Mom & Pop plot to screw you out of a PS3... and put food on their table

Mike VGB,

You really need to stop dwelling on the Wal-Marts of the world. Focus on what you can do. Your incesant bitching won't help your business thrive.

I bet the number one reason people don't go to stores like yours is because there just aren't any around.

Grow up, loose that "mom and pop" arrogance and make your customers as happy as you can. That is all you can do. Even with your lack of knowledge of the video game market and business in general you can at least try, right?

Mark, you have much to learn about the videogame industry and you should save your comments until you do. You only shame yourself.

You to Golgo.." Even with your lack of knowledge of the video game market and business in general you can at least try". Don't presume to understand Mike you fool... you have no idea.

I can tell from your comments that your knowledge of the business is limited as well.

where did you get that ebay track jacket at? and don't say ebay, please. i'm serious, i'd like to know

Golgo you are brain washed. Have a great life and keep being the brain-washed zombie that they want you to be. Some people are just born to be average, others allow themselves to become that way. I can see that you are an average person and it's not a bad life, just a life lived in the darkness. Some people can't handle the truth, forget about them trying to fight it.
I'm a fighter, you're just......, just there.

It really only comes down to one thing : capitalism .
We live in a world where it's simply "show me the money!".
Screw morals, screw being fair, it's a cold world, and if people are willing to pay upwards of a $1000 or $1500 to get a _VIDEOGAME_ system at launch date, let them.
That's their choice, and imho, stupidity.
If you cannot wait and absolutely, positvely have to have it at launch date, then you will be paying premium price.
If everyon had said simply at the 360's launch, "No, I'm not paying $1000 for a bundled system!", it wouldn't take long for those "shortages" to disappear. As long as people are willing to spend stupid amounts of money on systems because they HAVE to have them on launch date, then by all means, let them pay the stupid amounts of money.
It will be the same shit come the PS3 launch.
And to those idiots who shell out $1000 for the PS3, we're laughing at your idiocy already.

So people that shop at Best Buy are brain dead? There are no legitimate reasons to shop there?

I have a problem with this belief that large corporations are evil and small businesses are good. I can understand how people favor small businesses from a social point of view but to say that companies like BestBuy are evil is a bit extreme. This is a capitalist economy and corporations are free to setup as many shops as they want. More importantly sometimes small businesses are ran by pricks who are not only as greedy as the big stores but provide lousy service as well. There's also the issue of the "local tax", where the sole provider of a good or service will keep the price high because there is no competition in town. The idea that locally owned stores are always ran by friendly people who want to help you is a myth.

I don't understand how this all came up. When the new systems come out, wait a couple months if you have to, then buy from wherever has the best price. I personally don't care where I buy my video games from, as long as I'm not being ripped off (Best Buy has high prices on games, so I don't usually go there anyway)

http://www.theebayshop.com/Catalog228/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=ebrcon02&category%5Fname=1205+Men%27s%28Catalog228%29&product%5Fid=E0192%28Catalog228%29

Kim,
I know you don't want to tell us your "secret" way of aqquiring your large amount of consoles,but based on your Lax ethical standards, it most likely consists of alot of "HAPPY" EB Teenage Men.I have no problem with you getting systems for resale,(as long as its done honestly) but with your attitude, I would be seriously worried that you/ or your family are creating "straw" buyers to raise the price, the fact that you don't post your Ebay Username is an indicator that you think you might be doing something wrong.
As far as the poster, with the hurricane water for $10 a gallon, I so wish you tried that in New Orleans and someone shot you in the face.Lazie Fair Captalism, is not what America needs, we don't need a sitution when a guy walking along a highway to a gas station to pick up gas for his dry car, is gouged 20 bucks for a gallon because "He is willing to pay for it" just as when I am in a store, I hand my money to the cashier, not hold one side, she holds the groceries and on the count of 3 we both let go.

Mike VGB,
Dude you sound like your going to have a fucking Heart Attack, Do you know how to sling Dough? Maybe you should "quit" the Video Game Shop and open a Pizzaera, most likely you will have better profit margins, but it sounds like your just mad and would wind up like that pizzera in a Spike Lee "Joint"
It is dishonest what you guys are doing On EBAY, no one says you have to pick "a lucky few" out of your "MANY" loyal customers, First come, first served...You run out, oh well, I for one would NEVER shop in your Piece of Shit Store!

King of the Net, thats funny, you're the 2nd person that told me to open a pizzeria in less than a weeks time.

But, we never did anything that we weren't forced to do. We didn't sell a single system on eBay. What we did do and so did everyone else including Walmart, Best Buy and the like. We sold our systems as a bundle during the Holiday Season. But, we did have the best deal in the neighborhood.

And, thats what we do, 1st come 1st serve. You should have spent some more time reading before writing.

And we don't want a piece of shit like you shopping in our amazing customer 1st stores. Losers like you belong in Best Buy and Gamestop.

No heart attack for me, just telling it like it is and losers like you can't seem to handle it. I'm loving my life, just hating what people like you are turning our country into.

Shop at Best Buy to take advantage of their 3 year 0% deals. But pay it off within 3 years. Don't buy what you really can't afford.

They charge up to 27.99% on their credit card, imagine that. Does that sound normal to you? That should be illegal, but it's not, because everyone accepts it and plays into it.

These companies play an evil game and noone is paying attention.

I can't stress it enough, there is only one way to hear the ways. Bu tnoone wants me saying how. You can listen to us explain how evil these corps are, look at my past posts for info.

Mike VGB,
My apoligies, my anger should have been directed at Wakasm ( I somehow thought you owned the same store together?)All I meant to say was you little guys have only one thing going for you and that is customer service and good will, and pulling shit like Ebaying your allotment, isn't a good way to do that, maybe you smaller guys should think about forming a cooperative, independant pharmacies do that to compete with the big guys.It seems you guys are in the same boat as Microsoft and Sony, they don't make money from the console itself either, but on the games.Alot of businesses are like that, McDonalds makes shit off thier 99cent menu, but make a ton on fries and soda.
To all you lazie fair captialist's out there, I hope you all get hit by buses, need immedate medical care and your doctor tells you to sign away everthing you have or you die, and then you can tell me about what a "gun to your head,really is?"

Nice, I like the ending statement King of the Net. You're cool people in my book, my apologies to you.

I just want to clear up some stuff. I am going to post facts. I am a small local video game store owner. I just read this article today http://www.t3.co.uk/news/247/games/playstation_2/the_great_ps3_ebay_cash-in
Why is everyone trying to blame console shortages on small retailers? All the small retailers in my state probably didn't get as many xbox 360's as one best buy. Since launch we only where able to get 4 from our distrubitor. I would have loved to get more, hell my distrubitor was probably selling them on ebay. I ebayed 2 and sold 2 at the store. Sure I could have sold them all at the store but the 2 we did sell one went to a loyal customer(good). The other one went to some guy who called had to ask where we where located how many he can buy and came in bought the console and no games and left. I will bet you a million dollars he is going to ebay it himself.

I guess I am just tired of people taking about stuff they don't know anything about. Sure you may play a lot of video games have every console but it doesn't mean you know how the video game industry works. Anyone going to E3 that is in the industry (not including media) next month will agree with me and all the other video game store owners in this thread. The pricing that someone posted before is correct. We don't make any money off consoles. New games are close to 10% the way we make money is off of used games.

I just makes me sad when I hear from people that they would rather buy from walmart and put the mom and pops out of business. I mean its the same game and the same price. I guess video games culture isn't like the music industry still where people still support their local music stores.

I wish we could get a 1000 xbox 360's and ps3's and sell them too all the customers that come to our store. Fact is we only got 4 and we had to buy tons of project gotham racing 3 and other crap to get it. Who is getting screwed here? People get this impression that we have this never ending flow of xbox 360s that we are pumping into ebay. My target only got 10 so we where even lucking to get 4.

So if people want to continue to blame the mom and pop stores because you didn't get your system on launch that is fine because you just don't understand how the industry works. If anyone is to blame it is wholesalers and ebay. We can't sell systems that we dont' get and ebay is the site that had the xbox 360 advertisement on their homepage during the xbox 360 hype.

See you at E3

Way to go gamesug.

That was well written. Me, I'm better at talking and speaking my thoughts.

But, you are correct. We the small retailer is where the heart of the video game industry is, the big retail chains don't give a damn about anything but the bottom dollar and there billionaire and millionaire owners and stock holders. They don't even care about their employees and customers, everyone is just a blank face. Nothing more then a number and dollar signs.

Don't you people understand that if you buy 4 PS3's and sell three on ebay, THEY ARE GOING TO PEOPLE WHO WANT THEM. They are going to people who obviosly want them the most. The same thing happens with other things too. Ever try to buy a hybrid car, or a trendy car like the PT Cruiser at launch? This is not a charity, if you don't want to pay inflated prices, then wait til its readily available to buy it. This sense of entiltlement is rediculous. Why do the people on Joystiq have anymore right to a console at launch then some rich kid who makes his parents buy him one off of Ebay? If you buy a console at retail the day of the launch and keep it you are esentially paying double when you factor in the opportunity cost of keeping the console. You could have sold that $500 console for $1000, but you wanted to keep it, so instead of a positive cash number of $500 if you sold it, you have $1000 less dollars then you could have had and a new PS3 before everyone else. Is it worth it to you? I would take the money and buy the console when you can go into a store and pick one off the shelf.

Kingofthenet:

You are obviously not King of Rational Thought if you compare not being able to buy a video game system at retail price to a doctor holding your life ransom. This type of stupidity is why so few people can pass economics. Reading some of these comments makes me feel like a relative economic genius. I know people like you won't listen, but you will be ok even if you have to wait 6 months to buy your console at reasonable price. Why does everyone want one so bad at launch, do you really NEED to play PGR or Kameo the first day the console is out? I can probably count the number of AAA launch games in the history of the video game industry on one hand (SMB, Mario World, Mario 64, Halo, and maby there is a PS/PS2 game in there). What makes you think the PS3 will be any different?

I forgot to metion a game from the Best Overall Launch ever: Soul Caliber for Sega Dreamcast.

personally if i can get my hands on one or two ps3s and one or two nintendo wiis around xmas i will be a happy man because i can ebay them and probably make 1grand over what i payed for them.. mind you i will be saving my butt off to afford them in the first place if i do get some and i can sell them for a profit i can then most likey use some of the excess cash for college and my first car... i see nothing wrong with this practice because it is simply an investment one that will increase rapidly in value and then steadly decline so why not make some extra money for whatever you might need ....... but if its a store doing this buying the consoles for retail then selling them on ebay well.. that just pisses me off