Draven

From the Evil Avatar forums.

Ok, this could just be a rumor but if it's true I think that totally sucks. Say what you will about eBaying a pre-order, but if the auction offers a clear description it doesn't matter if someone chooses to participate.

So basically, not only does EB not guarantee a system at launch (which COMPLETELY NEGATES the point of preorders), they might just cancel your preorder if they don't like what you are doing with the system after you purchase it.

I refuse to deal with this company any more. I can get used games on eBay and I'll have a better chance of getting a system at launch if I do a little legwork. Fuck EBGames.

Michael Corvin

Wow. That's messed up. Both Sony & EB made the sale, why do they care what you do with it?

PixyJunket

That's AWESOME.

ChrisHicks

it would be funny as hell if true.

kaze0

So does this mean theres gonna be a bunch of preorders popping up soon?

Save Ferris

why is it awesome? They want to manipulate what you do with something after you give them your money. Ive never ebayed a console but why is it wrong if thats what they want to do? Sony has created the problem (short supply) so what do you care.

chrisih8u

Yeah, if they did that I would never deal with Sony, EBgames, or EBay ever again.

Deftones

Very retarded. I'm all against people charging inane amounts for the PS3 on ebay, but it's supply and demand.

al_bundy

no it's not

just read the fatwallet thread on this and people are paying others to grab a bunch of pre-orders to resell on ebay

chrisih8u

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?op...=4111&Itemid=2


Contrary to rumors circulating the Internet, GameStop Corp. has told Next-Gen that it isn’t canceling PS3 pre-orders that appear on eBay. “Are we canceling pre-orders that appear on eBay? The answer to that is no,” said Chris Olivera, director of public & media relations at GameStop, which offically merged with EB Games earlier this year.

The speculation stems from a post at Evil Avatar that has infiltrated various blogs and forums, causing somewhat of a stir about the fairness of the supposed move.

PixyJunket

Aw.

spainlinx0

It IS supply and demand at work even if someone is snagging every single system up. If people were only willing to pay $600 then the systems wouldn't sell on eBay for anything higher than that, which would end up screwing the seller because he would be out fees and such. However they are going for well over $600 on eBay which means people are more than willing to part with that kind of cash.

That system is not even worth $600 to me personally at the moment so I don't care what the hoarders do, and how hard it is to get one. If you think it's only worth $600 to you then you just have to wait in line and spend your time, or pay the people on eBay for their time spent waiting for you.

If people weren't willing to spend more than $600 then no one would have to wait in line at all.

ChrisHicks

and all the scalpers rejoice...

james2025a

Well i believe that anyone should be allowed to sell something to make a profit. However it pisses me off knowing that most of these pre-orders are taken by people working in computer stores. The general public has little or no chance of getting their hands on the items because greedy sales staff in game stores and companies want to make a fast buck. Sure people working for companies are suppossed to be given perks, but then what is the point of stores advertising pre-orders if 90% of their stock will be taken by employees. Employees in these positions should be obligated to not be able to sell any pre-orders they have. They are already benefitting by being able to get their hands on the consoles before the public, but they should not be able to profit from this perk. I feel that the whole process is unfair to the consumer. I think that the selling of an item that is on pre-order should simply not be allowed. Too many problems can occur and at the end of the day it just encourages people to con others via sites like ebay. I am sure that many people feel the whole process is fine and above board, but i guess a some of those people have pre-orders they are selling and it is in their interest.

Save Ferris

It should always be legal to resell something YOU BUY with your own money. I can understand being bitter that you couldnt buy one from a store but that doesnt mean its not right to resell it.

The solution would be for all of these console companies to only release a product to market WHEN ITS READY and inventory is ample. but they wont so this is to be expected and is perfectly legal.

Its just like trying to keep people from copying CDs for fair use.

tbird2340

And it's not like they are charging inane amounts.. It's the retards that are bidding up to thousands.. If I had one and started in at .99 I wouldn't be charging... It's an auction.

tbird2340

This is rediculous.. If I worked somewhere that I was able to get my hands on 1, 2, or even 3 PS3's you better believe I would take as many as I could.. Call me greedy but I call it smart.

If some people would buy what I have for 3x the cost I paid then I would be stupid NOT to take them. Bitch at Sony if you want to bitch at someone.. Like Save Ferris said.. It's them that are at fault.

Alas, I have no PS3 so I will not be making enough money to basically pay for my entire xmas shopping..

ChrisHicks

I'm still going to try to get 5-6 of them but not for resale. I figure with that many I'll be ok for awhile in case 4-5 of them break in a day or 2.

Deftones

So? They got the preorder legitimately. Why the fuck should any company be able to tell me what I can do with it? It's not their job.

pdutta2000

I applaud any company that tries to ensure that their customers aren't gouged. Sony, Microsoft, etc aren't in the business of making sure some people make enormous profits from the re-sale of their product. They are in the business of selling as many systems to as many people at a fair and profitable price as possible. The majority of systems aren't taken by people waiting in line. They are taken by people working at the stores and their friends. This is a fact and I doubt most would deny it. This is bad for Sony so they have a vested interest in stopping this. Sony should go after the distribution outlets to ensure that NO STORE EMPLOYEES get a system by any means that aren't available to the normal consumer. This is how it works for stock brokers and inside info and the same consumer protections should apply here.

ChrisHicks

I still think Sony should have just priced these at 1500.00+ themselves and cut off the "scalper" middle man.

Save Ferris

Then the blame falls squarely with irresponsible manufacturers that only release a few hundred thousand consoles in a market this big.

You cant have it both ways: Either release your console when you have the inventory (which will also help with quality control) OR rush a few units to market and create a shortage which WILL be taken advantage of in a free market.

If this was China or something then yes you can cut off the hands of scalpers but a PS3 would be the least of your problems there.

I havent worked retail in awhile but im not sure how reasonable it is to make sure no employees can buy a console.

Groucho

While I agree in principal, in this case people are only getting gouged by choice. They're paying a premium to get on the "OMG gotta have it NOW" bandwagon, and to avoid standing on line for hours at Walmart.

tbird2340

Sorry, but why is this bad for Sony? They KNOW it's going to happen so if it affected them in any negative way I think they would provide enough units

Draven

I have zero sympathy for Sony - they are only releasing (maybe) 480,000 units to a market that owns over 100 million of their previous system. THEY are creating this problem. The Wii will still sell for a premium on eBay after launch but there will be so many more systems available that it won't be nearly the same markup.

I bought a PS2 on launch day for $300 and put it on eBay for $350 starting bid. It was bid up to $650 by the end and I didn't feel one ounce of guilt. If I can get a PS3 on launch day I'll do the same (and I'll probably start the auction at the same price I pay for the system.) If people want to bid it up to $2000+, yay for me. If it sells for what I paid for it, that's ok too.

Thankfully it doesn't seem to be true, but if EBGames decided to cancel my pre-order because I put it up on eBay, they are effectively telling me what I can do with my system after I buy it. That's messed up in so many ways.