Wii U Price Gouging at a High

[Crono141]

HappySqurriel said:

kitler53 said:

Augen said:

FrancisNobleman said:
This works every gen with every console, yet I keep skipping this goldmine...

I gotta learn how to succeed at life.

I just would not feel good making money this way, no offense to others. I just have been someone desperately wanting a system in early days and having to wait 6-12 months to get one at the store.

buying something at a price and finding/providing the consumer that is willing to pay a higher price? 

All retailers (like Target or Walmart) do it.  All of these import/export companies do it.  not sure why that is to be looked down upon.  it is a pretty fundamental part of our economy.  you won't have coffee or banannas or video games or really just about anything not crafted by yourself and immediate (walking distance) neighboors. 

don't get me wrong...i'd never pay scalper prices for a video game system but i have payed them for things like packers playoff tickets last year.  without scalpers i'd never been able to go to that game so in a way ... i appreciate them.  i have increased access to stuff provided i value it enough to pay the premium.

The difference is that retailers and importers take their cut for providing a service to customers, while there is never any real value provided by scalpers. It is not a common thing, but I have been told about concerts that "sell out" almost instantly and then end up being 80% full, with half the people who went to the concert having been forced to pay scalper prices.

Sure we do.  We get there in line at the earliest possible time (in this case, the day of the announcement of the release date) and we buy up a console.  Regardless of if "scalpers" bought extra or not, all preorders would have sold out within the first week.  Fast forward to black friday.  The WiiU is all the rage in commercials and little timmy wants one, but everywhere you go they are sold out.  Shipments are expected at 3 am in the middle of december.  If everyone who preordered actually kept the console, you'd have to wait in line at 3 am just for the CHANCE to get one.

Now there are enterprising people who bought a console for resale purposes.  They've been holding on to their stock since the infamous preorder back in September.  Now, suddenly, when the only way to get a console was a retail price at 3 am on a tuesday night there is another option.  From the warmth and comfort of your own home, you can click a button and have the item shipped to you in plenty of time for wrapping and putting under the tree.  But this conveniece, nay even OPTION to buy at this time comes at a price.  You will pay what the market sets for the value of the console, not MSRP.

But you have that option.  In the theoretical "perfect" world, where only people who wanted the item would buy it, the option does not exist.  We enable the lazy or the less on the ball with money to burn to be able to get what they want, when they want it.  That is a service.