Gamestop & EB Preorders on the Wii or PS3 (PS3 cut 1/2)

[staxx]

Makes me dislike EB and Gamestop more and more.

GameStop will start accepting pre-orders for the PS3/Wii on MONDAY SEPTEMBER 18. This will last for ONE WEEK only. Any store can and will stop taking pre-orders at any time (most likely when their limit is reached). I have been advised (and I advise you) to go to the store on Monday and get your pre-order in.

GameStop is NOT ACCEPTING cash, or store credit for your down payment on a pre-order. You HAVE to trade in games or accessories when you pre-order. It must total $50 or more, and it will all go towards your system pre-order. Any money you put down after $50 can be credit, cash, or whatever else GameStop/EB accepts. This applies for both the Wii and the PS3.

Any promotions on game trade-ins active during your pre-order transaction can be used toward this pre-order stuff. That means that you can take advantage of the "trade 3 games and get $10 extra" offer currently being held at GameStop/EB.

You are GUARANTEED to get a Wii, but the date you get it IS NOT GUARANTEED (he specifically told me that you are not guaranteed to get your system on launch or anytime during the Christmas season).

Stores are going to give out launch systems based on chronological pre-order order. That means if you are the first one to pre-order/reserve your Wii, you will be the first one to get a Wii on launch day.

Reservations are limited to 1 per household.

If you want to know what exactly the text says at the bottom of the flyer, here it is: "Cash or Store Credit will not be accepted. Reservations of the PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii are limited to one (1) reservation/purchase per household."

And the text near the GameStop logo at the bottom: "All trades must be in working condition and are subject to manager approval. As GameStop cannot control production and shipping issues by the manufacturer, the reservation deposit will only gurantee a spot in line when the PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii becomes available. The reservation deposit does not guarantee reciept of a system available to purchase by Christmas."

Quoted from Maxconsole.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

The whole thing is the biggest load of BS ever. I don't think I'll be doing any of my Wii business (games, or otherwise) with EB or GS. Looks like I'll be camping out infront of Best Buy for this one.

[7th lutz]

This only takes place in Hawaii and no gamestop or eb manager heard about this outside of Hawaii and it is not for anyone who lives in the United States besides that state.

[Darren870]

Im calling BS on this, ill find out from my old manager on monday to confirm this.

[7th lutz]

Im calling BS on this, ill find out from my old manager on monday to confirm this.
Unless your manger is working in Hawaii, there is now way for that manger to know about it and it is a test run for Hawaii. It is something that corperate wants to do for a test. Here is what I found it why it Hawaii only: http://www.gamersreports.com/news/3872/

If you want to call a manager or a store about it call:
GameStop #3518
Kapolei S/C
91-590 Farrington Highway
Kapolei HI, 96707 US
(808)674-1158

to make sure it is not bs. I didn't called due to me having a stuttering problem and the long distance call price.

[SamuraiSmurfette]

I'll confirm it. Although I'm not really keen on it either, it *does* keep it out of hands of the ebay-turnaround sellers. And that's why they're doing it.

[Richter]

eh just use Skype for the phonecall

[EricRyan34]

That wouldnt surprise me. But about the deposit only being made by trade ins??? I think thats BS

[Muscelli]

That wouldnt surprise me. But about the deposit only being made by trade ins??? I think thats BS

did you read any of the posts above?

[Damaniel]

Wow, as if I needed yet another reason to hate GameStop and EB -- first the forced bundles, and now this (assuming that the promotion extends beyond Hawaii). I don't ever trade in anything, and I don't plan to start anytime soon. You just know that the trade in values are going to mysteriously drop during the week they're taking the pre-orders -- $5 trade in values on XBox 360 games, anyone? ;)

Looks like I'll be pre-ordering my Wii at Amazon and paying the 4 bucks for overnight shipping (hooray for Amazon Prime!)

[Lemmy Kilmister]

I'll confirm it. Although I'm not really keen on it either, it *does* keep it out of hands of the ebay-turnaround sellers. And that's why they're doing it.

Why would Gamestop and EB care if people decided to sell their systems on eBay?

[Gamereviewgod]

Why would Gamestop and EB care if people decided to sell their systems on eBay?

It's less money for them. The more people that buy them on eBay, the fewer that come into their store looking for one. When that happens, they can push controllers, carrying cases, and other useless crap on them. A console bought on eBay doesn't let that happen.

[7th lutz]

It is confirmed in Canada at more then one site, so this isn't bs.

[studvicious]

It is confirmed in Canada at more then one site, so this isn't bs.

Oh it's BS alright. Whether or not it's true I have no idea. x_x

[7th lutz]

It is confirmed in Canada at more then one site, so this isn't bs.

Oh it's BS alright. Whether or not it's true I have no idea. x_x
For not being bs, I was talking it being true. the policy itself I don't like with trading in games along with when the people getting their system from preorder is bs. I felt the limit on systems for one person or household is a good thing for cutting down on systems on sold on ebay or drive away the people who sale them on ebay. I got no problem with people buying a system to sell it on ebay. Gamestop is having the right idea for selling, so more people could buy systems for launch. The went way to extreme in their policy.

[Niku-Sama]

well its monday pacific time us, some one give a heads up when they find out if we can pre order from gamestop/eb and the terms if we can....asap please!

not often i want to pre order something but i am gonna go for this on the release date.money is gonna be tight untill november.

[WanganRunner]

Is the trade-in thing for just Gamestop or also for EB?

I *hate* having to jump through hoops to get a system on launch day.

I'm just going to take a day off work and wait in line, it's the only way.

I think it'll be tough getting a PS3 on launch day, but I don't think it'll be impossible to score a Wii at Best Buy so long as you're willing to wait in line.

[c0ldb33r]

Do you get anything special if you pre-order?

[Crazycarl]

i have to wait till my store opens...give my store manager a sec. to breath. bu i'm going to find out asap

[gamegirl79]

If this is true, then I'm either:

1) Pre-ordering at Gamecrazy, whenever that might be.

2) Camping at Bestbuy or Walmart. I *hate* the thought of waiting out in the cold for something I might not get, but, I refuse to give in to this GS/EB bullshit.

How many games would one have to trade in to equal $50 credit anyway? About 3 dozen or so? No thanks! :P

[FantasiaWHT]

No go on this.

This is Hawaii and Guam only today.

My source says he believes it's unlikely that the same trade-in requirement will be used here, but concedes it's a possibility. He says that the trades in those areas are horrible, and this is an attempt to improve them (as well as test the idea of course)

[FantasiaWHT]

Can't edit, but...

I don't think this'll stop ebayers. Even if they don't have the games/systems to trade in, they'll just buy them at the store and trade them back in right away. Or if a store won't let them do that, buy the games at one store and take them to another. If a you are careful, you can do this and only lose a little bit of money (maybe $10-$20 to make the $50 you need)

Heck I remember when I worked at an EB we'd actually find ways to MAKE money doing trades... finding the 5 cheapest "non-excluded" games (usually around the $7-$8 mark) buying them for $35-$40, 10% off from the discount card, then trading them in for a preorder for a brand new $50 game, then cancelling the preorder the next day and using the $50 for whatever the customer really wanted to buy heh.

[gepeto]

I call 5 of the stores in my area. They all said they don't know when they will take orders on either system one said maybe october.

[Princess-Isabela]

I went today to a two gamestops and one eb games - they all told me that whoever said they are taking pre-orders - is lying.
and you cannot pre-order Wii nor PS3 yet(they actually said, that they are not sure whter they are going to be taking pre-orders for PS3).
there you have it.

[studvicious]

Just go here:
http://www.gamestop.com/gs/wii/wii_signup.asp

Type in your email address and they'll let you know as soon as they get ready to start something.

[biggzy]

You'd need about twenty common games or a good number of rare games to equal anywhere near fifty bucks of credit with those people. I'll wait till NEXT November before I'll hand over my games to these goons to sell at a 400%-plus mark-up.

You'd be better off to sell your games at fair market value and use the money to pay the mark-up on a Wii/PS3 from an ebay reseller. At least you'd be getting what your games are worth.

The paltry amounts they offer you are just insulting. Screw 'em.

[geneshifter]

You'd need about twenty common games or a good number of rare games to equal anywhere near fifty bucks of credit with those people. I'll wait till NEXT November before I'll hand over my games to these goons to sell at a 400%-plus mark-up.

You'd be better off to sell your games at fair market value and use the money to pay the mark-up on a Wii/PS3 from an ebay reseller. At least you'd be getting what your games are worth.

The paltry amounts they offer you are just insulting. Screw 'em.

If Gamestop (EB is dead) does end up selling the preorder Wii in bundles only, I'm camping at best buy this time around. I concur with biggzy: Screw 'em! Screw 'em good!

[flipflop711]

Why you guys stress over this? There are other companies that will sell these consoles. And do you guys really need to buy a probably buggy console during its launch day/week/month?

[Niku-Sama]

not all consoles are buged out on launch day, that seems to be a sony microsoft problem.

i dont rember game cube having problems like that on launch day

[Anthony1]

I thought I heard that the Hawaii only test was considered a failure by GameStop management, because of the shitstorm it created on the internet and everybody being super pissed at the idea of this concept being used all accros the USA.


So supposedly, when they do start taking pre-orders, you can use cash or a debit card or credit card or whatever, you don't have to use trade ins.


Right?

[studvicious]

I was at a Gamestop today and they said that they more than likely won't be taking any preorders at all. But they won't know for sure until the first week in October.

[Anthony1]

I was at a Gamestop today and they said that they more than likely won't be taking any preorders at all. But they won't know for sure until the first week in October.


Actually next week GameStop is having a big managers thing in Texas. Supposedly at this meeting they are going to finalize how they are going to handle pre-orders, and then pre-orders are expected to begin a week from this Monday, so supposedly pre-orders are going to begin Monday October 2nd. If you don't hear anything before then, it would be worth it to be at a GameStop on October 2nd as soon as they open, just to make sure.

[FantasiaWHT]

Yeah I can guarantee they will NOT be starting preorders while all of their managers are out of their stores heh.

Anthony's analysis is pretty good, but I'm not totally discounting the idea of the required trade-in. Yes, it created a shit-storm on the internet, but EVERYTHING creates a shit-storm on the internet and smart businesses don't always assume that the reactions on the internet reflect the market as a whole.

[geneshifter]

Yeah I can guarantee they will NOT be starting preorders while all of their managers are out of their stores heh.

Anthony's analysis is pretty good, but I'm not totally discounting the idea of the required trade-in. Yes, it created a shit-storm on the internet, but EVERYTHING creates a shit-storm on the internet and smart businesses don't always assume that the reactions on the internet reflect the market as a whole.

I have no doubt that they may do this in all 50 states. It makes since for them to do this because they will make more money in the long run. The whole preordering model is totally different than it used to be. I'm just not going to do it anymore. It's pointless, especially if you have a Fry's near you where:
1. they always have the new stuff in stock anyways, and
2. a lot of games come at a discount the first week.

[SkiDragon]

I was wondering if anybody knew about Gamerush preorders. I was just there and I forgot to ask.

[Niku-Sama]

i was told by my EB games manager that the should know by the begining of next week, after the whole texas thing.

eb takes dreamcast stuff still right?
if they need hardware and crap i got about 4 dreamcasts to unload, i am sure i'll come across another soon

[sisko]

i was told by my EB games manager that the should know by the begining of next week, after the whole texas thing.

eb takes dreamcast stuff still right?
if they need hardware and crap i got about 4 dreamcasts to unload, i am sure i'll come across another soon

They stopped taking DC stuff around June.

[Niku-Sama]

poopie,

wait a sec they said they wouldnt take any thing older than playstation. dreamcast is newer than that

[j_factor]

poopie,

wait a sec they said they wouldnt take any thing older than playstation. dreamcast is newer than that

Now they don't take anything older than PS2. They've stopped taking Playstation, N64, and DC stuff.

[j_factor]

especially if you have a Fry's near you

Hey, speaking of Fry's, would that be a better place to attempt to get a Wii at launch day, compared to Best Buy? Anyone here had experience with Fry's for the 360 or another launch?

[Kejoriv]

I preordered my Wii at FYE for $50 down. You guys should try that.

[Anthony1]

especially if you have a Fry's near you

Hey, speaking of Fry's, would that be a better place to attempt to get a Wii at launch day, compared to Best Buy? Anyone here had experience with Fry's for the 360 or another launch?


Not really. I don't think Fry's will get more Wii's than say Best Buy or Target or Wal-Mart or Costco. Costco might be the best place, because they usually do a special bundle and add something more for not as much money. With the Wii, I'm really hoping they include a extra Wii-Mote and a extra nunchuck for an additional $40, instead of the additional $60 it would cost if bought seperately. I wouldn't be at all suprised to see Costco do a bundle like that. Or maybe they include Zelda with it, but charge an additional $30, instead of an additional $50.


The one nice thing about Fry's, is they open pretty early in the morning on Sundays, during the holidays. They could open as early as 8am that morning, so if you are a early bird and show up early, you should be able to get a Wii from them. The best thing to do, is to talk to the department manager the night before and ask them exactly how many units they will actually have for sale in the morning when they open. Sometimes the managers won't want to disclose the exact numbers, but just let him know that you will be camping out front and you're just trying to find out the number of systems, so that if there are more people in line than systems you aren't waiting out in the cold for nothing.

Personally, I'm not going to camp for the Wii, I don't think it's going to be necessary, but I think it will be necessary to find a store that is getting a good number of them, and be there maybe an hour or two before they open. Being there all night long is probably overkill and not needed.

[Kejoriv]

I don't think it's going to be necessary, but I think it will be necessary to find a store that is getting a good number of them, and be there maybe an hour or two before they open. Being there all night long is probably overkill and not needed.

I think its gonna be hard to find. Right before the holidays. Right in the midst of all the hype from the media and the MTV specials. Hopefully you are right though, I dont want to camp out to get my 2nd one. (getting one to give as a gift)

[Anthony1]

So, do PS3 and Wii pre-orders start tomorrow? I've always heard that it will start in October, and tomorrow is October 2nd, plus the managers will be back from the manager meeting in Texas. If it doesn't start tomorrow, it is likely that it will start sometime this week or at least by next Monday October 9th, you would think. So I'm guessing this is the week to be on your toes when it comes to getting a PS3 or Wii pre-order.


Maybe a GameStop or EB employee could check in with their take on the matter.

[NinjaJoey23]

I'm calling in the morning.

[Kejoriv]

anyone receive the preorder info?

[FAMOUS]

I actually went in to EBgames about an hour ago and they told me they havent started to take preorders yet for the Wii...I asked him if he knows when they will start , he said "heres our card call us & ask as much as you can, you know as much as i do" And i only get game sh*t at this store threw this guy and i know he isnt bullsh*tting me... So im gonna call everyday and ask if the preorders are ready yet... I dont think you have to bring in used games towards a preorder thats never happened, its probably $10 bucks and your name... n-e-ways i cant wait! oh i live in scottsdale ,arizona

[NinjaJoey23]

Called this morning. They aren't taking them yet. As far as I was told, each store will know how many units they are getting, so they will only be taking pre-orders up to that point. At least this way, you that if you're on the list, you're getting one.

I'm going to call every morning. It will almost certainly be this week.

[WanganRunner]

I preordered my Wii at FYE for $50 down. You guys should try that.

I need to go do that for Wii.

I did it for PS3, or rather, LOTS of PS3's.

That's my eBay inventory, lolz.

[Kejoriv]

I need to go do that for Wii.

I did it for PS3, or rather, LOTS of PS3's.

That's my eBay inventory, lolz.

Be prepared to pay a shat load. FYE is having "forced bundles" for the PS3. I confirmed this with 3 different store managers.

[Anthony1]

I need to go do that for Wii.

I did it for PS3, or rather, LOTS of PS3's.

That's my eBay inventory, lolz.

Be prepared to pay a shat load. FYE is having "forced bundles" for the PS3. I confirmed this with 3 different store managers.


FYE will be lucky to even get one or two units per store. So if you aren't the first or second dude on the list, I wouldn't expect to get one from them before Xmas. I'm on a list at GameCrazy, and they will actually get a few more units than FYE, but only a few more, and I'm 10th on the list, and there isn't a chance in hell they will get 10 PS3's at launch. In fact, I'll be lucky to get one from them before Xmas.


As for the forced bundles, if you are going to Ebay the system anyways, a forced bundle might not be that bad of a deal. Let's say you are forced to buy 5 extra games or something. Even if you had to sell those 5 games at a $15 loss each, you would still only lose $75, but you would have a PS3 that could fetch up to 2 grand. You do the math. I would love a forced bundle at this point.

[ubersaurus]

Apparently, Game Rush is planning on taking preorders on the wii.

Right now they're just getting phone numbers to call people at when they start, but the girl I talked to confirmed that they will be doing so.

Haven't heard anything about Gamestop, though.

[mills]

I just spoke with a manager of Game Crazy he said that chances are no preorders will be accepted for the WII and it will most likely be a "first come first serve" deal. Due to the fact that Nintendo hasn't released any numbers for them.

[Trebuken]

The manager at EB said there would be no preorders for the PS3 (managers choice?). They will only be receiving eight or nine units and they will be sold first come first serve (camping).

As for the Wii; they have received no information on how many systems they will receive, amd cannot make a decidsion on whether or not they will take preorders until then.

Seems unlikely I will get a PS3 at launch...doubt I will be willing to camp that long...


Later,
Trebuken

[kainemaxwell]

I need to go do that for Wii.

I did it for PS3, or rather, LOTS of PS3's.

That's my eBay inventory, lolz.

Be prepared to pay a shat load. FYE is having "forced bundles" for the PS3. I confirmed this with 3 different store managers.


FYE will be lucky to even get one or two units per store. So if you aren't the first or second dude on the list, I wouldn't expect to get one from them before Xmas. I'm on a list at GameCrazy, and they will actually get a few more units than FYE, but only a few more, and I'm 10th on the list, and there isn't a chance in hell they will get 10 PS3's at launch. In fact, I'll be lucky to get one from them before Xmas.
.

Crap, I hate when we have to do forced bundles. And for your info, when the 360 came out, launch day we had 7-8 of them.

[DonMarco]

So, do PS3 and Wii pre-orders start tomorrow? I've always heard that it will start in October, and tomorrow is October 2nd, plus the managers will be back from the manager meeting in Texas. If it doesn't start tomorrow, it is likely that it will start sometime this week or at least by next Monday October 9th, you would think. So I'm guessing this is the week to be on your toes when it comes to getting a PS3 or Wii pre-order.


Maybe a GameStop or EB employee could check in with their take on the matter.
Hey, here's an idea! How about not calling in every day and just wait for news to surface on the internet (like the first post in the thread). Odds are that when Gamestop corporate-then-regional-then-local management knows, someone will run home and post a single post about it somewhere on the internet. 15 minutes later the info will be on IGN. 10 minutes later it will be on Slashdot. 5 minutes after someone will post that info in this thread.

Just an idea, that's all. Odds are equally good when this news breaks the stores will be closed. OR the date for starting to take preorders will be days off. Or maybe even weeks. Or maybe never!!!

Did you ever think of that?

IDEA!!!

[Anthony1]

So, do PS3 and Wii pre-orders start tomorrow? I've always heard that it will start in October, and tomorrow is October 2nd, plus the managers will be back from the manager meeting in Texas. If it doesn't start tomorrow, it is likely that it will start sometime this week or at least by next Monday October 9th, you would think. So I'm guessing this is the week to be on your toes when it comes to getting a PS3 or Wii pre-order.


Maybe a GameStop or EB employee could check in with their take on the matter.
Hey, here's an idea! How about not calling in every day and just wait for news to surface on the internet (like the first post in the thread). Odds are that when Gamestop corporate-then-regional-then-local management knows, someone will run home and post a single post about it somewhere on the internet. 15 minutes later the info will be on IGN. 10 minutes later it will be on Slashdot. 5 minutes after someone will post that info in this thread.

Just an idea, that's all. Odds are equally good when this news breaks the stores will be closed. OR the date for starting to take preorders will be days off. Or maybe even weeks. Or maybe never!!!

Did you ever think of that?

IDEA!!!


Actually, I try my best to call GameStop and EB daily and check in with them directly. Sometimes there are employees that find out about things a few days in advance and then post it on DP. That's what I was asking about. I'm definitely trying my best to check in daily, because I honestly think the preorder thing is going to start on a certain day, and it's just going to happen. I think the corporate offices normally have a morning email that all the GameStops and EB read, and I think one day it's going to be in their morning email. I call every day when I remember, but the honest truth is that calling might not be good enough. I can call them at 10:01 am, and they could say, "We are starting today, we are starting right now, and by the time I get over there, 10 people could have already pre-ordered the thing and I'm SOL. So if one of the DP members is an employee of EB or GS, maybe they get the early word, and can post it a day in advance, then I know to actually be waiting in front of the local GS to open the next day.

[Princess-Isabela]

I went to a gamestop yesterday and they told me that they wont be taking any preorders and you would have to camp to get one.

[NinjaJoey23]

Well, this is definitely not the case for EB.

[Trebuken]

Well, this is definitely not the case for EB.

My EB manager said it is true for the PS3, though suggested that stores with larger allocations may do things different. He is only expecting 8 or 9, and said first come first serve...

Later,
Trebuken

[Anthony1]

A easy way for stores to handle preorders, is to do a forced bundle, but in addition to that, require that the full amount be paid off at the time of preorder. That would drastically reduce the number of people that would want to do a preorder. Require the person to buy:


1. PS3 system $599 (if they only have a 20gb available, then they refund $100)
2. 3 PS3 games at $59.99 each
3. Extra Sixaxis wireless bluetooth controller at $49.99
4. Any other PS3 accessory that is $29.99 or more


This would require the person to pony up $859.94 plus tax. Figure about 8 percent tax, and they would actually have to pony up $928.74. Now, there are tons of people that really want to get a PS3, but how many of them really have $930 to pony up, right there on the spot to be able to preorder it? Not many. This would solve alot of their dilemas right there. Also, the could do their best estimates on how many units each location would receive, and only offer that number for pre-order, and hand out a flier to everyone preordering that clearly states that they aren't guaranteed a system prior to Xmas, and only cash will be refunded, not trade ins.


Many people would bitch and argue about how unfair this is, but personally, I would jump at the chance to give $930 to EB or GS to ensure I get a PS3 on day 1. Because all those accessories and games could be sold seperately on Ebay or Craigslist for a slight loss, and I need a component cable anyways, and if I ultimately didn't fully enjoy my PS3, I could still sell it for $1500+. So I wouldn't have any problem whatsoever with that type of deal.

[gepeto]

A easy way for stores to handle preorders, is to do a forced bundle, but in addition to that, require that the full amount be paid off at the time of preorder. That would drastically reduce the number of people that would want to do a preorder. Require the person to buy:


1. PS3 system $599 (if they only have a 20gb available, then they refund $100)
2. 3 PS3 games at $59.99 each
3. Extra Sixaxis wireless bluetooth controller at $49.99
4. Any other PS3 accessory that is $29.99 or more


This would require the person to pony up $859.94 plus tax. Figure about 8 percent tax, and they would actually have to pony up $928.74. Now, there are tons of people that really want to get a PS3, but how many of them really have $930 to pony up, right there on the spot to be able to preorder it? Not many. This would solve alot of their dilemas right there. Also, the could do their best estimates on how many units each location would receive, and only offer that number for pre-order, and hand out a flier to everyone preordering that clearly states that they aren't guaranteed a system prior to Xmas, and only cash will be refunded, not trade ins.


Many people would bitch and argue about how unfair this is, but personally, I would jump at the chance to give $930 to EB or GS to ensure I get a PS3 on day 1. Because all those accessories and games could be sold seperately on Ebay or Craigslist for a slight loss, and I need a component cable anyways, and if I ultimately didn't fully enjoy my PS3, I could still sell it for $1500+. So I wouldn't have any problem whatsoever with that type of deal.

I don't know. 930.00 Bundles wont fly in my area. That is too much money out the gate. The only thing it does is buy sony time to make more chips.

[staxx]

I just spoke with a manager of Game Crazy he said that chances are no preorders will be accepted for the WII and it will most likely be a "first come first serve" deal. Due to the fact that Nintendo hasn't released any numbers for them.


Well as stated in my other post, Game Crazy are indeed doing preorders on the Wii. In my area they started the preorder today.

[NinjaJoey23]

My EB manager said it is true for the PS3, though suggested that stores with larger allocations may do things different. He is only expecting 8 or 9, and said first come first serve...

Ok, yeah, I was told by the local EB that they would be taking preorders and that they would probably start this week.

[Anthony1]

My EB manager said it is true for the PS3, though suggested that stores with larger allocations may do things different. He is only expecting 8 or 9, and said first come first serve...

Ok, yeah, I was told by the local EB that they would be taking preorders and that they would probably start this week.


All the EB or GS people that I have talked to said next week at the earliest, and that there might not be preorders for PS3 period. It's interesting how you end up hearing all kinds of different stories about this. Bottom line is you can't really take anybodies word for it, you gotta check in daily.

[Anthony1]

I don't know. 930.00 Bundles wont fly in my area. That is too much money out the gate. The only thing it does is buy sony time to make more chips.



$930.00 bundles don't really fly anywhere, but that's exactly the point. These stores are only going to get 7 or 8 to 12 PS3's per store anyways, and even though $930 is a huge freaking sum of money, I'm sure that they will eventually find 7 or 8 or 12 people to deal with that and Pony up the cash. Most people are going to buy the System and at least one game and one $29.99 accessory anyways, so you are only forcing them to buy 2 more games and a extra controller. Again, the worst case scenario for the guy buying it, is that they have to sell the extra games on Craigslist or Ebay at a slight loss, but ultimately they still end up with the thing they are salivating over.

Really the hardest part is having that much scratch on hand right then, to pay the thing in full, right then, on the spot. But I guarantee you there would be people that would do it. Remember the PS3 comes out November 17th right? You know damn well, it will be cold as fuck on November 17th, waiting out in front of some Wal-Mart or Target, freezing your ass off to get one of these things. I would be willing to pony up the cash, even for extra shit I didn't want, just to have to avoid all that drama.

[DonMarco]

Has any of you broken down the number of how many PS3 systems will be in each GS/EB store on day one? 400,000 in North America and 100,000 in Jay-pan. Of the 400k, what percentage will the Wal-Marts, Circuits Cityes, Amazons and Best Buys get?

In a perfect world, I'd imagine all stores would get 5 to 20 systems, depending on their store performance and presell records (boring like that). In a more perfect world, Sony would just auction all the PS3s off through eBay, cut out the middle men. In the most perfectest world imaginable, the Dreamcast would have beaten out the PS2 five years ago with an arcade-perfect Virtua Fighter 4.

[Anthony1]

Has any of you broken down the number of how many PS3 systems will be in each GS/EB store on day one? 400,000 in North America and 100,000 in Jay-pan. Of the 400k, what percentage will the Wal-Marts, Circuits Cityes, Amazons and Best Buys get?

In a perfect world, I'd imagine all stores would get 5 to 20 systems, depending on their store performance and presell records (boring like that). In a more perfect world, Sony would just auction all the PS3s off through eBay, cut out the middle men. In the most perfectest world imaginable, the Dreamcast would have beaten out the PS2 five years ago with an arcade-perfect Virtua Fighter 4.



Well, the first thing, is to remember that the 400K number is for North America, which includes Canada and possibly Mexico as well. I'm pretty sure that Mexico won't be getting any, but they will definitely allocate some of that 400K to Canada. The question is how many? Maybe some Canadians can chime in on how many of the supposed 380K Xbox 360 units made it to Canada on launch day? Supposedly the 360 had around 380,000 units available for it's launch day in North America, so if you look at the number of 360 units that most stores got, the number of PS3 units should likely be somewhat similar. Of course, Microsoft and Sony probably have different sweatheart retailers, and will allocate their shipments a little bit differently, but probably not dramatically differently, so I would look to the numbers that stores got of the 360 on launch last year as your best indictaion.

[SarKenobi]

I REALLY don't want to get my Wii from GameStop/EB Games. It's not the only damn game stores in the world. I'll probably go for GameCrazy as soon as they get announced for my hood!

[FantasiaWHT]

What's funny is I'm actually deciding where I want to buy my PS3 by which nearby county has the lowest sales tax... I thought I'd only ever do that with cars, lol.

[Nature Boy]

I find the idea of accepting preorders only using trade-ins to be ... amusing.

The corporation says to itself "hey, if we take the $50 in trade ins, we can turn that into $200! Which makes stocking these things with zero markup a little more palatable ..."

Of course they never actually put themselves into the consumer's shoes. "Jeez, do they really think I'm going to give them games I spent $200 on in addition to the $600 cost of a system, plus new games, plus an extra controller?? Where's my local TRU again?"

(Prices are totally made up, but you get the idea).

As a Canadian I can't provide any info on the 360 launch, as I didn't preorder one, but I did preorder a PS2 and can say that the TRU I did that with got in approximately 50 units total. 360s definitely felt more scarce, but that's just an opinion.

[Anthony1]

Here is the latest rumor regarding PS3 preorders at GameStop and EB, courtesy of Kotaku:

"Each gamestop store will receive an average of 6 systems (more for higher volume stores, less for dead stores). 1-2 systems can be given to employees at the store manager's discretion. The rest are given out to the store's "regulars". If a manager feels he has a customer who is very loyal (shops there often, reserves many things), they call them and ask them if they want to guarantee one of the remaining 4 consoles...and aparently all 4 of the remining consoles are handed out in this fashion."


This is pretty shocking to me, and I'm not sure it's exactly legal. I mean, if you are a store selling products, don't you have to make those products available to everyone? On one hand, you could say that GameStop and EB can do whatever the hell they want with the PS3's they get, but on the other hand, if they are going to put them up for sale, don't they have to make them available to everyone? If they really went with this tactic, I would imagine that the backlash would be pretty harsh. I'm not sure this is the smartest idea. Here is a scenario that would be played out a million times:


Customer walks into a EB or GS on the morning of November 17th and approaches the counter


Customer: "I would like to buy a PS3 please"

Employee: "Sorry we are sold out"

Customer: "How could you be sold out, you just opened the store right now, and I'm the first person in line?"

Employee: "We only got 6 PS3 systems, and they are already on hold"

Customer: "But when did you start preorders? I called every single day to check on pre-order availability and they said there would be no preorders for PS3"

Employee: "We didn't do pre-orders"

Customer: "Then how could they be sold out?"

Employee: "We were told by our Corporate Office to hand pick our most loyal customers, and to offer them the chance to put a PS3 on hold"

Customer: "That's BULLSHIT!"

Employee: "Tough Luck Sucka!"



Repeat 10 million times.

[Trebuken]

Looks like I'm going to get some bills played. Won't be able to buy a PS3.

Wonder if I can bribe my local EB manager...? Maybe I can get hires for a couple weeks just to get a system...?

I'm not one for camping...I'd like start a fight when someone in front of me allows their buddies to cut in line after waiting half a day...then I'd spend Thanksgiving in jail...

PS3 or Turkey? Tough one...depends whose cooking this year I guess...

Later,
Trebuken

[Nature Boy]

and I'm not sure it's exactly legal.

Why wouldn't this be legal exactly?

You might not think it's fair, but that's hardly a legal issue. You're certainly entitled to shop for the hardware at *many* other places who won't be indulging in this practice (if it's even true).

To be honest, that line of thinking is what makes the consoles sell for so freaking much on eBay. People who can't get them through the regular channels freak out and are willing to pay whatever it takes.

[vincewy]

update:

EB/GS will take preorders on Tue 10-10, I've heard many stores have people camping out for preorders already, that's just crazy, people seem to have a lot of common sense (sarcasm), the only reason to camp out for PS3 is trying to resell on eBay, even that could go wrong in many ways.

1. Exorbitant fees eBay/Paypal charges.
2. A large amount of defective units.
3. Getting chargebacks from Paypal for many reasons.

[l_lamb]

They're only taking deposits of $100+ on the $599.00 PS3. The Wii is not included in today's reserve. (and what I really want to reserve). At least they'll accept cash, credit, or trade. No mention of any required add-ons.

Gamestop's getting a lot of "free money" for over a month; even if they only get the reported 8 per store, that's $800+ times over 4,400 stores. That's more than $3.5 million they can use or invest.

[Geddon_jt]

A good friend of mine manages a Gamestop. He told me that every Florida store has been allocated 16 total units and that only 2 of those units are allowed to go to store employees. His employees were fighting with each other over the 2nd employee unit (he is kind enough to reserve one for yours truly) and he expects a major line when he opens this morning.

[geneshifter]

A good friend of mine manages a Gamestop. He told me that every Florida store has been allocated 16 total units and that only 2 of those units are allowed to go to store employees. His employees were fighting with each other over the 2nd employee unit (he is kind enough to reserve one for yours truly) and he expects a major line when he opens this morning.

Here in Texas they are getting 8 units per store according to the manager friend of mine. He told me to get there early this morning. In fact, I just went to check it out (5 a.m.) and still no one in line here. I'll probably go back to stay at about 7 a.m. FYI, I just read on some forums that there are lines forming at NYC gamestops.

I hate Sony for causing this stupidity :angry:

[Mr.FoodMonster]

It's funny, I was just at an EB last night where some guy came in and wanted to know about presales. The manager told him the $100 down thing, but didn't yet know a date of when they will start accepting it. I guess he missed a meeting somewhere, or just wasn't listening. Oh well, that guy flat out said he intends on going out to the parking lot with it and selling it to the dumbest motherf.... er... 'highest bidder' he could find. The manager basically told him 'oh, well, in that case, whatever.' Atleast that one had some morals.

[Nature Boy]

Oh well, that guy flat out said he intends on going out to the parking lot with it and selling it to the dumbest motherf.... er... 'highest bidder' he could find.

What makes a guy like that think anyone else cares what he's going to do? Does he want me to think he's smart or something? I've never figured that out.

I went to TRU on the weekend to buy NHL 07 and inquired about preorders for the heck of it. They started taking 'em in Feb for the PS3, and stopped at the end of July I think he said. I don't think Sony is going to have to worry *one bit* about selling a crapload of PS3s.

[l_lamb]

From GameSpot.com:

"Most stores will receive a preorder allocation of eight units, while a few select stores will receive 16," a GameStop official said. "In either case, employee purchases will be restricted to a total of no more than two systems per store."

I'm on my way to one of the three stores by First Colony Mall (2 outside, 1 inside) to see what the options are. I figure if I change my mind later, they'll be happy to sell mine to someone else.

[GrandAmChandler]

My girlfriend just preordered a $600 model for me. She said that the store manager was there and said that they were able to take 18 preorders, but there was no guarrantee if she would get one on launch.. She was #6 or 7 on the list, not that it matters any...

We shall see.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

Well, I decided to check one of the closer Gamestops to me here in NYC and there was no one there as of 8:00AM, so I was first in line :) By 10, there were still only like 10 in total. Not too bad. Preordered the $599 and RR7 so Im good to go now....

[qbertandernie]

well, ive got my pre order in...

hope i can actually get a $599 system. the manager said they will get 8 systems, but not necessarily the ones that were preordered. some people may be stuck with the lower end model, even if having preordered the high end.

[64Bits]

A good friend of mine manages a Gamestop. He told me that every Florida store has been allocated 16 total units and that only 2 of those units are allowed to go to store employees. His employees were fighting with each other over the 2nd employee unit (he is kind enough to reserve one for yours truly) and he expects a major line when he opens this morning.

A friend of mine works for EB/Gamestop, and I talked to him about the Wii/Ps3 preorders. He informed me that your manager buddy can very well lose his job for holding a preorder aside for you. Just thought you should know (Even though he, and possibly you, know this already.)

[geneshifter]

Yay! I got my PS3 preordered - number 1 in line so it should be about as guaranteed as it gets.

FYI, we were told this morning that all the games for the system will also be in very limited supply x_x So, I also preordered Assasin's Creed, Resistance and also Oblivion since I want to play the new knighthood storyline.

At the GS I was at, we had the 6 people already there by 9am. They are getting 8 with 2 going to employees. One of the guys in line got a call from another one where there were more than 30 people in line - that store is only getting 14 @_@

This madness has got to stop!!

[gepeto]

I had been searching everyday. I find out today and what I'm too late. Sony can kiss my ass. No notices I was just in the store yesterday asking and no heads up. Wii all the way now. even my most reputable stopres didn't fill me in.


The whole process sucks .the big one

Just venting.

[geneshifter]

I had been searching everyday. I find out today and what I'm too late. Sony can kiss my ass. No notices I was just in the store yesterday asking and no heads up. Wii all the way now. even my most reputable stopres didn't fill me in.


The whole process sucks .the big one

Just venting.

Dude, I know what you mean. I got lucky because the GS manager I know on a first name basis told me last night - to give his best customers the heads-up. I'm glad I wanted to go inside and ask about a game now. It didn't hit the internet 'till late last night and radio had it this morning.

I guess they were trying to keep it quiet as much as possible to prevent a stampede. It does suck, though :angry:

[Chase]

Sent my mother to GS this morning (I had class). #5 for a premium bundle with CoD and Madden. I'll be putting it up on eBay as soon as the frenzy starts. $1499 Buy-It-Now :-P

The profits will cover my Wii and hopefully next semester's books.

[vincewy]

I don't think Sony is going to have to worry *one bit* about selling a crapload of PS3s.

You have to look at how many of those preorders are actual end users and wanting them legitimately, I dare say that as many as 80% of the units will be on eBay, they'll have no trouble selling them during the holiday, but after early Jan, I'd be interested to see if they're still flying off the shelf at price point of $600.

Don't get me wrong, I want one myself too (this way I don't have to get PS2), but Sony will have to drop the price on this thing to broaden the appeal.

[98PaceCar]

Sent my mother to GS this morning (I had class). #5 for a premium bundle with CoD and Madden. I'll be putting it up on eBay as soon as the frenzy starts. $1499 Buy-It-Now :-P

The profits will cover my Wii and hopefully next semester's books.

Real nice. The system you bought to turn a profit on is keeping someone that really wants one from having it.

Be sure to post up when you put it on ebay. I'm willing to take a neg to kill your auction...

[GrayFox]

:-/ to Ebaying. I hope the Ebay market becomes saturated, I really do.

Reserved myself a premium system with Resistance.

[Anthony1]

Here is my little GameStop/EB pre-order story:


Last nite, it hit all over the net that this would be going down. It was like the No.1 story on GameSpot and 1up as well as many other gaming news places. It was a super hot topic in all the forums. So I really started to worry about how early I would have to show up at a GameSpot. Normally, I have to take my son to his daycare, and the earliest I could get to a GameStop would be 8am. I figured that this would be too late, so I was able to convince my wife to take both kids this morning. It would make her late to work, but it was my birthday the other day and she said she would as a extra birthday present.

So I decide to set my alarm for 4:55 am. I wake up, throw on some sweats, grab a lawn chair and head out the door. The first place I tried was my local GameStop that's right by my house. Figure I would check that one out first. When I got there, there was 4 cars in the parking lot, and 2 chairs by the front door, but nobody in the chairs. So I pulled up right to the front, and immediately 4 people hop out of the various cars and get in line. I asked them how many units did they think this story was getting, and this one guy had heard they would be getting 10 units. So I figured that if I'm the 5th guy, that would work for me. So I put my chair down and began the process. About a half hour after I showed up, a few more guys showed up. Then at around 6:30 am, another guy showed up. Then around 7am, a few more guys showed up. 20 minutes before the store opened, there were like 25 people waiting out front.

Anyways, I ended up the 4th guy on the list, cause 2 of the people that were waiting were only getting 1 system. I feel my chances are pretty good that I'll actually get one at launch being the 4th guy. :D


I actually plan to keep this system rather than flipping, but I will admit that if I'm somehow able to get a second system, maybe via an online pre-order bundle or something, I'm definitely going to flip one on Ebay. If that makes me a total scumbag, then so be it, I'm a total scumbag :) There are upsides and downsides to being in a capitalistic free market society!

[Chase]

I guarantee you the console will end up in the hands of someone who "really wants one."



Sent my mother to GS this morning (I had class). #5 for a premium bundle with CoD and Madden. I'll be putting it up on eBay as soon as the frenzy starts. $1499 Buy-It-Now :-P

The profits will cover my Wii and hopefully next semester's books.

Real nice. The system you bought to turn a profit on is keeping someone that really wants one from having it.

Be sure to post up when you put it on ebay. I'm willing to take a neg to kill your auction...

[staxx]

Luckily for me, I got the news at about 8.00 pm (PST) and rushed out to a local Gamestop. I was third in line so it seems I will be buying a PS3 afterall. That's one of the hurdles out of the way (phewww). Now to make any space I have left for this big behemoth. I would say a buy it now for $1499 is a little on the low side. I predict a price over $2000. I have nothing against ebayers so long as they only buy one from a store.

[Nature Boy]

Don't get me wrong, I want one myself too (this way I don't have to get PS2), but Sony will have to drop the price on this thing to broaden the appeal.

Of course they don't have to broaden the appeal until they can move serious numbers of units anyway, which won't be for awhile. As much as people *would* like the opposite, I don't think we're going to see PS3 units lying around in stores a day after launch.

[GrandAmChandler]

Called the store manager who I am semi-friendly with, he said I am guaranteed the 8th PS3 that comes through the door. Not necessarilly on launch, but they took 16 preorders which has me hopeful.

No camping necessary.

[GrandAmChandler]

Also, I have started a thread on Ebay PS3 sales (yes it has begun already...) in our ebay forum, or you can just click below.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=93767

-GAC-

[98PaceCar]

I guarantee you the console will end up in the hands of someone who "really wants one."



Sent my mother to GS this morning (I had class). #5 for a premium bundle with CoD and Madden. I'll be putting it up on eBay as soon as the frenzy starts. $1499 Buy-It-Now :-P

The profits will cover my Wii and hopefully next semester's books.

Real nice. The system you bought to turn a profit on is keeping someone that really wants one from having it.

Be sure to post up when you put it on ebay. I'm willing to take a neg to kill your auction...

Well then, best of luck to you. I'm sure everybody will be better off because of your efforts (or rather, your mommy's efforts).

[pacmanhat]

Sent my mother to GS this morning (I had class). #5 for a premium bundle with CoD and Madden. I'll be putting it up on eBay as soon as the frenzy starts. $1499 Buy-It-Now :-P

The profits will cover my Wii and hopefully next semester's books.

Real nice. The system you bought to turn a profit on is keeping someone that really wants one from having it.

Be sure to post up when you put it on ebay. I'm willing to take a neg to kill your auction...

PaceCar, you are my hero. I wish this sort of price gouging was illegal.

[GrandAmChandler]

Sent my mother to GS this morning (I had class). #5 for a premium bundle with CoD and Madden. I'll be putting it up on eBay as soon as the frenzy starts. $1499 Buy-It-Now :-P

The profits will cover my Wii and hopefully next semester's books.

Real nice. The system you bought to turn a profit on is keeping someone that really wants one from having it.

Be sure to post up when you put it on ebay. I'm willing to take a neg to kill your auction...

PaceCar, you are my hero. I wish this sort of price gouging was illegal.

Okay okay, enough of the eBay talk, feel free to mention that in the ebay thread I posted above.

This thread is about preorders only!

[segagamer4life]

I learned today that Wii preorders at most gamestops/eb's will start this thursday morning, latest Friday am. fyi.

[FantasiaWHT]

*cries* I got stuck in a horrid traffic jam and missed a preorder by two people in line :(

[ManciGames]

Here is my little GameStop/EB pre-order story:
<snip crazy story>

Man, this shit is crazy... The only reason they are launching "on time" this November is to save face.

I am #2 on the PS3 pre-order list and #3 on the Wii list at my local store. I am much more looking forward to the Wii the than the PS3.

I also will be selling my PS3 for a huge mark-up. When I reserved it (about a year ago), I honestly was planning on keeping it. But the launch line-up looks HORRIBLE. And by the time any decent games are out, you'll be able to stroll in and buy one at face value. I had considered keeping it for the Bluray capabilities, but I have read that Blueray is using an outdated MPEG technology and the discs look only barely better than regular DVD. So, I no longer have a need for it at this time.

That being said, if someone here wants to guarnatee themselves a unit for $1499, please email me. That's probably a $500 discount over what you will pay on ebay... We can escrow.

[DKTheArcadeRat]

Well, after checking at local GameStops and an EB store, Wii will start sometime this week, and today they just started Ps3 not Wii, which i thought they did.

Dave

[MarkMan]

Rough day. Got my 2 PS3s on lock. Waited since 3 AM. It's serious down here in San Diego.

[NinjaJoey23]

Horrible luck. My phone has been broken and my computer is out of commission, so today was the 1st day I didn't call EB. I didn't get there today b/c they were closed before I read this thread.

My small hope is that since I live in such a small town, there may be a spot or two left. If not, I'm camping out, fo' sho'

Don't spoil my dream.

[DonMarco]

So I come in this morning and turn down a preorder. Mostly because I'd rather have an 8" stack of holiday-release games than a Sony product. Or 924 king-sized Snickers bars!! Or 5000 bricks of ramen noodles (a 15-year supply)!!!!



Sent my mother to GS this morning (I had class). #5 for a premium bundle with CoD and Madden. I'll be putting it up on eBay as soon as the frenzy starts. $1499 Buy-It-Now :-P

The profits will cover my Wii and hopefully next semester's books.

Real nice. The system you bought to turn a profit on is keeping someone that really wants one from having it.

Be sure to post up when you put it on ebay. I'm willing to take a neg to kill your auction...
I'm with who ever in killing some PS3 auctions on eBay. We can make a game of it.

[vincewy]

That being said, if someone here wants to guarnatee themselves a unit for $1499, please email me. That's probably a $500 discount over what you will pay on ebay... We can escrow.

With large majority of units bought for eBay resales and lack of geniune interest for the system at launch (I'm more interested in later titles too), don't be surprised if most units will fetch less than $1500, maybe even less than $1000.

I'm not saying you won't be getting $2000 for it, just don't count too much on it, some have already put them on eBay for over $5000 for the preorder, talking about getting drugged with greed.

[jajaja]

Here is my little GameStop/EB pre-order story: <story>

That is cool! :) Its so sweet to read that both EBgames and GameStop sold out (well.. the pre-orders) the PS3 within minutes. I was waiting for this message to come just to see how the people who said that the price was too insane. This result shows that the price doesnt matter.

[jajaja]

That being said, if someone here wants to guarnatee themselves a unit for $1499, please email me. That's probably a $500 discount over what you will pay on ebay... We can escrow.

With large majority of units bought for eBay resales and lack of geniune interest for the system at launch (I'm more interested in later titles too), don't be surprised if most units will fetch less than $1500, maybe even less than $1000.

I'm not saying you won't be getting $2000 for it, just don't count too much on it, some have already put them on eBay for over $5000 for the preorder, talking about getting drugged with greed.

I can guarantee you that we will see PS3 auctions that hits over $1000. The thousands and thousands of people who pre-ordered want the system for themself, only a very small fraction of them buy just to sell on Ebay.

[klausien]

That being said, if someone here wants to guarnatee themselves a unit for $1499, please email me. That's probably a $500 discount over what you will pay on ebay... We can escrow.

With large majority of units bought for eBay resales and lack of geniune interest for the system at launch (I'm more interested in later titles too), don't be surprised if most units will fetch less than $1500, maybe even less than $1000.

I'm not saying you won't be getting $2000 for it, just don't count too much on it, some have already put them on eBay for over $5000 for the preorder, talking about getting drugged with greed.

I can guarantee you that we will see PS3 auctions that hits over $1000. The thousands and thousands of people who pre-ordered want the system for themself, only a very small fraction of them buy just to sell on Ebay.

This is true, but there are only a)400,000 units for the launch and b)the system will still remain an elite product for the forseeable future. I think you are underestimating the amount of speculators. Retail sales of the PS3 are not for profit. No matter what, the extra money being spent in the resale market will do nothing but hurt Sony.

[GrandAmChandler]

Do a search for "TMX Elmo" this is the 2nd hottest item this Christmas Season. Retails for $35, and is going at an upwards of $200 for this plush toy.

The American public will do anything to make children happy on Christmas. Do not underestimate their wallets. They will pay over $1000 for a PS3, and by my calculations the average price is going to be $1400ish for a sealed premium PS3 on eBay.

[jajaja]

Ye, and its not like you will see 20,000 auctions on Ebay with PS3 consoles 1-2 days after the launch.

[Nature Boy]

The American public will do anything to make children happy on Christmas. Do not underestimate their wallets. They will pay over $1000 for a PS3, and by my calculations the average price is going to be $1400ish for a sealed premium PS3 on eBay.

It's sad but true. I remember two people fighting over a poster of Wayne Gretzky at Christmas at the hobby store I worked at.

A *poster*

And the only people to blame are the American public themselves. You can look down upon those who 'take advantage' of the situation, but there wouldn't be a situation in the first place if people weren't so stupid.

[Richter]

really no need to PO the Wii
Wii Launch Quantity now 2 Million (http://www.2old2play.com/News/Wii_Launch_Quantity_now_2_Million)

[staxx]

Supposingly the Wii preorder is going to start on this Friday 13th :eek 2: scary... Anyhow it's probably worth doing a preorder on the Wii just to secure yourself one (just go there in the morning). You never know what will happen between now and November 19th. Who knows maybe a bad batch needed to be recalled or a fire broke out in a warehouse, point being best preorder just to be save. But to camp out though, it's not worth it in my opinion.

[studvicious]

Here is my little GameStop/EB pre-order story: <story>

That is cool! :) Its so sweet to read that both EBgames and GameStop sold out (well.. the pre-orders) the PS3 within minutes. I was waiting for this message to come just to see how the people who said that the price was too insane. This result shows that the price doesnt matter.

I don't think anyone doubted that this would happen. I can promise you that there were waaay more than 400K people that were wanting a PS3 on day one no matter what it cost.

[ManciGames]

With large majority of units bought for eBay resales and lack of geniune interest for the system at launch (I'm more interested in later titles too), don't be surprised if most units will fetch less than $1500, maybe even less than $1000.

I'm not saying you won't be getting $2000 for it, just don't count too much on it, some have already put them on eBay for over $5000 for the preorder, talking about getting drugged with greed.

You might be right... Either way is fine with me, really. I hadn't initially planned on trying to make money on it, and if there was just ONE launch game that I was interested in, I'd keep it.

So, I either make some cash, or I just return it to the store a week later and get a refund. If I Ebay it, I will definitely require immediate payment along with Buy It Now.

[geneshifter]

Anyone else going out tomorrow to preorder the Wii at Gamestop? I think I'm going to go ahead and preorder one just in case, though it looks like there will be plenty.

As far as the above poster's comments, weren't there a lot of people burned last year on ebay with paypal chargebacks? Isn't it safer for you to get a money order or cashier's check?

[staxx]

I will probably do the preorder on the Wii tomorrow at Gamestop or EB games. I won't camp out though, there should be plenty of Wii's to go around.

[Castelak]

http://www.gamestop.com/gs/newsletter/wiipreorder/wiipre_email_main.jpg

Looks like it's official, tomorrow! 8-)

[drewbrim]

I'll be there with bells on :-P

[qbertandernie]

rumor is that this had an earlier announcement for presale, so the managers are suggesting you may want to get there earlier than you did for the ps3. i expect more people(even more than 4m) are going to want this, simply due to it being the cheapest, so i expect theyll sell out too. my EB is getting 14. im driving out at 7:30...2 guys in line for ps3 had been there since 4:30 though, so who knows.

[FAMOUS]

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y264/G204U2NV/WiiPREORDER.jpg I just got this in my e-mail... minyana!!!!

[WanganRunner]

I'm driving to my EB at 9am to get my Wii preorder in.

I already saw 3 people in line at like 7am, but I had to come to work, otherwise I would've waited.

[Kejoriv]

I drove by a local Gamestop there were 4 people in line waiting it was wicked cold this morning too. Oh yea...it was 6:30 am.

[gamegirl79]

I won't be able to get to EB/GS until tonight (and I'm sure all preorders will be filled by then) so I'm hoping there's enough to go around on launch day. :/

[jajaja]

Hm.. is it nessessary to preorder Wii? I thought Nintendo were spitting out like 11 million units at launch.

[ManciGames]

As far as the above poster's comments, weren't there a lot of people burned last year on ebay with paypal chargebacks? Isn't it safer for you to get a money order or cashier's check?

Not in my experience. Using those forms on an auction like this just leads to a bunch of people trying to kill your auction (like the people in noted in this very thread).

Buy It Now with Immediate Payment protects you...at least as much as protection is possible.

[Oobgarm]

Hm.. is it nessessary to preorder Wii? I thought Nintendo were spitting out like 11 million units at launch.

I think that the rabid fanbase, coupled with the lowest price of the next-gen systems, will provide ample reason for the launch to sell out. Especially with it being so close to Christmas.

[Nes]

I was first in line at EB. They ended up only having 3 preorders available for the Wii. Good thing I got there 3 hours early and yes there were a lot of pissed off people. There was another store nearby that had 36 apparently but I had heard the line there was already 25 strong 2 hours before opening. Next time I will call beforehand to ask how many will be available. I got lucky this time.

[Kejoriv]

I think that the rabid fanbase, coupled with the lowest price of the next-gen systems, will provide ample reason for the launch to sell out. Especially with it being so close to Christmas.

Yup you and yup.

The question is how much do you think these will go for on eBay? I think at least double at $500. The PS3 will go over 1k on the majority of the auctions. Ridicolous is my opinion but whatever floats your boat...

[Damaniel]

Hm.. is it nessessary to preorder Wii? I thought Nintendo were spitting out like 11 million units at launch.

I didn't think so at first, either, but yesterday I decided that I was going to head to EB this morning and get my pre-order in, just in case.

I knew that I was going to have a hard time when I got to the first store, almost 3 hours before opening, and there were already 12 people in line. The store was a small one so I figured that 12 was all they would get. The second store had even more (people, that is), and some of those people had been waiting a while; there was even a tent set up! :) Same deal at the third.

A friend of mine waiting at an EB in Sherwood, OR (about 25 miles away from me) called me to tell me that he was 4th in his line and that nobody else had showed up in over half an hour. I ended up driving all the way out there, and managed to get the 8th spot in line. By the time the door opened at 10, there were over 25 people there, and the manager had to turn most of them away (they only had 12 pre-orders).

I expect that GameStop/EB will sell out their pre-orders today, much like they did for PS3. I'm sure that Target/Walmart/etc will have larger numbers of units available on launch day, but I wanted to hedge my bets in case supply ends up being shorter than expected.

[geneshifter]

Here, the line for the Wii was much longer than the PS3 on Tuesday.

I got there at 8am and was #2 out of some 20 people by the time the store opened. Mostly soccer moms getting it for their kids today.

This GS only got 11 to give out so there were some really angry people when they opened :eek 2:

Oh, FYI, GI magazine had an ad this month about a Zelda preview at midnight on Nov 19, launch day, for those that had preordered the game. Does this mean that they will also release the console at midnight?

[Damaniel]

Oh, FYI, GI magazine had an ad this month about a Zelda preview at midnight on Nov 19, launch day, for those that had preordered the game. Does this mean that they will also release the console at midnight?

The manager at the EB I preordered from said his store would be open at midnight for the Wii launch. I don't know if this is a company-wide policy, though.

[YoshiM]

I kinda find it lame that they limit it to so little. If I'm not mistaken the email they sent to people stated that if you preorder it doesn't mean you'll get one on launch day so what would be the big deal if they took more?

My friends and I were put on a list at the local Gamestop back in June for the Wii. However there was a management change and that list was tossed so our claim was null and void (and I think $5 went bye-bye...not sure as I wasn't the one who did the preorder). My bro in law got to Gamestop around 10:30 and all 14 preorders were snagged up.

Word to the wise: PREORDER YOUR WII MOTES AND CHUCKS! I've been hearing that the controllers are going to be at a premium so if you want your multiplayer gaming snag those suckers up!

[WanganRunner]

I got my Wii preorder this morning at around 10:15am.

I missed the boat at one store and so I had to go to another one, ended up being 9th in a line of 50 PEOPLE!

I got the system, Zelda, and a classic controller.


Oh, and eBay has REMOVED all PS3 preorder auctions. Go check for yourselves. You can still see them in the search, but try and click on one and.....POOF!

I'll sell mine on craigslist then, I suppose.

[JSN]

Fortunately, I was able to get one reserved today. The local GS was only allotted 12 systems for reservation (only 4 more than PS3s they were given). My Wii and Zelda are paid in full, all I need now is to pick them up! It cannot get here soon enough. :)

[klausien]

I got to the local Funcoland I always frequent for reserves (I used to work there) around 8:30 AM and was the second person in line. Freezing, but instantly satisfied because I knew I was golden. The Gamestop across the parking lot (yeah, I know) had about 5-6 people at that point, but they have a larger customer base for some odd reason.

At around 9 AM, the store manager showed up and handed out lists of available Wii items for preorder he had printed out in exactly the amount he had for reserve: SEVEN. Yikes. Sales technique, yes, but also a conscientious way of keeping a count of who was getting a preorder. As more people came up to the line, we tried to let them know the deal. But, people will be people, so they stuck around and felt it necessary that they give the manager crap when he returned to open the store. He said the line, however meager, was at least double the amount of people who showed up to preorder a PS3.

Truth be told, I went and stood in the cold wind for almost 2 hours for a slip of paper because I wanted to absolutely guarantee myself a no-hassle Wii at launch. There is no shame in that, despite what IGN Wii's blog would like to have you think. If one is wondering why EB/GameStop kept the numbers low, they need to wake up. The last several system launches were over-pre-sold disasters. The Wii WILL be replenished plenty prior to Christmas, unlike the XBox 360 at launch or PS3, yes, but it is nice to know that I will be holding the system in my hands, most likely at the stroke of midnight, on November 19th.

Even more importantly, I wanted to be absolutely positive that I would be walking out that night with an extra remote and nunchuck. The system will be available, but the controllers will be tough to find for months, just like they were for the N64. I will still most likely need to be one of the first in line at launch to guarantee this, but it is worth the down payment. I also preordered Zelda and ExciteTruck. Extravagant, but it is going to be SOOOO worth it. Can't wait for 11/19/06! :rocker:

[opitekk]

I waited in line this morning from 9am till it opened at 10am, freaking cold!!! The lady said they only have 9 Wii's avaialable to pre-order and there were only 6 of us waiting in line......the other store two blocks down only had 7 available to pre-order.

Thats the story around here in Michigan.

But i bet there will be more then that cuz thats jsut bad buisness and nintendo will want to move as many systems as they can, ya know.

At least i'll have mine@ :-)

[MrRoboto19XX]

Pre-ordered mine today at my Gamestop of choice (where the art of douchebaggery is almost never seen).

The number 1,2,3 and 4 people in line had been there since 2:30 AM, no joke.

I was number 5, I arrived at 9:30, the store opened at 10.

[Anthony1]

Damn, I missed out on the whole Nintendo Wii preorder thing. I was camping. REAL camping. Well actually I was in a cabin, so I guess that isn't camping to be honest. Anyways, we got back home about noon, and I hoped online and saw the news of the EB/GameStop preorders for the Wii starting today and I said, "Oh shit!". I called all the local places but they had all sold out within the first 10 minutes.


My guess is that GameStop/EB is being ultra conservative with their Wii allotment, because from what I understand, Nintendo is going to have 1 million for launch day in the U.S. If the 1 million number is correct, then that would mean that your average Target would get 60 or 80 or even more. So I'm hoping to still be able to snag one at a Target or something on launch day. Of course, Nintendo has been known to fake scarcity to drive up demand (N64 launch anyone?), so who knows what might happen. I know I can get my hands on a Wii prior to Xmas, but I'm a launch day type of guy.

[TurboGenesis]

Damn, I missed out on the whole Nintendo Wii preorder thing. I was camping. REAL camping. Well actually I was in a cabin, so I guess that isn't camping to be honest. Anyways, we got back home about noon, and I hoped online and saw the news of the EB/GameStop preorders for the Wii starting today and I said, "Oh shit!". I called all the local places but they had all sold out within the first 10 minutes.


My guess is that GameStop/EB is being ultra conservative with their Wii allotment, because from what I understand, Nintendo is going to have 1 million for launch day in the U.S. If the 1 million number is correct, then that would mean that your average Target would get 60 or 80 or even more. So I'm hoping to still be able to snag one at a Target or something on launch day. Of course, Nintendo has been known to fake scarcity to drive up demand (N64 launch anyone?), so who knows what might happen. I know I can get my hands on a Wii prior to Xmas, but I'm a launch day type of guy.

That sucks that you missed the pre order. I wish you the best of luck in getting a Wii. I am a silly deranged launch guy myself. I don't know what it is - my friends think i'm crazy. I'm going to be spending almost $1000 next month.

I made it to Game Stop yesterday morning at about 8am and I was #4 the other three folks were there at 6am and after I showed up the line just seemed to grow until there were 14 and then that was it. Everyone else got sent away and were told to check the other stores near by.

[staxx]

This is not so good news dunno if it real or how much of an impact it will have but news is news I guess.


Last month, retailer GameStop began accepting "limited" preorders for the PlayStation 3, asking customers to put down $100 in advance for the system, with a modest expectation of eight units per store in most cases. Now it appears the largest gaming specialty chain in North America won't be receiving even that many systems.

A GameStop representative told GameSpot today that the company received launch allocation numbers from Sony, and that it won't be able to fill its existing PS3 preorders. The representative declined to comment on how many systems GameStop expected to receive, or how short of that figure the company's share of systems would be.

"We are beginning to notify our customers that our initial shipment of PS3 systems will not be what we expected," the representative said. "As this is not an ideal situation, we are asking employees to wait to purchase systems until the second shipment. We are anticipating having systems to cover reservations before Christmas."

For launch day, preorders will be filled in the order they were received, and those who had a preorder but are denied a system on day one will receive something for their troubles. GameStop will give those unfortunate customers (as well as unfortunate employees) a free used game or DVD valued at $19.99 or less when they eventually wind up purchasing the system.

Those who reserved a system won't need to wait long to find out if they can expect a system on launch day. Starting tomorrow, customers who preordered a PS3 will be contacted personally by phone and updated on the status of their reservation, the rep said.

And while it might be a nonissue considering the clamor for consumers to get their hands on the coveted systems, GameStop is also asking anyone with a confirmed preorder to pick their systems up by Saturday evening.



From http://www.gamespot.com/news/6161580.html?sid=6161580&sid=6161580

I guess I will find out tomorrow if I have secured one :(

[GrandAmChandler]

I called the manager and I was number 8 on the list, and JUST made the cut off. I will be getting the 60 GB model on Friday morning at 9am. My store took 16 reserves.

-GAC-

[geneshifter]

I called my GS in Dallas and they said I made it for Friday but they would not tell me how many after that. I was #1 in line and he did say that not everyone was getting theirs. They took 8 preorders so it is less than 8 for sure.

I'll try and get a more definitive answer later today.

This whole situation bites :hmm:

[FantasiaWHT]

I lost mine...

I'm good friends with the DM, and I can shed some interesting light on this...

THIS TIME, it's not Sony's fault (it was MS's fault for the 360 launch- they gave numbers and then cut them). On a conference call last night it was admitted that EB/GS NEVER HAD confirmed allocation numbers from Sony! They were guessing, and thought they were guessing low.

The DM also tells me that Sony has said they will get enough systems to EB/GS to fulfill preorders by Christmas

[PapaStu]

My friend lost his as well... however from what he was told by his brother who works at the GS he preordered from, ALL employee/family preorders have been bumped until a later date which hasn't been determined. He was #1 on that stores list.

[Muscelli]

I feel kinda sorry for the ebay pre-orders that were sold. Imagine how much of that money just went to waste in paypal/ebay fees.... Not to mention the people who will not recieve their ps3

[vincewy]

I can guarantee you that we will see PS3 auctions that hits over $1000. The thousands and thousands of people who pre-ordered want the system for themself, only a very small fraction of them buy just to sell on Ebay.

Where's everyone that bragged about reselling PS3 on eBay now? Even more ironic is that Sony supplied less than half of what's promised (which should've pushed the final prices even higher), yet the average final prices fall below $1000 within 24 hours after launch, as of now, you can win a 60GB PS3 on eBay for under $900 shipping included, the unit below even has free shipping, ouch!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-PlayStation-3-60-gig-Game-console_W0QQitemZ320059169387QQihZ011QQcategoryZ62 054QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

As for those holding out to sell them for Xmas, forget it, number of units on eBay have spiked back up to nearly 20000 (higheset was 35000 during launch day), you might want to return those units to stores instead.