What is the point of pricing stuff like that? Everything seems to be at X9.99. Why not just put it at a 0.00 solid figure?

(example, PS3 at 399.99, games at 59.99)

Now this is what I've been wondering about for so long. Hope you get answers.

It is because they have found that people ignore the fact that they are saving only 1 penny.

For example, people are much more willing to spend $99.99 than they are $100.00. $100.00 sounds like a big number to most people, while $99.99 sounds so much more affordable.

Also, people tend to forget the $0.99 they are spending. So if you have a product placed at $5.99, people will tell you that it is only $5, when in reality you will be spending closer to $6 (depending on where you live, you may be spending closer to $7 after tax )

essentially, it is all phycological, and is priced that way to get the consumer to buy their product.

Lots of products, not just games are prices at X9.99. It gives the consumer the illusion that the price is actually cheaper than it really is.

For example, a person may look at a product that is $49.99. And appears to be cheaper than if it was $50 outright, as the first digit is often the dominant digit and retains in the consumer's head.  The product is actually cheaper priced at $49.99, but by an amount so miniscule it's usually not worth worrying about.

I hope that explained something.

Its a trick to make them look cheaper

Because $59.99 looks a lot cheeper that $60. It all just a trick.

I wrote something in school about this a few years ago (I was 12 or 13 then, so I don't know how much help this will be...)

My friend and I did a test. We sold muffins on the street (collecting money for a school trip to the prisoner lairs from WWII in Poland) and sold 4 types of muffins.

2 were sold at 5.99 NOK (~ 1 dollar) and the other was sold at 6 NOK. The only coin less than 1 NOK in Norway is 50 øre (0.5 NOK), so unless someone bought 25 muffins (is it called cupcakes in English?), they would be the same price.

Almost all the cupcakes sold were the 5.99 ones.

So then, to double check it, we switched the kinds (the 5.99 ones were now 6, the 6 ones were now 5.99).

Once again, the 5.99 ones sold more than the 6.00 ones.

So it is psycological (of course, this isn't a very good test).

Its a basic sales trick as others have confirmed.

Also if something costs 39.99 it likely you are going to give them 40 and you get something back 0.01.

The psychology of sales!

It's business 101

so basically, the reason is because there are a lot of ignorant consumers. right?