GetBuried.com

The Nintendo Wii became the must have item for Christmas 2007 this year So kids and adults alike were pestering there nearest and dearest for one.

Unfortunately for many who were desperate for a Wii, the door was clearly engaged, which left two options.

1. Not getting one
2. Paying a premium to buy one from Amazon, Ebay or some other seller who decided to capitalise on this shortage.

In fact many retailers were slapping on huge margins so they only needed to sell one Wii to make the profit of three. On Amazon prices seemed to go up every refresh - At one point I noticed it reach over £260 ($520) and saw other retailers selling packages for £400+. Back in the beginning of November there were reports of a chronic shortage and many being disappointed this christmas - BBC News Story on Wii Shortage .Okay, call me a sceptic/skeptic (depending on you spelling preference), but something doesn’t quite sound right here. Visiting Amazon, not once did it say there was none available, or an ebay search never told me ‘no results found’. In fact just before christmas one retailer on Amazon had over 90 Wii’s in stock at ‘only’ (note: Sarcasm) a £90 premium ($180). Perhaps rather than being a severe shortage, some creative marketing and drip feeding the market with just enough to keep people’s hopes up that they may be able to get hold of one.The funny thing about Christmas is retailers, manufacturers, etc.. know this is one of there busiest times of the year. They have twelve months to prepare to make sure they are stocked up with enough so that the majority of kids can be spoilt with far more things that they need or deserve.

So for 2007 the GetBuried Tomestone award is proudly given to Nintendo, for making kids unhappy and parents poorer. Happy New Year Nintendo, keep up the good work.