Gamestop Overcharging For Wii Motion Plus?

[DoctorFinger]

Gamers look to have a new reason to hate on industry powerhouse Gamestop: price inflation.

Nintendo released the Wii Motion Plus yesterday. The MSRP for the WMP is $19.99, which is what every major retailer I can check sell it for. But Gamestop sells it for $24.99, a 25% markup. All three of my local Gamestop stores sell it for that price. All of the other retailers around me who carry the item - including Best Buy, Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart and K-Mart - sell it for the MSRP, as does every major online outlet I can find. Only Gamestop seems to be raising the price.

Why they're doing this, I don't know. But I somehow think this won't enhance Gamestop's reputation with gamers.

Source - Consumerist.

[Mike Kelehan]

They also raise the prices of many DS games from $30 to $35, and have sold other accessories for $5 over in the past, including Wii Points, MS Points, and Nunchuks.

[Wilkz07]

motion plus in canada is $24.99 at all the stores I saw flyers for... but thats based on exchange rate.

[Commissar Rob]

Oi. This'll go over well. I wonder what the official script is for the employees...

"Why are you charging more for this?"

"Because of the value-add of the expert advice you can't get at..."

Ugh.

[DoctorFinger]

Don't blame the employees. They're not the problem here.

[Telefrog]

I know this is crazy talk, but the MSRP of any item is exactly that. The suggested retail price. A store can add as much margin as it wants to a product, barring some contractual obligation.

The solution is simple. Buy it from someplace else.

[Commissar Rob]

Originally Posted by DoctorFinger

Don't blame the employees. They're not the problem here.

Hardly. I feel sorry for the poor sods trying to explain the price difference to Joe Consumer. Who, as Mr. Frog notes, could simply go elsewhere...

[total]

Originally Posted by Telefrog

I know this is crazy talk, but the MSRP of any item is exactly that. The suggested retail price. A store can add as much margin as it wants to a product, barring some contractual obligation.

The solution is simple. Buy it from someplace else.

My thoughts exactly. Buy it from someone else or pay the extra $5 that Gamestop is asking. They are welcome to charge $200 per unit if they think the market will bear it.

[BLeeP]

I didn't notice the Wii Motion Plus price jacking, but I did notice that they have tons of copies of The Legendary Starfy, and they are all overpriced at 35 cash monies. I found it really odd that they were overcharging for a first party title.

[Mike Kelehan]

Originally Posted by Katslover

I didn't notice the Wii Motion Plus price jacking, but I did notice that they have tons of copies of The Legendary Starfy, and they are all overpriced at 35 cash monies. I found it really odd that they were overcharging for a first party title.

They do it with every first party DS game.

[Wraith]

True or false:

The average purchaser of Wii accessories doesn't know that the MSRP is $19.99, and is less likely to comparison shop.

Most will simply buy it at $24.99, if that's the price being charged when they want to buy.

[BLeeP]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelehan

They do it with every first party DS game.

I find that to be extremely odd, as the first party titles are going to be raining from retail outlets, so it's not as if Gamestop has some sort edge on anyone by doing this.

[cp#]

Find your cheapest deal in your local Sunday ads (granted you have a Sunday paper). Then price match it at Best Buy (or whatever store price matches in your area).

Or shop online.

Fuck Gamestop.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Originally Posted by Telefrog

I know this is crazy talk, but the MSRP of any item is exactly that. The suggested retail price. A store can add as much margin as it wants to a product, barring some contractual obligation.

Which would be great if we were arguing that they should be arrested. This is an excellent argument against that. However, the argument being presented is that they are DOUCHEBAGS, which does not care very much about legality. They are being douchebags, this is easy to understand.

[Wilkz07]

Does the motion plus help improve all games or just the ones that support it?

[DoctorFinger]

Originally Posted by Wilkz07

Does the motion plus help improve all games or just the ones that support it?

It only affects games which support it.

[BabyJesus]

Another classy move by Gamestop. What surprises me is that its only a $5 premium.

Bravo!

[total]

Originally Posted by TheFlyingOrc

They are being douchebags, this is easy to understand.

I think you misspelled corporation. Say it with me now. Corporations have no moral compass nor do they give two shits about what you and I think. They will charge what they believe the market will bear.

[J Arcane]

To be honest, I never knew Gamestop marked up DS games, because the prices are all the same at Fred Meyer too. I think perhaps they aren't the only one involved in such activities. I remember the DS headset was actually like $5 more at Wal-Mart when I got it, than it was at Freddie's the next day when I was there.

[J Arcane]

Originally Posted by total

I think you misspelled corporation. Say it with me now. Corporations have no moral compass nor do they give two shits about what you and I think. They will charge what they believe the market will bear.

That's hardly a good excuse, though it's sadly one at the root of much of the problems in the Western world at the moment.