Many Unhappy Returns for PS3 Speculators
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
eBayer sellers find Sony game console went from red hot to "so what?"
When Sony's next-generation game console, the Playstation 3, hit stores in late November, its arrival was met with the kind of frenzy and fanfare one might expect to witness for a rock concert or celebrity book signing. Indeed, the reception fans gave to PS3 was very much like what you might see when a favorite band releases a ballyhooed new album: long lines of passionate devotees, many of whom had spent the night (or several) in hopes of being one of the first to experience the new creative utterance by their idol.
Based on this initial enthusiasm, and bolstered by favorable reviews, a PS3 became a must-have item for anyone looking to gift a gamer this holiday season. And, just as with a superstar rock concert, the scalpers pounced, driving the price of a PS3 into the many thousands of dollars - despite a sticker price between $600 and $800. eBay even issued guidelines for PS3 speculators detailing exactly what needed to be shown in photos to ensure the authenticity and rightful ownership of each new unit posted for auction.
For a brief period it looked to many as though the only way to have a PS3 under the tree was to buy one on eBay at some astronomical mark-up. However, Sony came to the rescue in the form of a late batch of PS3s in stores just before Christmas. To enthusiasts, Sony had become Santa; to speculators, the company was now the Grinch.
As Ben Richardson of GamesRadar.com observed today: "Thousands of unopened PS3's are being returned to shops across the U.S. as eBay opportunists fail to sell their consoles online for a huge profit. This is largely thanks to Sony managing to push out a fresh batch of PS3s before the Christmas break, lowering interest in the auctions."
He notes approximately 2,500 PS3's currently for auction on eBay, most of which have no bids. Yet Sony's good deed for consumers may not go unpunished, as number of game-related sites we perused are asserting that Microsoft's Xbox 360 will end up as the console of choice for the next generation of gamers anyway.
When Sony's next-generation game console, the Playstation 3, hit stores in late November, its arrival was met with the kind of frenzy and fanfare one might expect to witness for a rock concert or celebrity book signing. Indeed, the reception fans gave to PS3 was very much like what you might see when a favorite band releases a ballyhooed new album: long lines of passionate devotees, many of whom had spent the night (or several) in hopes of being one of the first to experience the new creative utterance by their idol.
Based on this initial enthusiasm, and bolstered by favorable reviews, a PS3 became a must-have item for anyone looking to gift a gamer this holiday season. And, just as with a superstar rock concert, the scalpers pounced, driving the price of a PS3 into the many thousands of dollars - despite a sticker price between $600 and $800. eBay even issued guidelines for PS3 speculators detailing exactly what needed to be shown in photos to ensure the authenticity and rightful ownership of each new unit posted for auction.
For a brief period it looked to many as though the only way to have a PS3 under the tree was to buy one on eBay at some astronomical mark-up. However, Sony came to the rescue in the form of a late batch of PS3s in stores just before Christmas. To enthusiasts, Sony had become Santa; to speculators, the company was now the Grinch.
As Ben Richardson of GamesRadar.com observed today: "Thousands of unopened PS3's are being returned to shops across the U.S. as eBay opportunists fail to sell their consoles online for a huge profit. This is largely thanks to Sony managing to push out a fresh batch of PS3s before the Christmas break, lowering interest in the auctions."
He notes approximately 2,500 PS3's currently for auction on eBay, most of which have no bids. Yet Sony's good deed for consumers may not go unpunished, as number of game-related sites we perused are asserting that Microsoft's Xbox 360 will end up as the console of choice for the next generation of gamers anyway.
posted by Chris and Frank at 12:15 AM
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