Resellers, Trolls, and Striking Dock Workers, oh my!

A few weeks ago I wrote about my recent addiction with Amiibos, and since then my collection has grown to a rather respectable amount. As of this writing I have obtained 22 different Amiibo (the most recent after the last column include King Dedede, Mega Man, and Sonic,) with an additional Wii Fit Trainer being shipped to me from Germany. As a result I’m guessing it is going to be one of the more common European versions, which with what I will explain later, would make more sense.

And even though I also was able to obtain a red New 3DS XL a few weeks ago, they too are becoming difficult to find. After purchasing mine, I was not able to see any more units in stock, even the black and red standard units. And I have not seen any of the Majora’s Mask nor Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate special edition units. Why is it that I can’t find any? I found three reasons:

RESELLERS/SCALPERS

 You all know where I stand on this. Something new is released, or even offered as a form of pre-order, and the moment they are online, they are instantly gone. Adding fuel to the flames are the store pre-orders (such as Target’s Rosalina, Best Buy’s Meta Knight, Gamestop’s Shulk, and Toys R Us’ Lucario.) And where is it that all of these figures usually end up after being purchased? That’s right…eBay! A scalper can easily take a $13 figure and earn at least $30 for it, sometimes more, making it more difficult for those who just want to own the figure to add to their collection, myself included.

But it’s getting worse. At the last Nintendo Direct, a new Mario Party based series of Amiibos was announced, and their pre-orders are also sold out. That’s not the worst of it, a special Gold and Silver edition Mario figure was announced, with the gold figure being a Wal-Mart exclusive. Much to no one’s surprise, that pre-order too is sold out, almost all headed towards eBay! A Buy-It-Now search for the Gold Mario has the price starting at $69! Thankfully shipping is free but that is still way too much for one figure.

What about the Majora’s Mask 3DS? The US version is starting at $385 Buy-It-Now with free shipping, while the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (MH4U from now on) 3DS is starting at $380 Buy-It-Now for the US version with free shipping. To make matters even more insane, resellers are just selling the BOX of each system at high prices. MH4U’s box is selling for $35, but also charges an additional $3 for shipping. The Majora’s Mask box is even more insane, going for $50! What are resellers even thinking at times? But at least they aren’t as bad as problem #2, which is…

TROLL SELLERS 

Say dear readers, do you want to spend $12,345.67 for a Gold Mario Amiibo? Well, today’s your lucky day if you really want one. I wouldn’t.

How about $10,000 for a Majora’s Mask 3DS PREORDER?

I guess that’s not good enough. Maybe you want a nonfunctioning MH4U New 3DS? Especially one that came out of the MICROWAVE! And it can be yours for only $14,001!

You see what I’m talking about? Resellers and scalpers are one thing, insane troll listings are something else, and if there is anyone out there who is foolish enough to spend this much money, there is something truly wrong with them.

Before we go on to problem #3, I want to post a video done by Johnny Millennium, aka Happy Console Gamer, in which he asks about why items are not being restocked:

Well Johnny, let me give you the answer…

STRIKING DOCK WORKERS

I know it’s easy to just go out and blame Nintendo for their item shortages. I admit I’ve done this myself when it comes to past transgressions, namely the original Wii shortage. And yes, with the shortages of the New 3DS and Amiibos (though Wii U consoles can still be easily found,) we can say the same thing. But we have another problem on the West Coast, a dock worker’s strike that according to Reuters, is affecting up to 70 percent of all Asian goods delivered to the US. I’m sure that means there are tons of rare Amiibos just waiting to be moved, as well as New 3DS units. I’m really hoping that this strike gets resolved, but until then, we’re going to have to face the wrath of the scalpers and trolls.

Maybe Johnny Millennium has a good point. Maybe I too should just stop collecting Amiibos after the Smash line is done because the fun has been wiped out of the collecting. I just want to go on Amazon, order a new figure, and have it sent to me without going through all this trouble. But then as my late mother always said, people in Hell want ice water.

Currently Playing: Evolve (PS4,) Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (3DS)

Waiting For: MLB 15 (PS4)