Christmas Ferengi- I hate you

[Fritzo]

They ran a news story last night about people waiting in line at Toys R Us to be able to get a Nintendo Wii preorder. 6 out of 10 people they talked to said they were buying the preorder so they could sell it on Ebay.

I went to Toys R Us today to check out some stuff that my kid wanted for Christmas. While there, some dorky looking guy was buying their entire stock of Lego Star Wars Star Destroyers (at $99/pop). At the checkout the lady asked him what he was going to do with all these, and he said they were going to be in demand, so he was going to sell them on Ebay.

People that do this kind of crap are creating a false shortage. Kids want this kind of stuff for Christmas to make their dreams come true, and money grubbing jerks come along to take what they want away was was intended to be available from normal retailers and essentially force you to buy it from "the black market" (my new name for Ebay during Christmas).

If businesses created false shortages of a product, there would be investigations and hearings all over the place, yet citizens are allowed to get away with it for some reason. Does this drive anyone else nuts? :| x 1000

Cliffs: People buying toys to resell, making false shrotages should be shot

 

[imported_Tick]

People will do what ever they can get away with.

 

[Sphexi]

Originally posted by: Tick
People will do what ever they can get away with.

QFT. Christmas in our house was never about specific toys or presents either. We bought whatever we thought the person would like, we never asked for anything specific. Only time was back when I was young and I wanted the brand new Gameboy that had just been released (original one), and I got it and Tetris to go with it. Back then there was no eBay to muck things up.

 

[sandmanwake]

If parents taught their kids not to be so superficial and to stop equating material items with happiness, dream come true, and a good Christmas, it wouldn't be a problem.

 

[everman]

There aren't enough ebayers buying Wiis to cause a shortage there, there will be enough to go around.
I see no problem with selling PS3s though, you only have Sony to blame for that shortage.

 

[ballmode]

haha i like the thread title, Ferengi!

hey the secondary market always works it way out

if it wasn't for ebay now, this would have been going on for YEARS

 

[doze]

Just don't buy overpriced crap on ebay and this won't happen. Besides kids don't really need anything for Christmas. Like most families mine went through rough patches where we were dirt poor but most of the time we were doing fine. Looking back on it now I don't remember the Christmas mornings where I got a bunch of crap being any better than the years with only a few presents.

 

[DainBramaged]

I hate to say it, but it's part of living in a free country. <shrug>

 

[giantpinkbunnyhead]

It is disappointing, but I think it's a symptom of the free market being out of whack. The price point is too low on these things. If Microsoft charged, say, $499 instead of $399 for the preimum 360 bundle, there would be fewer resellers and more availability (due to fewer buyers at that price point). It sucks that it would be more expensive... but such is the way things go. The fact that teh resellers can reap such huge profits, and the fact that people will wait in line for hours in the cold, only prove that the price is too low for the best balance. I think.

 

[kranky]

Since wealthy people will pay whatever it costs to make sure their kid has the "must-have" toy, it's going to continue. They feed the market. I know for some of the people I work with, they'd rather pay $500 from the comfort of their own home rather than pay $50 and stand out in the cold for hours.

They don't even realize it's because of their own behavior that standing in the cold is even necessary. If people couldn't make a ton selling them on ebay, they'd be available in the store during normal store hours.

 

[Fritzo]

Can you imagine if a group of people with lots of money came in and bought up all the milk, medicine, food, clothes, then resold it? I could see this happening in the future.

 

[Vegitto]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Can you imagine if a group of people with lots of money came in and bought up all the milk, medicine, food, clothes, then resold it? I could see this happening in the future.

Yes, but for some reason, this would be quickly illegal. Why, you ask me?

Because I don't need a PS3/Wii/XBOX360 to SURVIVE. Medicine and food, though, would be nice.

 

[Exterous]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Can you imagine if a group of people with lots of money came in and bought up all the milk, medicine, food, clothes, then resold it? I could see this happening in the future.

Hmmm, I belive that would fall under the category of price gouging since its on essentials - and is therefore illegal

 

[loup garou]

This might make you feel the tiniest bit better.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: giantpinkbunnyhead
It is disappointing, but I think it's a symptom of the free market being out of whack. The price point is too low on these things. If Microsoft charged, say, $499 instead of $399 for the preimum 360 bundle, there would be fewer resellers and more availability (due to fewer buyers at that price point). It sucks that it would be more expensive... but such is the way things go. The fact that teh resellers can reap such huge profits, and the fact that people will wait in line for hours in the cold, only prove that the price is too low for the best balance. I think.

err its not about pricing. they find what they beleive the price that will bring in the most sales. the price is fine. its more of a manufacturing problem.

they can't manufacter enough right now. look at the Xbox 360. you do not see them going for twice the price of retail. why? because i can walk into wal-mart right now and buy one.

The reason the ps3 and wii (though i think the wii is gamble) is because they are only going to have a few hundred thousand at launch. since so many people want it many are going to buy to re-sale. In a few months you will be able to walk into wal-mart and buy a new one.

 

[Billzie7718]

These companies ship millions upon millions of pieces for each product. How many people going into a store and buying 30 units would it really take to CREATE a shortage? Is it possible that these companies are creating the shortage themselves so that they can become the HOT Christmas toy of the year and get all that news pub?

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Can you imagine if a group of people with lots of money came in and bought up all the milk, medicine, food, clothes, then resold it? I could see this happening in the future.

You ever see what bottled water, generators, batteries, and flashlights sell for before and after a hurricane or tornado hits?

 

[FelixDeCat]

Limit one per customer

 

[Aharami]

this is one of the reasons why i refuse to buy anything off eBay during Christmas season

 

[Wreckem]

Im going to laugh my ass off at all the people buying wiis to ebay them. News flash, there will not be a shortage of wiis.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
If businesses created false shortages of a product, there would be investigations and hearings all over the place, yet citizens are allowed to get away with it for some reason. Does this drive anyone else nuts? :| x 1000

Why? Scalper envy is nothing more than economic ignorance.

 

[Mursilis]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Can you imagine if a group of people with lots of money came in and bought up all the milk, medicine, food, clothes, then resold it? I could see this happening in the future.

Heck, that happens now. It's called retailing, and it seems to be quite popular.

 

[thirtythree]

My family quit buying Christmas gifts. Much less stressful.

 

[allisolm]

Originally posted by: kranky
Since wealthy people will pay whatever it costs to make sure their kid has the "must-have" toy, it's going to continue.

Somehow, though, I don't think it's the wealthy who are crouched over their keyboards bidding at ebay. It's the not-so-wealthy idiots who have fallen into the "make my child's dreams come true" trap. Guess what? It's NOT their child's dream, it's their child's want of the moment based on advertising.

Do I like the practice of buying up the toys and selling them on ebay? No. Do I like the practice of paying too much for them on ebay just to have one? No. Do I wish the ferengi would all have to eat their stockpiled goodies? Yes. Is it going to happen? Sadly, no.

 

[GTaudiophile]

So indicitive of the society we live in: Everything is done in the name of SPOILING children rotten!!!