What is up with the price of the Wii?

malachi · 30 Nov 2007 at 15:45

I can see the DS Lite being next on the list, looking at a well known 2nd has computer shop. They are selling them for £120, unboxed too!! :eek:

scorza · 30 Nov 2007 at 16:18

Admiral Huddy said:
Recommended Retail Price

All retail is greed... It's how any company makes a profit based on supply and demand as stated earlier.

If you want it, you'll pay for it and there's nothing like Christmas to get demand moving. It not just the consoles either. I saw this train set I wanted to buy my son for christmas a few years back.. It was £99. I went back a week later when he wasn't around and the same item in the same shop was £119.

Given the chance, we would all make a profit on such a misfortune if we had the oppertunity.

Sorry RRP and supply and demand are myths in this country. The RRP might have "recommended" in the name but the reality is that it's far from only recommended. For years manufacturers and retailers have had a cosy arrangement where the price is set by the manufacturer (including a healthy slice of profit for the retailer), thus meaning the retailers don't have to compete with each other. Don't believe me? Try setting up your own shop and try and sell an Xbox 360 or a PS3 as a loss-leader - Microsoft and Sony would be on your ass in an instant.

It's easy to blame the retailers for this, but Nintendo are the ones who control the price. German Wii's are still 200 euros or whatever, the same stock shortages must apply to them as well, therefore it must be Nintendo UK doing some disgraceful price gouging.

Metalface Mark · 30 Nov 2007 at 16:20

scorza said:
Sorry RRP and supply and demand are myths in this country. The RRP might have "recommended" in the name but the reality is that it's far from only recommended. For years manufacturers and retailers have had a cosy arrangement where the price is set by the manufacturer (including a healthy slice of profit for the retailer), thus meaning the retailers don't have to compete with each other. Don't believe me? Try setting up your own shop and try and sell an Xbox 360 or a PS3 as a loss-leader - Microsoft and Sony would be on your ass in an instant.

It's easy to blame the retailers for this, but Nintendo are the ones who control the price. German Wii's are still 200 euros or whatever, the same stock shortages must apply to them as well, therefore it must be Nintendo UK doing some disgraceful price gouging.

Loads of people do deals on 360 and Ps3's, almost everywhere has some sort of reduced deals.

Admiral Huddy · 30 Nov 2007 at 16:22

haha It's fine to disagree

but my train set is an example of how the retailers take advantage of the christmas rush... so you could actually blame the consumer, who want the product in the first place..

I'm happy, I work for a German bank and got mine today

scorza · 30 Nov 2007 at 16:28

Metalface Mark said:
Loads of people do deals on 360 and Ps3's, almost everywhere has some sort of reduced deals.

Again, I feel I must point out that "almost everywhere" has the same reduced deals i.e. the ones approved by the manufacturers to give the illusion of competition. I quickly just went to three retailers - can't name 'em obviously, except OcUK - and checked out their '360 prices. There was less than a pound difference between them.

KNiVES · 30 Nov 2007 at 16:37

Welcome to capitalism guys. Anyone else reading this thread would have thought we had just came out of the communist era.

SC04 · 30 Nov 2007 at 16:43

scorza said:
It's easy to blame the retailers for this, but Nintendo are the ones who control the price. German Wii's are still 200 euros or whatever, the same stock shortages must apply to them as well, therefore it must be Nintendo UK doing some disgraceful price gouging.

249 euros all over EU

EddScott · 30 Nov 2007 at 16:56

Delboy said:
I just managed to get one this morning for £239 with 3 games and the accesory pack from a well known catalog store. They are a bit like rocking horse **** though at the moment.

If thats who I think it is, make sure you get the confirmation email.

I did the same at a well known catalogue store, put in all my card details etc. I had to ring them that afternoon to be told they didn't have any and would refund my money to my card.

atpbx · 30 Nov 2007 at 17:38

SC04 said:
249 euros all over EU

Yes which is about £173.99.

Funny how they are readily available all over the continent as well.

mmj_uk · 30 Nov 2007 at 18:07

It's the retailers fault of course, there was no way Nintendo could have forseen the Wii's huge success and they are now unable to supply units fast enough to meet demand.

Perhaps they could have outsourced manufacturing but then you are opening yourself to quality control issues and we don't want another Xbox 360.

Hedge · 30 Nov 2007 at 18:17

Remember, you cant sell these for profit, in overclockers.co.uks members market. selling for profit is bad kids

ExRayTed · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:03

A large percentage of this 'demand' in the old 'supply and demand' argument is artificialy generated though.The demand for any product would be high if large numbers of people bought them to simply add a mark-up for themselves.It's opportunism and demand that has pushed up the prices,not supply.The 'supply' would've been fine had people not become online wii-touts.

Still,this is an age-old problem that has been given a new lease of life due to the internet.Can't say I'm at all suprised that some people are making a quick buck.

rp2000 · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:08

Hedge said:
Remember, you cant sell these for profit, in overclockers.co.uks members market. selling for profit is bad kids

Wonder what would happen if you bought one from OcUK and sold it for that price (with a receipt pictured) plus tenner delivery

KNiVES said:
Welcome to capitalism guys. Anyone else reading this thread would have thought we had just came out of the communist era.

rofl!!! That seriously made me laugh!!

As to who is to blame, anyone buying outside of official Nintendo supply chains is to blame, as they buy at a high price, retailers buy off them at higher prices and we get shafted.

But yeah, supply and demand, it happens, has happened with ipods, PS2. Every year there is a must have product (often due to hype and not substance or quality). I paid over the odds for some Furbies, years back...

Man that was a mad rush at Selfridges!!

rp2000

scorza · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:26

rp2000 said:
But yeah, supply and demand, it happens, has happened with ipods, PS2. Every year there is a must have product (often due to hype and not substance or quality). I paid over the odds for some Furbies, years back... Man that was a mad rush at Selfridges!!

Mad rush yes, but did the retailers ever put up their prices to take in to account the extra demand?

rp2000 · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:31

scorza said:
Mad rush yes, but did the retailers ever put up their prices to take in to account the extra demand?

The prices are purely increased at some vendors due to them paying higher prices to "grey" suppliers, ie those outside Nintendo's official supply chain. Wholesaler "make a quick buck" gets them somehow at £210, he will only sell to Retailer "make a quick buck" for £240, and Retailer "make a quick buck" will only sell for £260 to "desperate hype fuelled consumer".

There is just so many more savvy middlemen these days, hence why in the past if retailers couldn't get offical supply they just sold out. Now theye have so many other sources to buy from (open market/EU imports etc). I haven;t looked around but i bet you could probably count the people who are selling the base package ove the RRP can be counted on 1 or 2 hands. None of the big high street shops would dare do this as they are more customer focused, and have a reputation to maintain/care about. Bundles from high street shops is not an issue, as they represent a saving normally (albeit with additions you did not want to buy).

Simplistic but my understanding of the situation.

rp2000

Mr Men · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:33

Hedge said:
Remember, you cant sell these for profit, in overclockers.co.uks members market. selling for profit is bad kids

Yes you can, and someone is

edit: or was yesterday but seems to have gone now LOL

Tax Evader · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:35

I have a brand new Wii for sale at £10,000,000 - if anyone wants the kudos for buying the most expensive Wii in Britain? Any Sultans on the forum?

Hedge · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:35

Mr Men said:
Yes you can, and someone is

edit: or was yesterday but seems to have gone now LOL

Some might regard that to be hypocrisy

Delboy · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:38

EddScott said:
If thats who I think it is, make sure you get the confirmation email.

I did the same at a well known catalogue store, put in all my card details etc. I had to ring them that afternoon to be told they didn't have any and would refund my money to my card.

Already rang them up this afternoon as no confirmation email had come through - they said it would be delivered on monday - we shall see.

dannyjo22 · 30 Nov 2007 at 19:41

Mr Men said:
Yes you can, and someone is

edit: or was yesterday but seems to have gone now LOL

They are still there...

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17809971

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=10592814#post10592814

People will happily trash those threads though and then post how it's acceptable for a shop to take advantage of demand and supply.

Someone got suspended for it a few weeks back but it seems you can now sell them for over the RRP?

From the link in one of those threads it seems a Don ok'd it, but before I sold one I'd ask again to be on the safe side.

As long as you have a tiny bit of patience and are not a lazy **** you can easily find these at RRP.