever was one!
Just curious - when u say ProTip - is that a professional tip or are you using it to say you are in favor of tips?
SuperPac
Member
I talked to a bunch of line folk for the Player One Podcast (playerone.libsyn.com, /plug). A LOT of eBayers. Most people I spoke to had no idea what games were even gonna be available. They were getting it *only* to resell. One guy told me he lied to the local news and told them he was gonna keep it. Hur hur. Gonna play the audio from all the interviews (PS3 and Wii) on Monday's show.
davepoobond
you can't put a price on sparks
Alex Anderson said:
wouldn't that just push the launch up to still be a month after they start making them?
Grampa Simpson
Banned
Not a bad idea. A logitical nightmare, but not a bad idea.
The other option, that would help keep them on good terms with retailers, would be to have a unified plan for dealing with the shortage. If every retailer ran their sales by lottery, say for a two hour period before the units went on sale, there would be no incentive to line up for hours or days ahead of time, and it would even the playing field for everybody. People would still scalp, but it would make it much harder.
The other option, that would help keep them on good terms with retailers, would be to have a unified plan for dealing with the shortage. If every retailer ran their sales by lottery, say for a two hour period before the units went on sale, there would be no incentive to line up for hours or days ahead of time, and it would even the playing field for everybody. People would still scalp, but it would make it much harder.
CaptainABAB
Member
bmf said:
Right - for example, you go to a Sony website and enter a lottery that costs $10 and type in your zipcode. If you win, the ticket tells you which store to go buy it at and it reserves it in your name for one week.
This takes care of the whole issue about the lines and lets gamers interested in the system have as much chance as the scalpers.
My original point is that Sony could have perhaps gotten $700-900 for each machine on Ebay themselves for the first 2-3 weeks of the launch - reducing the need to take a loss on the machine.
Mr. Pointy
Member
They could marketing how the starting price of the new console is only $1. Think about it.
CaptainABAB
Member
If I was someone that was going to buy one from ebay, i would rather buy it knowing it is coming from Sony then some random person.
Plus, it removes the incentive for sellers to create dummy accounts to mess with other competing auctions.
Plus, it removes the incentive for sellers to create dummy accounts to mess with other competing auctions.
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