Most everyone that I've talked to has very strong negative thoughts about ticket scalpers; are the people who are selling PS3s and Nintendo Wiis on eBay for crazy amounts any different than a ticket scalper?
Buy a hot product that is selling out everywhere and then sell it at an outrageous mark-up.
This question was prompted by a co-worker who wanted to get a PS3 for his kids for Christmas. He works full time and can't wait at the local WalMart for their random release of systems. Now it appears his only option to get one is eBay. He's not going to do it, and has told his kids that they'll get it in the new year when the demand dies down.
Supply and command my friend.
Seriously, yes, there is no difference between the two.
Joe
Spiral Out.
Scalpers give capitalism a bad name. I'm sure Adam Smith is rolling in his grave. As much as it is supply and demand, there's just this extra layer of filth added to it, it seems.
I tell you though, if Ebay existed when the N64 came out, I'd be updating a list of sellers for my folks every day. Oh, ten years ago, where have you gone?
Cheers,
Pat
The PS3 has had such negative reviews that it is no longer getting big bucks on Ebay, at least that is what I have read.
The ones I saw yesterday will all over $1000 US....
Go to ebay right now and type in PS3 in the search box. Then order all the auctions by highest price first. There are people selling PS3's for over a million dollars. I looked at the first 5 pages of auctions and they range from over a million dollars and so on....
It's totally hilarious. I didn't see any bids on the first 5 pages of auctions. How ridiculous!!!
I got my info from CNN when I was at the gym, so its probably wrong!
Did anyone see this video of the guy who waited in line for days only to smash his PS3 in front of everyone else at the store.
http://www.smashmyps3.com/
I heard on the radio that people donate money to this guy to go and buy stiff to smash. Some people have no lives!!
Something is only worth as much as a buyer is willing to pay for it. If some rich guy is crazy enough that he's willing to pay a ridiculous sum for it, then why shouldn't the average joe who stood in line for 3 days to get one take advantage of that?
I see it as different from scalping because in this situation, the buyers deserve more blame than the sellers. If you want to go to an event that is sold out, you don't have much choice other than to buy from a scalper. By contrast, if you're in the market for a PS3, you don't have to buy one at these inflated prices because there is another option that still allows you to get what you want: simply be patient and wait a couple months until PS3's are more readily available.
chris Wrote:Most everyone that I've talked to has very strong negative thoughts about ticket scalpers; are the people who are selling PS3s and Nintendo Wiis on eBay for crazy amounts any different than a ticket scalper?
Buy a hot product that is selling out everywhere and then sell it at an outrageous mark-up.
This question was prompted by a co-worker who wanted to get a PS3 for his kids for Christmas. He works full time and can't wait at the local WalMart for their random release of systems. Now it appears his only option to get one is eBay. He's not going to do it, and has told his kids that they'll get it in the new year when the demand dies down.
Kudos to your co-worker for standing firm; There are so many other toys and things to occupy a kid during Christmas that it makes no sense to rush out and pay an obscene amount of money for a PS3. My sister and brother in law's kids asked for the new Nintendo system (which I think, from the reviews I've read and heard, is much better than the PS3) and were told point blank that Santa had no room in the sleigh for such a present :lol:
the world we live in! what happened to the days of $10.00 tickets and pretending to be sittler and palmateer out on the road.
Honestly, if a guy is willing to buy a PS3 for his kids, even at the store price, I have no sympathy for him. To pay that much for a video game system to spoil his kids? I'm sure he's a nice guy and all but there are a lot of parents who can hardly afford to buy anything for their kids. A PS3 is the last thing anybody needs. Video games are such a waste of time. Those losers who stand in line for 10 hours need to get a life, seriously.
As for selling PS3 machines for a big profit, yes it is the same as scalping tickets. I've never scalped tickets or bought scalped tickets but I'm not sure it's the worst thing in the world to do. People make profits by selling products all the time. If a buyer is willing to pay the money to see a concert, so be it. Now, obviously it's great to sell tickets at face value and I fully applaud people who do that.
I must chime in, as I am "guilty" of doing exactly what this thread's subject is. I pre-ordered a PS3 back in March from Toys r Us with great anticipation. At that point, I didn't have an Xbox360 and was really looking forward to the PS3 being my first "next-gen" system. My fiancee, who also loves video games, was more excited than I was that we were guaranteed to get one, because she loves the PS2 so much. As the months wore on, and we were finding out more and more about the PS3, it started to look less attractive. The sticking point was the price. As it approached Christmas, we realized that $700 could be better spent on other more important things. There was still a shred of wanting to keep it, but that shred disappeared when we curiously checked Ebay one day at the beginning of November, to see what the buzz was. Well, glory be, people were getting $7000-8000 for their PRE-ORDERS... basically, for a receipt. Well, I ask you: who, in their right mind, with a two and a half year old daughter who deserves the best Christmas ever, would not want to take advantage of something like that? We decided to put our PS3 up for auction, starting the bids at $679, the exact price we bought it for. I only had intentions of getting my money back, in all honesty. If we got more, then so be it, even better. We didn't put the machine up right away, instead waiting a week or so after launch day. We ended up selling it for $1200 cdn. Is that an insane price? OF COURSE it is, but if my daughter came up to me with doe eyes and asked for a train set that was all sold out everywhere, you're damn right I'd be bidding on e-bay, whatever I could afford (and beyond). So that's my story.
Was it wrong to sell it for more than it's worth? Dunno. If the market value of your home goes up while you're living there, and you put NO work into it whatsoever, and sell it for the higher price.... is it the same thing?
Rory
Halifax
p.s. We sold another PS3 today on Ebay for my dad, a 20 GB version. He made $150 on it.
wpghipfan Wrote:If the market value of your home goes up while you're living there, and you put NO work into it whatsoever, and sell it for the higher price.... is it the same thing?
nicely put
I apid $30 extra for a 4th row TOOL ticket, best cash I ever spent on a concert.
Oh, and I live in Calgary, so if it's wrong to make money on my house, then I don't want to be right!