is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

[Kire]

Yeah, I know, I've actually done it, but I guess it's only hitting me now how big of a thing it's becoming. People are selling games at inflated prices because they can get it first before someone pays the retail for it that it was intended...and it's keeping it out of the hands of regular people who aren't willing to pay rediculous prices.

*shrug* I dunno. What do YOU think?

[Chad]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

Perfectly valid. It's like rare baseball cards.

[Manji]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

well... i'll pay as much as i think a game is worth to me, personally. which can range, of course. however, even if its a rare game/sealed/out of print/etc., i wont pay a fool's price for an object. even video games i love dont stand a chance.

is it ethical? sure. first come, first serve. last to pay gets the either the beat-up copy or pays double for being poor or not being able to buy it the first time around.

[Alex]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

It's an ONLINE AUCTION.

[Valkysas]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

depends on how long it's been out. if it's been out a while, go for it. if it's new and rare, you buy it just to resell it and deprive people who actually wanted it and force them to pay your inflated ebay price, then it's scalping, and ****ing evil.

[Seraph]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

depends on how long it's been out. if it's been out a while, go for it. if it's new and rare, you buy it just to resell it and deprive people who actually wanted it and force them to pay your inflated ebay price, then it's scalping, and ****ing evil.

Maybe, but it's still very smart. Business is business, right?

I agree with both sides of the argument, but I will side with evil.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

business is business i suppose. look at all the people who bought up the ps3 and wii and resold them for profit. i dont like paying those kinds of people and i wont, but many will because they want the system now so the market is there.

if people really were against this type of thing then they wouldnt be providing the market for these types of people to slip in to make a few extra bucks. i would rather see companies release systems on ebay and have bidding wars rather then letting some kid make the big profit.

for rare games that are out of print i would have to say that this type of marketing is acceptable and the only way to get some games. the general market sets the price of what its willing to pay vs the amount of games being sold. ive been trying to get a hold of a full copy of lunar 1-2 but its so expensive that ive not been able to find a copy in my price range. most i paid was 100 bucks for suikoden 2 which is still trading high. there is a lot of other rare games out there that sell in the upper 60's range because there is so few of them.

as part of the free market these types of things will happen. if you want to be sure to get a game then you better preorder it or make sure your first inline to get it. or you could also be like me and just wait until many are available or till the price is more within your range. you dont have to be the first to play and beat a new game now do you? a month or two later is just as good.

[Toaster]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

You'll be just as likely getting scalped at the mom and pop videogame shops, less so than on eBay. I saw one trying to sell a beat up copy Lunar:SSSC for 200 bucks.

[Hrafn]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

depends on how long it's been out. if it's been out a while, go for it. if it's new and rare, you buy it just to resell it and deprive people who actually wanted it and force them to pay your inflated ebay price, then it's scalping, and ****ing evil.

Evil? What foolishness. It's much like playing the stock market. There's potential risk, and potential reward. And no one's being deprived; those people who couldn't find PS3s at launch, and didn't want to pay the ridiculously inflated eBay prices, they could just wait a couple weeks or a month until they were back in stock. It's not like a scalper is keeping them from owning a PS3 forevermore. At worst it causes a minor delay. And if that is such a huge deal to someone, they should have tried harder to get the system at launch. They also should have rethought their priorities, because it's just a game system. Honestly, if you think something like that is evil, I would question your whole moral compass.

[Magus]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

Whole moral GOLDEN compass!!

[Seraph]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

I don't think I answered the question properly in my previous post.

Is it ethical? No, probably not. But I don't have a problem with it. I still think it's fair game and smart for those who benefit and foolish for those who choose to pay more than already rediculous prices for the product.

Ethically it's wrong, but it is perfectly ok for them to do it, in my opinion.

[Valkysas]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

Evil? What foolishness. It's much like playing the stock market. There's potential risk, and potential reward. And no one's being deprived; those people who couldn't find PS3s at launch, and didn't want to pay the ridiculously inflated eBay prices, they could just wait a couple weeks or a month until they were back in stock. It's not like a scalper is keeping them from owning a PS3 forevermore. At worst it causes a minor delay. And if that is such a huge deal to someone, they should have tried harder to get the system at launch. They also should have rethought their priorities, because it's just a game system. Honestly, if you think something like that is evil, I would question your whole moral compass.

Try justifying scalping in this situation:

Low income family has a kid who wanted a wii last christmas. their christmas bonus made it possible last year, but the only way you could get a Wii last year was on ebay for around 600 dollars thanks to scalpers. their financial situation makes it impossible to spend that much, or buy the Wii later on without the christmas bonus. unable to get their kid a Wii, they get them other stuff instead, and instead put their hopes on getting a Wii this christmas instead, only to find out that once more, scalpers are snatching up all the systems and making it impossible for the family to buy one yet again.

scalpers take away your ability to buy items at their intended price. buy buying the items, they create demand for their own supply. they force you to pay their inflated price or not have it.

as many people know, I'm a transformer collector. I've never scalped. I've been deprived of stuff because of scalpers, who will buy the entire run of a limited figure for resale. walmart's exclusive masterpiece starscream was bought up by scalpers, and most people in the country never saw it on store shelves. it's price has increased 200% thanks to the scalpers, making it impossible for most people to get it, where if it wasnt for the scalpers, they'd have no problem at all affording it.

likewise, I have been trying to find the Concept Camaro Bumblebee transformer for my nephew since july. even now, every figure that hits store shelves anywhere in the country is bought by scalpers and thrown on ebay, depriving my nephew of his favorite character. and yes, it is across the country, we transfans have extensive networking set up so we know what is available all over the US, and we know that the figures arent even making it out of the stock room. and it's almost exclusively bumblebee. they leave everyone else alone for the most part, although some are grabbing any and all TFs no matter how popular they are.

that isnt right. scalpers are evil, and any time I see them in stores, I do take things out of their cart to hold onto until they leave where I restock it, or hand it off to a kid that wants it.

I have seen scalpers take toys right out the hands of children at stores, and even raiding toys 4 tots bins at toys r us.

taking things away from children is what makes them far more than "bad" or an "incovenience".

they're evil, you arent going to convince me otherwise.

[Seraph]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

Wow I've never seen anyone actually take something from a kid. People are nutz. That's cool of you Valkysas, if you actually do to the scalpers what you said you do.

[Magus]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

Well, I'm convinced. I can't find any Transformers anywhere in my area.

Now... I know why...

</the brave one>

[Hrafn]

Re: is e-baying rare games/systems ethical?

Try justifying scalping in this situation:

Low income family has a kid who wanted a wii last christmas. their christmas bonus made it possible last year, but the only way you could get a Wii last year was on ebay for around 600 dollars thanks to scalpers. their financial situation makes it impossible to spend that much, or buy the Wii later on without the christmas bonus. unable to get their kid a Wii, they get them other stuff instead, and instead put their hopes on getting a Wii this christmas instead, only to find out that once more, scalpers are snatching up all the systems and making it impossible for the family to buy one yet again.

scalpers take away your ability to buy items at their intended price. buy buying the items, they create demand for their own supply. they force you to pay their inflated price or not have it.

as many people know, I'm a transformer collector. I've never scalped. I've been deprived of stuff because of scalpers, who will buy the entire run of a limited figure for resale. walmart's exclusive masterpiece starscream was bought up by scalpers, and most people in the country never saw it on store shelves. it's price has increased 200% thanks to the scalpers, making it impossible for most people to get it, where if it wasnt for the scalpers, they'd have no problem at all affording it.

likewise, I have been trying to find the Concept Camaro Bumblebee transformer for my nephew since july. even now, every figure that hits store shelves anywhere in the country is bought by scalpers and thrown on ebay, depriving my nephew of his favorite character. and yes, it is across the country, we transfans have extensive networking set up so we know what is available all over the US, and we know that the figures arent even making it out of the stock room.

that isnt right. scalpers are evil, and any time I see them in stores, I do take things out of their cart to hold onto until they leave where I restock it, or hand it off to a kid that wants it.

I have seen scalpers take toys right out the hands of children at stores, and even raiding toys 4 tots bins at toys r us.

taking things away from children is what makes them far more than "bad" or an "incovenience".

they're evil, you arent going to convince me otherwise.

I've seen non-scalpers do the same things, as has anyone who witnessed a couple Black Fridays and the anarchy that comes from them. A person can be evil and a scalper without the two things necessarily being related. And your analogy is flawed; Wiis were available in between the two holiday seasons. Save the Christmas bonus, spend it at a later date on a Wii. And if these parents couldn't get one, they didn't get in line early enough, didn't want it bad enough. The scalper did. That's the heart of the free market right there. Is scalping a bit unethical? Perhaps. So is taking items out of people's carts, so you're clearly in no position to throw stones. You think it's all right because you give it to a child? What if the scalper was raising money to buy toys for his own children? Paying hospital bills for a sick relative, or running a shelter for sick puppies? You don't know, yet you pass judgment because a few scalpers have kept you from getting some silly little toy. It's petty and spiteful, and while it's not evil either (see, I don't like to waste that label on the small things in life), it's closer to being evil than being a scalper.