Wii auctions outpacing PS3 on eBay
by Kyle Orland 
{ Jan 30th 2007 at 3:45PM }
Cruising around eBay the other day for a deal on every single NES game, we stumbled across eBay Pop, a great little feature that lets you easily monitor the popularity and average selling price of various game consoles (and other products) on the world's most popular internet auction marketplace.
Looking at the results for the past two weeks (above) we can see the Wii is the undisputed auction leader, selling over twice as many units as the PS3. That doesn't mean the Wii's dominance will last, though -- the number of PS3 auctions has shot up nearly 50 percent over the past two weeks, outpacing the Wii's increase by a good 20 percent.
The Wii is also in the lead for price inflation, with auctions finishing at an average of 151 percent of the retail price. PS3 auctions average around 127 percent of retail (though this might be slightly higher when accounting for lower priced 20GB units) and, surprisingly, Xbox 360 premium auctions are selling at an average slightly less than the system's $399 retail price. Also surprisingly, more people seem to want the original NES than the 360 core system. Guess people really want that hard drive.
While these stats aren't indicative of the entirety of internet auctions, or even directly relatable to actual in-store sales of the systems, the regularly updated numbers provide some good data for those of us who thrive on the horse race aspects of the console transition.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Steve @ Jan 30th 2007 3:54PM
Of course the xbox 360 is running for less than its retail price. Who the hell would buy a 360 off of ebay when they can walk into any Walmart, Target, EBGames, Best Buy, Gamestop, Circuit City, Kmart, Sears, FYE, Frys, or CompUSA and pick one off the shelf? If they want to buy online why would they deal with an inflated price and time consuming auction to buy from an unknown vendor when they could choose Amazon or Buy.com and have it ordered immediately?
The only purpose to buying off ebay would be to get a discount. It's not like a Wii where it cannot be found in a store or even like a PS3 where people still may be under the incorrect impression that it's in high demand.
Derbeste @ Jan 30th 2007 3:54PM
So wait......
You can find PS3s (both versions) almost ANYWHERE right now, but there are STILL people buying them for $160+ over retail?? O.o
Times like this really make wonder why terrorists even bother with us.
Erik Novak @ Jan 30th 2007 6:17PM
something about that graph is off...you can get a ps3 below retail easily on ebay. Wiis aren't selling as high as they used to as well. I think this graph is screwed up by the pack in deals w/ other games and whatnot.
rom @ Jan 30th 2007 3:55PM
If they separate the Xbox versions, then why do they not do the same for the PS3 consoles as well. I would like to see how the different PS3 consoles are selling separately.
Jake @ Jan 30th 2007 3:56PM
Is Kyle Dull or being sarcastic? Of course the 360, available brand new at the store for $400, isn't going to sell for over $400 right now on ebay. Only idiots would buy them over $400.
Of course the Wii, sold out across america, will outsell the stocked and available PS3 in items sold. These are just obvious effects of last month's news. I nominate Kyle for a Captain Obvious award.
Zertoss @ Jan 30th 2007 4:02PM
I got my premium 360 on eBay for $500 a few months ago. Of course, I got $300 worth of games and accessories with it at no extra charge. ;)
Mike @ Jan 30th 2007 4:05PM
yea still tryin to get the wii but assholes like to pay 600 dollars....basterds
otisgibbon @ Jan 30th 2007 4:31PM
I think Kyle might just be flame baiting :)
The whole PS3s selling above retail on ebay makes sense to me though. I overheard a conversation in eb games that went like this.
me: "so do you guys have PS3s in stock"
eb employee:"yeah I can't get rid of them"
customer: "you guys have PS3s in stock?"
employee: "yep"
customer to husband: "see honey you didn't have to get your Playstation of ebay"
This is partly EB games fault though. Right after the launch they were telling people they wouldn't have them back in stock probably till march. Whereas they were telling people to keep checking back for the Wii.
JJ @ Jan 30th 2007 4:32PM
Funny, I don't think people realize you can buy PS3's in stores. I am in a senior design class at my college and one group is actually working with IBM on redesigning some part of the PS3. I don't l=know details but they were asking about being reimbursed if they buy one at the store and the person in charge of financing was surprised that they could be found in stores along with the other adults that were 30+ years old.
Jahgah @ Jan 30th 2007 8:10PM
Nintendo Gamecube $28.45. HAHAHAHAHAHA, thats kind of funny (sorry nintendo fans, thems the facts). THe NES has a higher selling point. I'm not a hater, I just cannot believe that the GCN is so underrated and bashed. Well my WIi is just fine with me and low budget titles of consoles past is just fine with me. THere are alot of good cheap GCN games. I bought F-Zero for $7.00. That makes the GCN version of F-Zero (which is ridiculously awsome) cheaper then the VC Snes Rendition. Pretty funny if you ask me. I love Bargain bins. Come to papa.
obo @ Jan 30th 2007 6:44PM
Top 10 list with red and green arrows?!
Where the hell is Ludwig?!
pixelator @ Jan 30th 2007 5:23PM
If there were more PS3 units being sold on ebay, Joystiq would be describing this as "More disgruntled PS3 owners offload their systems on ebay!" - After all, they gave us that very message when there were more PS3 ads on Craigslist, quoting a few as selling their systems to get a Wii.
I mean, do we really seriously consider the number of units sold on EBAY as indicative of *anything* other than random people selling their stuff for whatever reason? I guess by using this logic, the Gameboy and NES are more popular and better selling systems than the DS, since there's more of the former being sold than the latter.
DG @ Jan 30th 2007 7:54PM
Funny that the NES has a higher average price than the gamecube
Catprog @ Jan 30th 2007 5:52PM
So how much change in numbers?
Wii: 4074.5
Ps3 3313.87
bgdc @ Jan 30th 2007 6:08PM
WTF...the wii was sitting at costco this weekend. I had no idea idiots are still paying a premium for it.
As for the PS3...it's still not on amazon. When it is, I may buy one as it'll be tax free (no way in hell I'm paying $50 in taxes) and I'll get it for $24 off through my site.
PS3 at a local B&M = who is f^cking stupid enough to buy anything that expensive at a store when online it's far cheaper with no downside?
J @ Jan 30th 2007 6:08PM
Supply and demand.
It is the better system at the moment. The Wii just needs to keep the momentum going, some DS connectivity would probably satisify the trillions of DS owners worldwide.
bgdc @ Jan 30th 2007 6:10PM
Amazon has it in stock today...oh decisions decisions.
NeverSage @ Jan 30th 2007 6:23PM
@ Derbeste
That's probably why terrorists bother with us
Vidikron @ Jan 30th 2007 6:37PM
@11
It's easier to return to B&M stores. That's the downside for online. Some people also like to buy service plans, which is also easier to deal with at B&M stores. Also, some people want things now instead of waiting for shipping. Plus, unless you get free shipping your tax savings may get partially eaten up by chipping costs. Plus, not all states have sales tax anyway. Plus, many online stores do charge sales tax. Lots of reasons why someone might go B&M.
I generally go B&M for more expensive and/or large items. Stuff like flash memory can be found much cheaper online. Just depends on the item and the deals currently available.
Facts @ Jan 30th 2007 6:49PM
You are all idiots, as JoyStiq is merely a page to read user-submitted news. They have no bias. Stop whining, all of you.
LilBlackDemon00 @ Jan 30th 2007 7:26PM
I'm looking to buy a PS2, and I noticed that both versions of the PS2 (slim & fat) are both more expensive than the usual, B&M price for a new PS2. Even EBGameStop charges only $110 for a used PS2 ($100 for the fat, $110 for the slim). That, for me, is just a ripoff.
Sensai @ Jan 30th 2007 7:51PM
'Times like this really make wonder why terrorists even bother with us.'
I wasn't going to post, but this made me piss my pants. You melt my face, good sir.
nintendofan @ Jan 30th 2007 8:02PM
Only reason PS3 goes over is because of PS3 bundles with five games.
Anyone that follows gaming news knows that PS3s are found in stores aplenty. Most people are still in disbelief that PS3s are selling below retail on Ebay.
Since Wii is fully backwards with gamecube games minus the LAN, Online modes why would most people keep their gamecubes?
Minus the gameboy player of course.
John @ Jan 30th 2007 8:18PM
Selling a Wii as a down on a PS3 sounds like a great idea!
t_m @ Jan 31st 2007 9:28AM
i know i'm gonna pick up a lot of cheap gamecube games for the Wii. (f-zero, windwalker, re4 and soul calibur for sure...)
YOu can pick up used PS2s in stores over here in tokyo.. the last shop i popped into to buy a DS game had about 10 used PS3s sitting on the shelf. I'd guess PS3 auction numbers are going up because people are sellingthem to buy Wiis. (or windows vista, based on the japanese love for anything new!)
arcthemonkey @ Jan 31st 2007 5:22PM
I think people who don't follow game news really don't realize you can get PS3s without too much hassle. Then again, I still don't supscribe to the concept of there being fountains of unsold PS3s, since there aren't more than 1 or 2 stores within a 60 miles radius of me that have them in stock. (I saw a guy at walmart buy the last on in stock not two days ago)
Seems the grey market isn't as dead as some make it out to be.
online auctions @ Feb 25th 2007 11:50PM
This is not surprising to me. It certainly is a better product.
online auctions @ Feb 26th 2007 12:00AM
I prefer using reverse auction though http://www.oltiby.com