• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Why doesn't Amazon sell any Nintendo systems anymore? (And will they sell Wii U?)

SMT

this show is not Breaking Bad why is it not Breaking Bad? it should be Breaking Bad dammit Breaking Bad
I knew it, a completely unrelated device in the Amazon Kindle is behind this mess, we should all believe what the people on the Amazonian U.S. forums say, they're like fortune tellers or something.

http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B002I090AG/
 

Codeblue

Member
I don't really care about the inconvenience since Newegg works just as well, I just really want to know what's going on.
 

10k

Banned
Thankfully I live in Canada and they sell both 3DS versions. The Wii is not being sold. Also, I pre-ordered it at EB Games a month ago.
 
Like most things, I buy all my game software and hardware from Amazon but I need to think about finding a new online seller maybe NewEgg for my 3DS WiiU stuff
 

antonz

Member
I dont blame Amazon for getting sick of morons sending units back with supposed defects and costing Amazon money because all those supposed defected units arent and then are open box items.

That said they should just put a disclaimer on the page and start reselling
 

Totobeni

An blind dancing ho
Little bit off-topic, but was there ever an explanation for all the PSN codes disappearing? That was my preferred method!

no. no info were given from SCEA or Amazon on that.

but I buy the codes online from BestBuy now.
 

JoshHood

Member
Probably unrelated, but Amazon UK weren't selling or doing preorders for any SCE games from earlier this year until very recently.
 

SMT

this show is not Breaking Bad why is it not Breaking Bad? it should be Breaking Bad dammit Breaking Bad
That's the Canadian Amazon. OP is talking about Amazon US

If you're referencing what Mpl90 said that was a joke. And the quotes aren't from the Amazon forums, they're from NeoGAF. Also this is about Amazon US.

No, I was actually rubbing it in your faces that Amazon Canada carries it. TAHST TEH JOEHK
 

jschreier

Member
This year long potential conflict between a major video game retailer and a major video game company seems like the sort of thing that would be great to look into if you were some sort of journalist covering video games. It's probably easier to just post Halo screenshots and stories about how many McChickens THQ is worth, though.

I asked Amazon about this last October when I first noticed that the system wasn't available on their website. After several phone calls and e-mails to their representatives asking why they were no longer selling the 3DS, here's the statement they sent me:

Hi Jason,

Thanks for reaching out. Although I am not able to share any more detail, at this time, Amazon Digital Video Game Downloads is not offering Playstation Network Online Game Codes and Points Cards.

Thanks,
Anya
 
I dont blame Amazon for getting sick of morons sending units back with supposed defects and costing Amazon money because all those supposed defected units arent and then are open box items.

That said they should just put a disclaimer on the page and start reselling

So now Nintendo's poor quality control issues are the consumer's fault?
 

Kacho

Gold Member
Sent an e-mail to Amazon last night about this and here's what they said:

Hello,

I'm sorry for the inconvenience caused to you.

We're not sure when we'll be able to get more.

However, I have forwarded your information to the concern department so that they will look into this for you.

I'm sorry I don't have better news. We hope to see you again soon.

I hope the concern department gets back to me.
 
Sent an e-mail to Amazon last night about this and here's what they said:



I hope the concern department gets back to me.

Hey you got a different response than I did last month. They told me essentially that they can only sell what Nintendo provides them, which I took to mean they're not being provided any hardware.
 

jschreier

Member
Has anybody emailed NOA about why Amazon's not getting any hardware?

Yeah. Here was their statement to me back in October:

All Nintendo hardware, software and accessories are still for sale on Amazon.com, either through Amazon directly or through one of the site’s featured partners. Amazon is a valued Nintendo partner that continues to offer a seamless, one-stop shopping experience for Nintendo products.
 
I have to think it's more than just the 3ds returns issue. I wonder if, as suggested above, amazon wants out of the console-selling business in general due to low margins. I'd imagine, what with the cost of shipping and storage and returns, amazon has made more money from new super mario bros wii than from the wii itself.
 
I have to think it's more than just the 3ds returns issue. I wonder if, as suggested above, amazon wants out of the console-selling business in general due to low margins. I'd imagine, what with the cost of shipping and storage and returns, amazon has made more money from new super mario bros wii than from the wii itself.

If that were true, they'd stop selling 360s, PS3, Vita, PSP directly. This is a Nintendo-only situation.
 
If that were true, they'd stop selling 360s, PS3, Vita, PSP directly. This is a Nintendo-only situation.

right, and that's why I wonder if nintendo are forcing tighter margins or are otherwise making it even less profitable to sell their consoles. the fact that it applies across all of nintendo suggests that it isn't merely due to one item being difficult though. in the end, this is almost certainly about money and amazon thinking there's no money to be made selling nintendo hardware because a public company like amazon can't afford to leave money on the table without reason. it wouldn't surprise me if microsoft and sony are more flexible with pricing on consoles for various reasons.

edit: still, the business of selling 360s and ps3s is probly not great as compared to selling dvds and ebooks. it would not amaze me if amazon stopped selling all console hardware and relied instead on 3rd parties selling through amazon as a portal.
 

Linkhero1

Member
I noticed this but never commented regarding the situation until now. It also seems I'm unable to buy/preorder Kirby Collection for Wii off of Amazon.
 
right, and that's why I wonder if nintendo are forcing tighter margins or are otherwise making it even less profitable to sell their consoles. the fact that it applies across all of nintendo suggests that it isn't merely due to one item being difficult though. in the end, this is almost certainly about money and amazon thinking there's no money to be made selling nintendo hardware because a public company like amazon can't afford to leave money on the table without reason. it wouldn't surprise me if microsoft and sony are more flexible with pricing on consoles for various reasons.

That's one way to look at it. Another way is that Amazon dared offend Nintendo by pulling the 3DS due to Nintendo's shitty quality control, and Nintendo acting like children said, "Fine, we'll take all of our hardware from you.".

As someone else pointed out, it would be nice if one of the major video game "journalists" actually looked into it. But they're too busy doing nothing of consequence first.
 

Veezy

que?
Tennessee is interesting in that it at least tries to collect taxes, without being too dickish about it. They passed a law, this March I believe, that requires Amazon to send it's customers who have items shipped to Tennessee the amount of money spent on items sent to the State. Amazon doesn't send them a list, per se, of what was bought or how much money, but the state knows that it's customers do receive these emails.

Tennessee is also confusing in that there's two tax rates for Amazon items, one for digital purchases (yes, EVERY digital purchase is taxed in Tennessee) and one for any item bought on the internet or mail/phone order. Conveniently, you can pay online at the Tennessee government page! How kind of them! Luckily,I moved to Las Vegas so I have to spend time figuring out a whole new set of rules! Yay!

On topic, if I had to guess, believe they stopped due to customers returning, to Amazon, their scratched screen 3DS back before they fixed the screen issue (if it was fixed at all, I don't remember if that happened).
 
Is there an alternative to Amazon and Newegg that I can pre-order a US 3DS XL from? Keeping in mind that I'm located in Australia, so International shipping is a must. I was going to try Play-Asia but the $300 asking price before shipping is ridiculous.
 
Is there an alternative to Amazon and Newegg that I can pre-order a US 3DS XL from? Keeping in mind that I'm located in Australia, so International shipping is a must. I was going to try Play-Asia but the $300 asking price before shipping is ridiculous.

Are you aware of any freight forwarding companies that give you an address in the US, and then ship your stuff to you? That's how i get everything.

I'm in the Caribbean though.
 

PhantomR

Banned
That's one way to look at it. Another way is that Amazon dared offend Nintendo by pulling the 3DS due to Nintendo's shitty quality control, and Nintendo acting like children said, "Fine, we'll take all of our hardware from you.".

As someone else pointed out, it would be nice if one of the major video game "journalists" actually looked into it. But they're too busy doing nothing of consequence first.

"Acting like children"? Really? Come on dude, you're being overly melodramatic. None of us have any idea whatsoever what the situation is. You're really pushing for some sort of Nintendo bully complex that may not even exist.
 

jooey

The Motorcycle That Wouldn't Slow Down
"Acting like children"? Really? Come on dude, you're being overly melodramatic. None of us have any idea whatsoever what the situation is. You're really pushing for some sort of Nintendo bully complex that may not even exist.

Personifying companies helps people deal with the fact that they're not.
 

CDX

Member
Is there an alternative to Amazon and Newegg that I can pre-order a US 3DS XL from? Keeping in mind that I'm located in Australia, so International shipping is a must. I was going to try Play-Asia but the $300 asking price before shipping is ridiculous.

Does NewEgg not ship to Australia?

Try www.bestbuy.com or www.gamestop.com Since your international, I don't think you'd be charged US sales tax anyways.

You could also look into ordering from Newegg(since it's sales tax free in most states) and using a shipping forwarding service.
 
"Acting like children"? Really? Come on dude, you're being overly melodramatic. None of us have any idea whatsoever what the situation is. You're really pushing for some sort of Nintendo bully complex that may not even exist.

They've done it before. It exists. I'm open to other reasons why Amazon would decide to suddenly stop stocking ALL Nintendo hardware though.
 

CDX

Member
Is there an alternative to Amazon and Newegg that I can pre-order a US 3DS XL from? Keeping in mind that I'm located in Australia, so International shipping is a must. I was going to try Play-Asia but the $300 asking price before shipping is ridiculous.

Does NewEgg not ship to Australia?

Try www.bestbuy.com or www.gamestop.com Since your international, I don't think you'd be charged US sales tax anyways.

You could also look into ordering from Newegg(since it's sales tax free in most states) and using a shipping forwarding service.

I just checked and it seems gamestop and BestBuy don't ship to Australia either, so sorry for those useless recommendations.

So yeah, try Newegg and a forwarding service like www.BongoUS.com or something.
 

Fox Mulder

Member
I refuse to believe that nintendo is pulling some of their notorious old school retailer strong arming, but retail is turning into a cunty business.

Target stopped carrying any of Amazons products, just cause they felt like it. I'm more inclined to think Amazon is the one that made the choice to stop carrying Nintendo stuff, and it would be interesting to hear why.

Too bad the game journalism scene sucks.
 

thomaser

Member
You know what I'm about to ask for here, right?

He has no sources. He just "knows". And by "knows", I mean "is totally clueless about how big corporations deal with each other".

I know about two instances where Nintendo barred a store from buying systems. One was when the Game chain had so bad credit a while ago that they couldn't pay. The other was many years ago, when a local store sold pirated systems.
 

Fox Mulder

Member
He has no sources. He just "knows". And by "knows", I mean "is totally clueless about how big corporations deal with each other".

I know about two instances where Nintendo barred a store from buying systems. One was when the Game chain had so bad credit a while ago that they couldn't pay. The other was many years ago, when a local store sold pirated systems.

Nintendo has a history of retail intimidation that dates back to the NES.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
Nintendo has a history of retail intimidation that dates back to the NES.
I was just about to mention that. I remember hearing that Nintendo of America refused to let stores sell Nintendo NES products if the stores also sold Sega products. This is however ~20 years ago, so i'm not sure that this specific senario applies much in today's Nintendo business.
 
He has no sources. He just "knows". And by "knows", I mean "is totally clueless about how big corporations deal with each other".

I know about two instances where Nintendo barred a store from buying systems. One was when the Game chain had so bad credit a while ago that they couldn't pay. The other was many years ago, when a local store sold pirated systems.

Yeah, it's not like Nintendo had a long history of doing it. But cling to your little belief that anyone who hints at anything negative about Nintendo is "clueless". Also, go ahead and posit a belief as to why Amazon decided to stop profiting off the sale of all Nintendo hardware.
 

Fox Mulder

Member
I was just about to mention that. I remember hearing that Nintendo of America refused to let stores sell Nintendo NES products if the stores also sold Sega products. This is however ~20 years ago, so i'm not sure that it applies much today.

They were anti competitive and fixed prices. They threatened to pull supply from stores that lowered the price of their consoles, and forced retailers and developers to choose them or the competition. Sega was popular enough to get support regardless, but those practices affected something like the turbo grafx 16 more.
 

thomaser

Member
Nintendo has a history of retail intimidation that dates back to the NES.

Yes, they could be bad about things like that... years and years ago, when they, and the industry in general, were very different from now. Don't make the mistake of assuming that if things were such and such in the past, they must be the same now.
 
Yes, they could be bad about things like that... years and years ago, when they, and the industry in general, were very different from now. Don't make the mistake of assuming that if things were such and such in the past, they must be the same now.

So what's another good reason for Nintendo to not stock Amazon US with any hardware? Or for that matter what's a good reason Amazon US would have to not make anymore money off selling Nintendo hardware? I find your argument that Nintendo had a history of doing exactly what I said in the past, but they couldn't possibly do it again kinda silly. As I stated before, my guess is just a guess based on Nintendo's past. It's been going on for months and not one single gaming site appears to give enough of a shit about it to actually ask.
 
Nintendo has a history of retail intimidation that dates back to the NES.

They have just as long a history of baffling anti-logic. I'll give you a retail-related example: just after the launch of the Gamecube, K-mart failed to pay Nintendo for any of their launch sales (along with a lot of other vendors) because they went through a bankruptcy process. It was reported in the videogame press back then specifically how much money they owed Nintendo and didn't pay: $44 million.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/934/blogs/rss/

Nintendo didn't even flinch, and as far as I can tell, never stopped shipping to K-mart. K-mart never had a gap in their stock of Nintendo products.
 

M3d10n

Member
Is there an alternative to Amazon and Newegg that I can pre-order a US 3DS XL from? Keeping in mind that I'm located in Australia, so International shipping is a must. I was going to try Play-Asia but the $300 asking price before shipping is ridiculous.

Try eStarland. They don't charge over MSRP and if they can ship to freaking Brazil, I bet they can ship to Australia too.
 

stupei

Member
All signs point to Nintendo being dicks.

Most likely Nintendo punishing them for speaking up about Nintendo's own screen scratching fiasco.

So now Nintendo's poor quality control issues are the consumer's fault?

That's one way to look at it. Another way is that Amazon dared offend Nintendo by pulling the 3DS due to Nintendo's shitty quality control, and Nintendo acting like children said, "Fine, we'll take all of our hardware from you.".

But cling to your little belief that anyone who hints at anything negative about Nintendo is "clueless".


Dude.

Did I miss something or is the entire basis of this thread no longer pure speculation? Because you seem pretty certain that you know exactly what's to blame, but I'm not really sure what you're basing it on.
 
Top Bottom