I was quite surprised when, during my last-minute Christmas shopping today, I walked into Best Buy and saw over 30 PlayStation 3s sitting on the floor for purchase. Dumbfounded, I asked one of the salespeople if they were being held or if I (just an average Joe off the street) could buy one. His response? “Take two!”
Obviously, I was quite giddy considering that I missed out on the initial opportunity to sell a PS3 for $1,000 to $3,000 on eBay a month ago. My mind was racing. Should I buy a couple and sell them? Were people still bidding almost a grand for these things? And WHY are there over 30 sitting right here in front of me? Something seemed a little too good to be true, so I wisely called my tech-buddy, Adam, to pull up a PS3 auction on eBay. He found that the $600 system was selling for around $700. Figure in sales tax, shipping, eBay, and PayPal fees, and I’d be looking at a profit of around $25 per system. It was definitely not worth the hassle. Needless to say, I left without a PS3.
Isn’t it crazy how quickly the PS3 buzz wore off once the Nintendo Wii came out? Heck, even Sarah said the Wii is a video game console she’d like to own someday. When your fiancee tells you that a video game system looks like fun, it’s suddenly obvious why there were 30 PS3s sitting in Best Buy without a home: High definition graphics simply can’t compare to fun and innovative game play. Maybe that $350 price difference has something to do with it, as well!
